Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) should change his affiliation to Republican because he takes the conservative stance on several issues. Most recently, he has voiced his support for drug testing public housing applicants.

Manchin announced his support for drug testing public housing applicants, using “the children” as his reason for doing so. Using kids is a classic political ploy to support policies that are actually harmful to people because it’s tough to question such support. However, Manchin’s pattern of supporting conservative policies makes questioning him so much easier.

Manchin said a group of middle schoolers told him “our moms and daddies don’t use that money for us.” Drug testing public housing applicants is no different than drug testing welfare applicants to receive food stamps. It’s discriminatory and expensive to the taxpayer.

Manchin supports conservative proposals, namely the Keystone XL Pipeline. He defended the pipeline against his own party, siding with the Republicans. He should just switch parties already.

For more on this story, visit the Huffington PostJoe Manchin Backs Public Housing Drug Tests, Got Idea From Schoolchildren”

Farron Cousins is the executive editor of The Trial Lawyer magazine and a contributing writer at DeSmogBlog.com. He is the co-host / guest host for Ring of Fire Radio. His writings have appeared on Alternet, Truthout, and The Huffington Post. Farron received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of West Florida in 2005 and became a member of American MENSA in 2009. Follow him on Twitter @farronbalanced