Is this what class warfare looks like?

That term has been mentioned in relation to the angry reaction triggered by the bonuses given to AIG executives and the perhaps-hasty action taken by Congress to seek financial revenge on the recipients. The possibility was raised that the anger of middle-class Americans at the rich may finally have boiled over.

By contrast, some Kansas legislators seem to be taking aim at a group at the other end of the income spectrum: people whose financial situation qualifies them for assistance from various state programs. A bill passed by the House on Wednesday would require most people receiving cash assistance from the state to undergo periodic testing for illegal drug use.

This would apply to an estimated 14,000 low-income Kansans who receive general assistance, child care assistance and other cash payments, whether or not there is any reason to suspect them of drug abuse. They would be tested for one reason: because they are poor.

Under significant budget pressure, some legislators apparently want to make sure none of the state’s social service dollars are going to people who abuse drugs. The goal, said Rep. Kasha Kelley, R-Arkansas City, was to get treatment for anyone who tested positive, thereby protecting not only tax dollars but any children who happen to be living in the home.

Getting people into treatment and protecting children are good goals, but Kelley’s bill assumes that such problems are inherently connected to a person’s income level. The children of someone who can afford to support a high-priced cocaine habit also could be in peril.

The point is that there are state and federal laws that cover illegal drug use and child abuse. Those laws should be enforced, but they should be enforced equally across the income spectrum. Just because a single mother takes assistance in order to care for her baby doesn’t mean she abuses drugs.

Although the bill was approved by the full House, it would not take effect unless funding is approved to cover the estimated $800,000 cost of implementing the drug-testing program. In a tight budget year, it seems likely lawmakers will decide that money can be better spent in some other way, perhaps even to provide additional social service support.

Even if it is never enacted, this bill is a cruel and unnecessary slap at low-income people. There are laws to address illegal drug use by people of any income level. There is no justification for adding to the stigma and pain of state aid recipients who are struggling with finances but not illegal drugs.