Waking up this morning I thought the only good news I would read in this mornings papers was how the Yankees were abused by the Indians last night (I am a Mets fan unfortunately). The cover of the NY Daily News has given me much more than that, the headline reads County Clerks Rebel Vs. Spitzer ID Plan. For those of you not aware, NY State Governor Elliot Spitzer has planned to allow illegal aliens to obtain NY States drivers licenses. Today we read:

The clerks, who administer the licensing program, said Spitzer’s plan would make New York a magnet for illegal immigrants, raise security concerns, and create “confusion” about state-issued licenses and non-driver IDs at voting booths, in government offices and elsewhere.

By a 30-to-3 vote in Albany, with three abstentions, the New York Association of County Clerks denounced the plan as “ill advised.” One Democrat joined 29 Republican clerks in calling on Spitzer to withdraw it.

“This policy could lead to a significant influx of illegal immigration to the state of New York, taxing local government and law enforcement,” the group warned.

Thirteen of the clerks threatened to mutiny - and refuse to carry out Spitzer’s executive order if he allows it to go into effect in December.

Democratic Clerk Sandra DePerno of Oneida County, one of the 13 rebels, said, “I think they’ve forgotten what happened here in New York state on 9/11.”

But Spitzer shot back in a statement: “Today 30 county clerks voted for a policy that makes our state less secure and our roads less safe.”

Spitzer’s reply to the clerks protests displays a total lack of common sense. In no way will licensing illegal immigrants make the State more secure, or the roads safer. Governor Spitzer apparently believes that although illegal aliens may be driving without a license right now (because they cannot get one), if he were to allow them to be licensed, those who failed the driving test would stop driving.

He also is ignoring a key issue in this debate, and that is once you give illegal aliens licenses, you are legitimizing them, giving them a form of government identification which could then possibly be used to vote in elections. Of course as a Democrat, this may be Governor Spitzer’s goal, as most illegal aliens would vote Democrat in an election.

It is refreshing to see the clerks standing up to Spitzer on this issue, even though they have no legal standing to do so. As a matter of law, the clerks can be forced to comply, but I am not sure how far Spitzer wants to take this fight, specifically after recent polls showed 58% of New Yorkers were against him while only 35% favored his plan.

As many other States are making new rules tightening restrictions on licensing, why would Governor Spitzer want to loosen them?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Immigration