On Thursday Gov. Pat McCrory vetoed House Bill 392, which would have subjected welfare recipients to drug tests in order to receive their aid.

It seems strange that a conservative Republican governor - particularly the guy who's limited voting rights and access to healthcare and abortions all in one session - would kill such a bill.

For starters, not only is drug testing welfare recipients popular among conservatives, the latest poll shows 71 percent of North Carolina voters support it too. Most independents support it, as do some Democrats. So why'd he do it? Certainly it wasn't a political decision to align himself with the liberals who would never support him anyway.

Per a press release McCrory issued on Thursday, it was an economical decision.

"Similar efforts in other states have proved to be expensive for taxpayers and did little to actually help fight drug addiction," McCrory said in a statement. "It makes no sense to repeat those mistakes in North Carolina."

He's probably referring to Florida, where Gov. Rick Scott pushed through a similar measure in 2011 that was, by all accounts, a huge disaster. According to the law, the state had to reimburse all those who passed - about 98 percent - the test fee. Per an investigation by The Tampa Tribune:

Cost of the tests averages about $30. Assuming that 1,000 to 1,500 applicants take the test every month, the state will owe about $28,800-$43,200 monthly in reimbursements to those who test drug-free.

That compares with roughly $32,200-$48,200 the state may save on one month's worth of rejected applicants.

Net savings to the state: $3,400 to $5,000 annually on one month's worth of rejected applicants. Over 12 months, the money saved on all rejected applicants would add up to $40,800 to $60,000 for a program that state analysts have predicted will cost $178 million this fiscal year.

Despite its popularity, requiring welfare recipients to submit to drug testing is a vicious and callous policy. McCrory admitted as much in a video he released Thursday, in which he called the bill "fundamentally unfair and an overreaching government intrusion." He's also right about the cost: HB293 would have been a huge waste of taxpayer money. (Though, it's hard to believe the guy who just gave two young staffers at the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services $22,500 and $23,000 raises is truly fiscally responsible.)

Whatever his intentions, Governor Pat did something right yesterday, and that deserves some credit.