State Senator Steve Smith, a Republican (no surprise) from Maricopa, introduced a little gem of a bill that’s coursing its way through the legislature.

 One to equal his recent “success,” the build-the-border-wall-ourselves law, the one that to date has raised about, oh, $400,000.  About 1/10 of one mile of the wall.

 His latest brainfart is a bill to require the unemployed to submit to drug testing when the unemployed first apply for benefits, then to face random screening afterwards.

 Paid for, natch, by the unemployed themselves (you can read about it here).

Says Sen. Smith, “”If you are so fortunate to live in a nation to get an unemployment check … when you’re down on your luck, the very least you should be able to do is prove you’re of sound mind and body to earn — earn — that benefit.”

Something like this has already been tried in Florida, championed by their governor, Rick Scott.

Scott’s theory – like Smith’s – is that those receiving public benefits tend to abuse drugs, in their days of TV-watching, crack-smoking, meth-inhaling, Dorito-munching days.

 Except in practice, the Florida program has actually refuted Scott’s theory – only 2% of the welfare recipients failed drug tests (you can read about it here).

 About 7% fewer than the number of Floridians in general estimated to use drugs.

 Oops!

 And it’s in court, subject to lawsuit.

 Guess where Arizona’s Smith Law’ll be if the Guv signs it?

 In the meantime, I have an amendment to Smith’s bill.

 His concern is that we taxpayers subsidize these lazy no accounts’ drug habits.  But Arizona recently created the Commerce Authority, an unaccountable group that doles out millions to businesspeople to create or relocate businesses in our state.

 How about testing those guys and gals?  After all, they usually have more money to blow on blow than do the unemployed, and we give them a boatload of money (though right now we can’t seem to find out who they are, since the Authority doesn’t release those picky little details).

 So, Sen. Smith, have at – add the Test the BusinessPeople Now Amendment.

 Man up.  And while you’re at it, sober up, too.  You gotta be on something to come up with gems like this.