Spitzer answers critics of driver's license plan Governor says policy will make state safer but opposition is fierce
By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press First published: Sunday, October 14, 2007
ALBANY -- Few New York policy issues have ignited such swift and fiery opposition and even confounded likely supporters than Gov. Eliot Spitzer's proposal to make it easier for illegal immigrants to get state driver's licenses.
"Spitzer maintains his policy ... will improve (homeland) security," the Watertown Daily Times wrote in one of several editorials on the topic. "That may be true, but discussion of the policy is being drowned out by the rhetoric on both sides."
It doesn't help that Albany remains neck-deep in political mire that has veteran lawmakers and staffers shaking their heads. Even New York's Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton have so far avoided the fray, despite the national security concerns.
Spitzer's order, effective in December, will allow immigrants to use a valid foreign passport, confirmed by state officials, to get a license, instead of Social Security numbers that were tied to valid U.S. residency. In an interview with The Associated Press, the freshman governor answered some of the harshest criticisms.
Spitzer: "The underlying objective here is to make everyone safer. This policy will finally generate a driver's license that will be used by people we can actually identify. They will have to provide a foreign passport that we can check and validate and instead of having a million people living in the shadows without having any idea who they are.
We will now know who is driving, which will make the roads safer, save people money on their insurance rates, and begin to address an issue the federal government has totally abdicated, which is how do we deal with our immigrant population ... Every security expert we have spoken to believes this policy makes us safer."
Q: Former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman, a member of the 9/11 Commission, told The Buffalo News that Spitzer's policy is a "perfect formula for al-Qaida. They won't be able to resist it ... So New York becomes a sanctuary for al-Qaida and all sorts of other people on the lam."
A: "That's simply not the real world. Anybody who comes will have to prove identity with a valid foreign passport."
Q: Peter Gadiel of the 9/11 Families for a Secure America told the New York Post: "Every illegal is a person whose true identity and possible history of violence and terrorism is unknown. Thus, any illegal may be a terrorist."
A: "The 9/11 Commission outright rejected the views he has articulated ... the people he's talking about are here.
We will have a valid, foreign passport for every individual getting a license. We will know who they are, know of their criminal record if they have one, and deny them a license if they are not entitled to get one. We are going to be way ahead of where we are right now.
(From the 9/11 Commission report: "The federal government should set standards for the issuance of birth certificates and sources of identification, such as driver's licenses ... At many entry points to vulnerable facilities, including gates for boarding aircraft, sources of identification are the last opportunity to ensure that people are who they say they are and to check whether they are terrorists.") : Republican Sen. Thomas Libous, to the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, countered: "What part of 'illegal' don't people understand?" A: "This is law and order. It is an effort to ensure that when an officer stops a car, the driver's license is a genuine document that gives you the actual identity of the person. Alternatively, you can have an environment in which people forge their social security numbers, or drive without a license, or use somebody else's license. Those are alternatives.
The issue of our giving a privilege to those who are not here legally, necessarily, I don't think is the right way to view it. These are individuals who are here in our communities, going to our public schools, going to our hospitals, working in our economy. And we are all better off making them part of the aboveground economy rather than keeping them beneath the surface where we don't even know they exist."
Q: Why? Most states don't allow illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses.
A: "That is true, but there are also other states that do not require proof of residency in order to get a driver's license. Seven or eight states have no legal status requirement and so what we're doing is saying, 'We need to know who you are, we're just not asking how you got here' ... Millions of people come in every year on a foreign passport.
The fact that when you crossed the border you didn't have a visa, you didn't come in properly, that is not the purpose of the driver's license. That's the federal government's responsibility, and they have failed for decades to enforce and do their job."
And here's a question, will the license be invalid after the day their passport (or visa) expires? You know, that is one major way that we have illegals here, including the 9/11 hijackers. What did they have, about 55 drivers licenses between the 19 of them?
Hopefully they will all be paying into the insurance companies for car insurance....I bet they get that special 'immigrant status' rate.....
Quoted Text
"Spitzer maintains his policy ... will improve (homeland) security," the Watertown Daily Times wrote in one of several editorials on the topic. "That may be true, but discussion of the policy is being drowned out by the rhetoric on both sides."
See, it is a conversation that is being held in the public arena...both parties have tossed their tokens into the air....who ever lands on top of the pile after the tokens fall gets the honor of stating...."Our party has made America safer, via the drivers licenses ie; National ID cards. This is a moment in America that will show our Soverenty and technology. Now we shall move on to cover all Americans with health care being able to track those immigrants who are not at 'full status' and charging them a nominal fee.".......we can be bought......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
I guess Spitzer doesn't realize that the terrorists can forge a passport and make it look better than an original one.
