Persuasive Essay On Welfare Drug Testing

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The United States Constitution, which serves as the supreme law of the United States, was written by men who envisioned a government that would be fair and just. To further protect the citizens of this land, amendments have been added that offer protection of individual liberty and justice and place restrictions on the powers of government. Today, the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution is the cornerstone of litigation related to drug testing of welfare recipients. While the funding of federal assistance programs continues to escalate, drug abuse in the United States is spiraling out of control. Many states have passed laws that require recipients of assistance programs such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to be drug tested. While these laws may sound reasonable, they infringe the individual rights of United States citizens that are protected by the constitution. (Appeals Court Upholds Michigan Welfare Drug Testing Program) The Fourth Amendment insures, ?The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons …show more content…
The outcome may lead to a life of homelessness or crime, or it may be the incentive the user needs to more beyond welfare. In The Human Cost of Welfare, Phil Harvey and Lisa Conyers allege that most welfare recipients feel that the federal assistance program is broken and encourages the poor to continue a life in poverty. Some people must fall with their face in the dirt before they look up and attempt to move forward. In situations such as this, negative consequences can serve as positive

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