EDITORIAL - I watched the Democrat debate yesterday evening, not so much to learn something new, but because I have the innate curse of enjoying political speeches, even if those speeches grind against the very pit of my soul in both substance and concept.

The majority of the debate uncovered no real surprises, but one particular answer to a question about drug testing sticks in my mind. The answer that Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd gave to a question about drug testing welfare recipients strikes hard at the very nature of the rampant disability and aggressive disease that infects the modern Democrat party, and it is downright frightening.

The question read like this: “Senator Dodd, this is from Joe, and he asked, "I have to pass a drug test to earn a paycheck. Shouldn't the welfare recipient have to pass one to receive a check, as well?"”

Dodd's answer to that question was “Well, not necessarily.” He added that the country somehow gets “uneasy” about drug testing the people and perhaps we need to be a little more respectful and compassionate towards people with drug addictions. Dodd continued by arguing that depriving someone of a taxpayer-funded handout because of an “illness” seems to be the wrong direction to move in.

Make no mistake about it, we all should be personally offended by that repulsive and hideously inept answer. I sure am. According to Chris Dodd, it is perfectly acceptable for our taxpayer-funded welfare dollars to be used to fund someone else's drug habit. This politician sees no problem in forcing the American people to fund the very reason why a drug addict is on welfare in the first place.

What a place to live in. The United States government is engaged in a hugely expensive war on drugs, but at least one of our politicians is accepting of welfare payments supporting those very same drugs. This goes far beyond the Democrat party being thoroughly out of touch with anything that does not conform nicely with pure socialism. This is criminal, deplorable and categorically irrational.

I do not care if Americans get “uneasy” about drug testing. I do not care about the bureaucracy that a drug testing program would ultimately create. If welfare is going to exist in the United States at all, our politicians have an obligation to ensure that money (our money) will not be used to fund a criminal habit of the recipient. Anything short constitutes a clear dereliction of duty on behalf of our elected “leaders”.

Our politicians are cluelessly floating in the clouds with a good majority of this nation's important social issues. The United States is neck-deep with career politicians that hold such little regard for our Constitution or the value of our hard earned tax dollars. Senator Dodd's utter disrespect for the rule of law and contempt for what the American people labor every day to earn is unequivocal evidence of a complete lack of fitness for any position within our government.

If you want to fund drug addiction, Senator Dodd, then please do it with your own money. How dare you fund your perverse definition of compassion with everyone else's money. How do you muster up the arrogance required to preach to the American people about respect and compassion for the drug-addicted welfare recipient, while holding such clear hatred, such disgust and such hostility for the very hard working, taxpaying people of the United States that you claim to represent?

It is no secret that the Democrat party depends on social entitlement programs to remain in power. I only hope that refusing to drug test a welfare recipient, and by effect financially supporting that person's drug habit with welfare dollars, is unique to Senator Dodd and not to one of the many other Democrat candidates for president that enjoy a significantly better chance at winning the election.