Currently, many Americans today receive government aid, but most of them abuse the help they are given. Many American families in the United States who apply for welfare; dishonestly apply and use aid for uses other than those for which it is intended. From personal experience, growing up in Texas with my mother being a single parent, government assistance was needed. The state of Florida recently passed a law that would require applicants applying for welfare to take a drug test. A similar law was passed a couple of years ago in the state of Michigan, but this law was struck down by the US Supreme Court who said it violated the 4th Amendment. Public Assistance The drug testing law should have been a federal law years ago because the drug epidemic has been going on for years; government aid was used for this purpose by some Americans. Public assistance is needed to temporarily help people with financial difficulties; however, restrictions must be placed on recipients. States should monitor benefits, offer diverse care, and monitor drug use. There are many states, like Georgia, that want to implement a law like Florida and Michigan because the abuse of public assistance goes far beyond drugs. Yet there are many advocacy groups who are against this law that restores the 4th Amendment. In the United States, there are more than thousands of Americans who do not have the means to support themselves, so they seek government benefits. Additionally, many people cannot afford adequate insurance. For Americans on public assistance, one of the largest forms of assistance offered by the government is Medicare. Medicare is one of many controversial issues... at the center of the paper... Florida's drug testing law was struck down just after four months by a federal judge in Orlando. Millions of people in the United States today benefit from some type of public assistance. Some Americans have Medicare, which provides care to people who cannot afford private health insurance and to those 65 or older. Another form of public assistance is TANF, which many families participate in; an organization that helps needy families with some grants and guidance provided by the government. Some states are taking all necessary steps to ensure that taxpayer money for public assistance is used properly by those who actually need it and not to buy drugs and alcohol. These public restrictions are put in place, so that people who actually need help to survive, and who want to live their lives with the American dream in mind, can have a chance.