And they can get fake drivers licenses that look better than originals. Just ask the under drinking aged college kids! Come on now, you can't tell me that Spitzer isn't just looking for votes here. If not, than he is just plain NUTS!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Quoted Text
Main Entry: nat·u·ral·ize Pronunciation: \ˈna-chə-rə-ˌlīz, ˈnach-rə-\ Function: verb Inflected Form(s): nat·u·ral·ized; nat·u·ral·iz·ing Date: 1559 transitive verb 1: to confer the rights of a national on; especially : to admit to citizenship 2: to introduce into common use or into the vernacular 3: to bring into conformity with nature 4: to cause (as a plant) to become established as if native intransitive verb: to become established as if native — nat·u·ral·i·za·tion \ˌna-chə-rə-lə-ˈzā-shən, ˌnach-rə-\ noun
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Gov. Spitzer must be a glutton for punishment. Just as he was putting the Joe Bruno “Troopergate” behind him, he announces his idiotic plan to provide access to a state driver’s license for people who have a hard time proving they’re citizens. I have listened to both sides of this argument. The governor would have us believe that illegals who currently lack a license, once they possess one, will become safe drivers. All they have to do is pass an oral test (because they can’t read English), and take a five- to 10-minute road test. Also, those of us lucky enough to own a car and pay for insurance will see premiums go down. The governor must think we’re all fools to believe such utter sophistry! The real reason for this “plan” [is that] the governor sees the scarlet letter “V” (for votes) emblazoned on the foreheads of those “living in the shadows.” With a (meaningless) driver’s license in hand, one can get on the fast track to all sorts of publicly-funded welfare programs. And, while on their way to Social Services, they can stop by and register to vote. That’s it in a nutshell. STEVEN ESPOSITO Ballston Spa
SCHENECTADY Tesisco knocks Spitzer over DMV rule MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Michael Goot at 395-3105 or mgoot@dailygazette.net
Republican Assembly Leader James Tedisco criticized Gov. Eliot Spitzer Sunday for the elimination of a Department of Motor Vehicles program that put dates on the driver’s licenses of noncitizens, indicating how long they can legally remain in the country. Tedisco criticized the elimination of the “Temporary Visitor Program” that was established in 2003 and put in bold red ink the date when a documented noncitizen could no longer be in the country. He said the DMV on Sept. 24 issued an internal memorandum that eliminated the program. Now, he said law enforcement will no longer have an effective tool for determining if someone is in the country legally. “What he’s doing is putting them into the shadows and into the darkness,” he said. “We don’t think all illegal aliens are terrorists. It only takes one.” He also criticized the governor for not holding a public hearing on this topic. “I think he’s doing it unilaterally, secretly,” he said. He added that this was part of the governor’s proposal to issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. He said it is not just Republicans who are concerned about this issue in contrast to Spitzer’s assertions. “He’s trying to race bait this thing and say it’s rabid right wingers. This is the problem with this governor right now. He doesn’t like to hear the word 'no,’ ” he said. Tedisco has proposed legislation that would prevent the governor from removing county clerks who defy his order to grant driver’s licenses and would cover defense costs for clerks if they are sued by Spitzer. Tedisco hopes this legislation will be brought to the floor when the Assembly returns on Oct. 22. Christine Pritchard, spokeswoman for the governor, said that just because there is a date on the license, does not mean that is how long a person can be in the country. “Under the previous labeling process, the temporary visa label was meaningless. The license was still valid for eight years, even if someone was lawfully here for only one year when it was applied for,” she said.
Heard on WGY Al Roney show this morning that there is a rally being held on the steps of the state capital in Albany on Monday, October 22 @ noon by those who oppose Spitzer's decree to grant New York State driver's licenses to illegal aliens. Those who are concerned about this issue need to plan to attend and let your voice be heard.
Bloomberg Leads Spitzer 50-37 in 2010 Gubernatorial Match-up
Loudonville, NY, Seventy-two percent of New York voters who have read or heard about the Governor’s proposal to allow undocumented aliens to obtain New York driver’s licenses oppose the Governor’s plan, while only 22 percent support it, according to a new Siena (College) Research Institute poll of registered voters released today. The Siena New York poll also shows that Eliot Spitzer’s job performance rating is lower than it has ever been, with a majority of voters saying he’s doing a fair or poor job. If the 2010 gubernatorial race were held today, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, running as a Republican, would beat Democrat Spitzer 50-37 percent.
"Nearly three-quarters of voters – including 59 percent of Democrats – oppose the Governor’s plan to give driver’s licenses to undocumented aliens," said Steven Greenberg, Siena New York Poll spokesman. "The voters’ message to the Governor is clear: ‘No, no, no.’ Opposition to the Spitzer proposal is intense, with 41 percent strongly opposing it and only 7 percent strongly supporting it.
"Nearly two-thirds of voters believe that the Governor’s proposal poses a national security risk, and two-thirds disagree with the argument that it will lower auto insurance costs. Even most Democrats are on the opposite side of the fence from the Governor on those questions. Voters from every region of New York overwhelmingly oppose Governor Spitzer on this issue," Greenberg said.
Spitzer’s favorable/unfavorable rating is 54-36 percent, down from 56-26 percent last month, and a high of 75-10 percent in January. His job performance rating is 41 percent positive 55 percent negative, down from 44-49 percent last month, and a high of 57-36 percent in May.
