Spitzer's License Plan Has G.O.P. Roots
With Republicans making such a fuss over Eliot Spitzer’s plan to allow illegal immigrants to obtain New York State driver’s licenses, it’s worth remembering that the idea was introduced in the state Senate last year by a Republican.
Nick Spano of Westchester, who by the end was essentially a Democrat who happened to vote for Joe Bruno to be majority leader, introduced a bill that would have done the same thing as Spitzer’s initiative.
The bill, S7388-A, was introduced in 2006, right before Spano lost his seat to Democrat Andrea-Stewart Cousins. It was referred to the transportation committee on April 21, and amended on June 12, but never voted on, as far as I know.
Here's some text from the bill.
Acceptable proof of identity shall include, but not be limited to, foreign passports with or without visa stamps, valid documentation issued by United States citizenship and immigration services, and consular photo identification documents. Eligibility for a driver's license shall not be conditioned on a particular immigration status.
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The commissioner may also provide that the application procedure shall include the taking of a photo image or images of the applicant in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed by the commissioner. In addition, the commissioner also shall require that the applicant provide his or her social security number or, with respect to an application for a non-commercial driver's license, a letter or form from the United States Social Security Administration stating that the applicant is not eligible for a social security number or a sworn statement on a form prescribed by the commissioner, under penalty of perjury, that the applicant does not have and is not eligible for a social security number and on which a witness holding a valid driver's license or non-driver identification card issued by the commissioner or having acceptable proof of identity attests, under penalty of perjury, to the identity and address of the applicant
Suozzi also made it a platform of his primary campaign against Spitzer
Governor Eliot Spitzer is right, and he is a hero!
Those bandit and scoundrel republicans are dividing our society with scare tactics. They are trying to make our country a hatemonger country. We welcome immigrants and their contribution to our society. The Americans who claim not to have jobs and complaining are the lazy scum of our society; we are hard working proud Americans who are not afraid to help the poor and make our society a welcoming society. Governor Eliot Spitzer is a real American whom our forefathers should be proud of. I pray to God he prevails, in which case he already did. For those of you, hateful dirt(s), go join the KKK, live in a trailer somewhere in the South in remote swaps, marry your closest, and do yourself a favor; don’t pollute our welcoming state and our country with your hate speeches. After all is it not a republican who was preying on young boy interns, and the other who took his family value straight to the rest room looking for perverts at least that was told. We are God fearing good and clean Americans, not thieves and perverts. Spitzer is right, let the poor dream as well.
Thank you, may God bless Spitzer and our country; may God give your hateful heart the scent of worship and care. And when I say worship is not worshipping the hateful rep., the overweight and ugly Congressman James Sensenbrenner, whose cholesterol level still out scores his ego and hatred. Why don’t he focus on his health and eating habits rather than scaring Americans with his inflated fear tactics, back room politics and poisons bills; he might as well go and work for groups like the K.K.K. We are a welcoming nation; we feed the poor; we pray to God; we love and respect our family, neighbors and God’s creatures. Why don’t we listen to star citizens such as the priests who devoted their lives for the good of men and God; who are telling us to be kind, why do we follow a no good liar republican politician?
It simply beats logic away. Go Spitzer and alike, enough of these lies.
No more voting republican for me.
May This Be the End of a Once-Promising Political Career for Spitzer?
And what a bunch of a baloney,JPlotnick: I'm married to a legal immigrant who followed the rules to come here, and like most Americans, want our immigration laws enforced at every level.
I'm tired of the pandering to the ethnic illegal alien lobby embodied by Governor Spitzer's sheer stupidity dressed up as a "practical" solution. Here illegally? Life (*should* be hard - you're not supposed to be here. It's wise to keep up all such obstacles and not lay out the welcome mat, which is a controlled process that you either respect or else pay the consequences.
As a native New Yorker currently living in another liberal state (Maryland)that allows illegals to get driver's licenses, I'm embarrassed and angry that my home state has learned nothing from 9/11.
And to JPlotnick, save us your liberal platitudes: we all come from immigrant stock and respect *legal* immigration. No country has ever been more welcoming to immigrants (not without cycles of "time out's" during war and depression) so don't play the absurd "bigot" card.
This has nothing to do with "hate." As a Democrat, I'd love if went back to respecting rule of law and common sense. Such an embrace of unpopular (and yes, unpatriotic) causes is a recipe for yet another four years of a GOP presidency.