The Huntsman administration ought to give state employees the benefit of the doubt rather than inflicting the indignity of random drug tests.

But there's no evidence that drug-addicted employees are ransacking confidential information, except for one pending criminal case. With thousands of employees, there are going to be some bad apples. Random drug tests will only harrass innocent people and hurt the morale of all state employees, with little if any benefit.

Numerous employees will be subjected to the humiliating tests in the precious hope that a user of illegal drugs might be discovered.

But if drug addicts are a problem, what about other people whose personal problems may tempt them into theft? That may be people who are facing bankruptcy, or who have drinking or gambling problems. Will the state test them, too? Maybe Little Brother in Salt Lake City will ask to see employees' bank statements, or probe to discover whether they've bought some liquor lately, or whether they've visited Wendover or Las Vegas.

Drug tests don't even begin to cover the problem of employees who turn out to be just plain greedy and dishonest. There's no test for finding them, and they pose a danger as great, or greater, than drug addicts.

If there is a problem with purloined identities, better procedures for handling of records is the obvious answer. But there is another.

Maybe the state should stop seeking so much confidential information. For instance, state income tax forms are packed with sensitive, personal data that could be looted. If that's such a big problem, get rid of the income tax and derive state revenue from sales taxes.

There are probably similar solutions for other areas. Maybe the problem isn't that drug addicts are rifling personal records in state files. Perhaps it's that the state has them in the first place.

Taking back our personal information from the state bureaucracy could be one more step in taking back our lives too.