"While the Governor’s numbers may not be falling off a cliff, they are rolling swiftly and solidly down hill," Greenberg said.
"In four short months, the voters’ view of Spitzer’s job performance has reversed itself. Four times as many voters think he’s doing a poor job as think he’s doing an excellent job," Greenberg said. "Since January, his favorability has fallen by 21 points while his unfavorability has risen by 26 points."
In a hypothetical race against Bloomberg for Governor in 2010, Spitzer trails 50-37 percent. He beat Bloomberg 43-41 percent in June. Democrats favor Spitzer 54-35 percent, while Republicans favor Bloomberg 70-18 percent. Bloomberg leads by 28 points in New York City and 31 points in the downstate suburbs. Spitzer has a 15-point lead over Bloomberg upstate.
"What a difference a summer can make. In June, Spitzer had a small lead but now Mayor Mike’s lead is significant. Eliot Spitzer should be happy his re-election is three years away," Greenberg said.
Similar to last month, nearly 60 percent of New York voters who know about the Attorney General’s "troopergate" report believe that Spitzer needs to be more forthright about what he knows, while only 29 percent believe he has been honest with the public. Seventy percent of voters continue to believe the Governor should publicly testify under oath about everything he knows about the situation. And
62 percent (up from 53 percent last month) think Spitzer was aware of what his top aides were doing.
"Voters’ views on ‘troopergate’ have not dramatically changed since September. They don’t think the Governor has been honest with the public, they think he knew what his aides were doing, and they overwhelmingly say he should publicly testify about the issue," Greenberg said. "Interestingly, when voters were asked who’s more at fault in the troopergate scandal, they are split with 33 percent saying Spitzer, 33 percent saying Bruno, and 14 percent volunteering that the two are equally to blame."
One current Spitzer initiative did receive overwhelming approval. Seventy-one percent of voters support the S-CHIP lawsuit the Governor has joined to broaden health care coverage for children. Democrats support the lawsuit by an 86-9 percent margin. Republicans support it 54-36 percent.
When asked to rank nine issues on a scale of importance, the top issues for New York voters were health care, jobs and the economy, public education, taxes and integrity in state government. Democrats ranked as their top three health care, jobs and the economy and public education. The top three for Republicans were taxes, integrity in state government and public education.
# # #
This SRI survey was conducted October 7-10, 2007 by telephone calls to 620 registered New York State voters. It has a margin of error of + 3.9 percentage points. For more information, please call Steven Greenberg at 518-469-9858. Survey cross-tabulations and frequencies can be found at: http://www.siena.edu/sri/snyoctober.
Just caught this, but is the Gazette so left-leaning that they don't want the right to be pulled up when someone does a "Google" search on Mr. Tedisco??
Drivers License Fight Continues October 15, 2007 by Rick Karlin
The battle over Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s plan to issue drivers licensed to illegal aliens raced ahead at highway speed today with Senate hearings on the matter.
Spitzer’s DMV Commissioner, David Swarts, just finished up with some 4-1/2 hours of non-stop, intense, sometimes hostile questioning by the Republican-controlled Senate Transportation and Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs committees.
While Senators repeated the concerns that have been voiced for a couple of weeks now: that this would allow terrorists into the country, it’s unfair to legal citizens, and that it was sprung on the state and local county clerks with almost no warning or input, one of the newer developments centered on the possibility that the Senate could stymie this whole plan by simply withholding funding needed to complete it.
That’s because the Phase II (Phase I has already started) entails money-requiring items such as creation of a special inspection unit to examine the passports that illegal aliens would use in lieu of Social Security numbers to get licenses.
Senator Tom Libous, R-Binghamton, for example, suggested they could still be in session in December ‘08, haggling over funding for the plan if the governor doesn’t re-think it. “It needs more thought. It needs more discussion,'’ said Libous, echoing other Republican opponents who urged Spitzer to hold back on the plan.
Democrats were firing back though, with a pre-hearing press conference at which they accused those of linking the change to possible terrorist attacks as demagoguery and modern-day nativism against immigrants.
Senator Eric Adams, D-Brooklyn decried “”all the fear that is being whipped up, all the hate that is being whipped up.'’
One observation that didn’t go unnoticed by lots of those present: when Senators asked Swarts if he agreed with the governor’s plan, which he is responsible for carrying out, he said “that’s irrelevant.'’
Later when pressed by reporters as he left the building, Swarts backtracked, saying: “I support the governor’s policy fully, I think it’s a common sense approach.'’
Then, as if to underscore how grueling the hearing was, Swarts ducked away from reporters as he headed for the nearest restroom. In all fairness, I guess 4-1/2 hours with only bottled water to drink will do that to a person.
The Senate is far from done, right now they are interviewing a friendly witness, Pataki-era DMV Commissioner Raymond Martinez who opposes the plan.
Additionally, insurgent county clerks as well as security and immigration experts are on tap and more hearings are planned.
Just caught this, but is the Gazette so left-leaning that they don't want the right to be pulled up when someone does a "Google" search on Mr. Tedisco??
It must be a spin on the 'boxing match' between Bruno and Spitzer......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Logged
