MANDATORY DRUG TESTING OF KIDS PRESUMES GUILT

Repeal Antitrust Laws

I support the Jan. 24 editorial, "Congress Should Deny Funding for School
Drug Tests." The editorial correctly pointed out that mandatory drug
testing employs the principle that students are to be presumed guilty and
must prove their innocence. Congress should deny funding for this.

But The News has supported just this principle in regards to businessmen
when in the past it has supported antitrust laws and myriad regulations
from the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission,
Securities and Exchange Commission, et al. All of these require businessmen
to prove their innocence.

Once a society adopts this irrational principle toward one group, it is
only a matter of time before it is applied to other groups. If one does not
wish to see students treated this way, then the proper course of action
would be to repudiate the principle entirely. Calling for the repeal of the
antitrust laws would be a good start.

Michael Neibel

Roseville