I want to know what you think.

Eight states are considering passing legislation that would require random drug testing for people to receive food stamps, unemployment benefits or welfare.

Click here to read the article, “States Consider Drug Tests for Welfare Recipients”

Supporters of this legislation feel that it’s necessary in response to an ever-growing population of Americans applying for government-funded aid as a result of the economic downturn. These lawmakers feel it would help to identify the potential health risks and the probability of those receiving aid getting back on their feet when the economy turns around — and that it would also send a clear message: In America, you don’t get something for nothing.

Why not get tested? Millions of Americans are drug tested at random for their jobs every day — the same Americans whose taxes are funding government assistance programs like food stamps, unemployment and welfare. And as American citizens, we need to take responsibility for our own well-being and that of our families.

Now, I’m not getting down on the millions of Americans who may be down on their luck, or for whatever reason, must rely on government aid to help them through tough times while they try their best to get back on their feet. But then if that’s the case, a random drug test should not be a problem, right?

But there are two sides to every argument — and there may be a couple of questions worth asking when considering this proposal …

What about the unintentional effects that limiting aid to a family — especially one with children — may have in failing to provide them with necessities as basic as food on their plates? We don’t want to punish the children for their parents’ actions. But then, in some cases, with severely drug-addicted parents, how can we be sure that the money is going to support the children, rather than to support the habit?

Just last year, a contest in southern California called “There Ought to Be a Law,” yielded a disabled 16-year-old winner whose life challenges inspired his proposal of legislation to mandate random drug testing for all pregnant women on welfare. R.J. Feild was born weighing just 2 pounds, 2 ounces with traces of heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, alcohol and cocaine in his system due to his mother’s drug use while she was pregnant.  And while the “R.J.’s Law” never made it into legislation, it brought to light an important issue.

But then what happens to people who test positive for drugs while on public assistance? Would the states flat-out refuse help forever, or would they help them get into a rehabilitation center to kick the habit? Right now, most states can’t even meet their Medicaid requirements for people to get routine health care. Perhaps a better plan might be to pump the government aid they would normally receive directly into rehabilitating them.

So I’d like to know what you think, because at the end of the day, we’re the ones funding these programs.

In some cultures, as soon as a baby is born, the father whispers a message into the child’s ears. I’ve seen it done with some of the babies I’ve delivered, and while I never ask what was said, I’m sure it’s a massage of hope and love.

I don’t know if my father did anything like that when I was born, but he did make sure to tell me early on in my life, that America was the land of hope and opportunity. And I believe that it was then, and it always will be.

I know that for many people right now this seems like a difficult concept to believe in, but for some of us, today’s troubles are the challenges that will continue to make our future great.

The stresses that most Americans are experiencing right now are overwhelming. I see it in my own practice — unfortunately these days it seems even the joy of a new baby is sometimes overshadowed by the financial strain of a growing family.  I tell some of my patients that are dealing with these feelings of anxiety to reflect on their past and see how America has always been there for them.

It’s human nature to survive, and throughout history, we have seen people survive through much worse conditions than we are in today. This isn’t the first time a nation has faced hardship, and history has shown us that even at the lowest points, through two world wars, depressions, the Holocaust, famine and terrorism, just to name a few, the human spirit has prevailed. And today, we as Americans will not surrender.

As a kid, I grew up in a communist dictatorship where our survival was predicated on dealing with a black market economy. My father came to America with just a coat and $150 in his pocket. America made him a new man and allowed him to work hard and build up his family. He stopped thinking about the worst-case scenario, and focused on making an honest living.

America will never fail — just look back in our history. The world has seen many terrible things. But rather than surrendering to your worries about the present, think of the past and remember the words of Winston Churchill, who in his most desperate moments, rallied those around him, by saying “We will fight in the hills, we will never surrender.”

Who knows and who cares? But yet, as I read today’s newspaper, there are alleged reports that Cuba watchers from Miami to Washington were on high alert due to rumors circulating that his health has taken a turn for the worse.

I remember reporting on a similar story in 2007 in which I was reacting to rumors that Fidel Castro had died and I coined a phrase called Castro-syndrome,  which describes the anxiety Americans all over the U.S. were feeling over the pending demise of Fidel Castro.

But Castro, in fact, was not dead. In 2008, he retired, and yet nothing really changed on the island of Cuba. The Cuban people still live under tyranny, lacking human rights, and with no hope for a better future. For 50 years, Fidel Castro has blamed the United States instead of blaming himself for the brutal way he has governed.

To me Fidel Castro is a footnote of history. And I know that if his pending demise comes to fruition, he will be the top story in every newspaper around the world.

So I am not going to speculate, but I am going to hope that somehow 2009 will bring hope, prosperity and happiness to the Cuban people. And that future generations of free Cubans will remember that one dictator could try, but never overcome what is inside all of us: goodness and great hope for a better world.

Yes, he will die someday, but in the meantime, we all have to live for today – because tomorrow may never come.

Markets move not just on financial realities, but on perception.  Our hearts, not just minds, determine which stocks rise or fall, whether banks stay viable because we stay confident in them, or close because we rush to empty our accounts.

Now, more than ever, it seems the future depends on our collective optimism or collective pessimism about our standing in the world, the creativity and resourcefulness of our people, and the underlying strength of our financial institutions.

Here’s the truth:  We are in a better position than in recent memory to rely on our institutions as the delusions that created the housing bubble and propelled flawed investment banking strategies get wrung out of our system.  The pain being endured by those who turned their personal finances or business financials into fiction is sure evidence that we are headed back to solid ground.

Make no mistake:  The ground in America is still crisscrossed coast-to-coast by economic highways paved with gold.  If you read the story of this nation from its first page to the page we are now turning, you will understand that tides have surged and retreated, but our riches have only grown.  That predicts they will continue to, especially now that we are editing the fake stuff out of future chapters.

Here’s how to use psychology to recover faster.  It’s called True Confidence, and it has a self-fulfilling force of its own:

– Plan a trip, even if it’s 12 months from now. 

– Put something you don’t really need, but really want on your shopping list for Christmas — and buy it now. 

– Open a tiny stock account for your kids. 

– Start looking for a house that will make you happy; your income and prices will ultimately make your dream a reality. 

– Think about how to take your performance at work to the next level, as economic tides start to turn for the better. 

Take note of the fact that with all the criticism of America, a Democratic African-American senator and a maverick Republican former-POW senator are squaring off to lead us to better times.  We should be hopeful about that and everything it says about who we are and where we are headed.

This economy needed a detox from the intoxicants of false financials that made us euphoric.  But it is an economy that turns out to be one that self-corrects, because it is ultimately based on market forces that have real and genuine power.

If America is a stock, believe me:  People are going to buy again.  Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines. 

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel and a New York Times bestselling author. His newest book, “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life through the Power of Insight and Honesty” has launched a new self-help movement. Check out Dr. Ablow’s website at livingthetruth.com.