Posted on 07/05/2010 9:51:48 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
Ratcheting up the debate over immigration in his state, a candidate for the Arizona utilities commission is threatening to cut off power and gas to illegal immigrants if he's elected.
"It is not a right. It is a service," Barry Wong, candidate for the Arizona Corporation Commission, told The Arizona Republic.
The Republican candidate argues that the policy would be a cost-saving measure for consumers.
Though it would cost money for power companies to check immigration status, he said it would ultimately save money because power companies would not have to build new plants to serve the illegal immigrant community, presumably passing on that savings to consumers. His plan, if elected to the five-person commission, would be to require utilities to check immigration status.
"There is a cost ratepayers shouldn't have to bear because of the illegal immigrant population," he said, while acknowledging the idea would probably attract "criticism about human-rights violations."
Though Arizona has drawn praise and criticism alike from all corners of the country for its new law making illegal immigration a state crime, support was hard to come by for Wong's proposal. None of the other candidates for the commission would endorse his idea. The CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry also blasted Wong in a column in the Republic, accusing him of trying to "score cheap political points" while marking a "new low" in the state's immigration debate.
"To deny someone access to electricity based on his or her immigration status is not only a wrongheaded policy proposal, it's just cruel," Glenn Hamer wrote, calling the candidate's economic argument "absurd."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
What part of ILLEGAL do these people NOT understand???? Aghhhhh!
OK, he’s got my vote. The libs will never allow his plan to happen, but my bet is that this guy wins by a big margin.
Define cruelty.
Bankrupting the USA so they we and our children live in poorer conditions (and lose services, exposed to horrific crime rates, etc) so that illegal immigrants can leech off of us.
Isn’t that cruel?
I think this is a bad idea too. What part of cruel and inhuman doesn’t this guy get. Turning off someone’s air conditioning in Arizona would qualify. It makes MUCH more sense to take them into custody and let them enjoy a nice air-conditioned cell until they are deported!
Greedy money mongers, depriving Innocent criminals of comfort just to save their own money.
A victory by this candidate would be a shot heard around the western world.
he’ll win in a landslide
It won’t work. Especially right now. Arizonans get very upset if a dog is left outside in this heat. Water and a/c are life, everything else is negotiable.
Great idea!
Wong is not wrong. What's "absurd" is ignoring the enormous capital cost of financing new plant and equipment with local bond issuances when the cities and state are probably rated at "junk" levels. Who's going to buy the bonds from an agency that's struggling to service their existing debt and obligations?
Here's an idea - use whatever funds are left in the government union pension funds to cover the costs driven by illegals, since they're soooo compassionate and are militantly against doing their duty by enforcing immigration laws! This supposedly awful "human rights" tragedy will evaporate in a nanosecond.
From reading the original article comments, it seems that the candidate is a RINO, and thus suspect.
But the policy advanced is dead on target.
What I had seen while living in Yuma, Az. is that when services are cut off, the illigals just tap into the wires [both electric & water] and keep on going with out any regard for everyone else.
This is about cost avoidance to legal residents, it's not meant to drive out illegals. 1) The illegals will be not be allowed to establish service in the first place. 2) If they recheck all customers and cut off service, they can be rounded up at that point, but they probably have a place to go for AC - like a friend or neighbor. 3) And lastly, I doubt they came from a posh, AC outfitted home in Mexico (largest population of illegals), to sneak across the desert or in the back of a sweltering trailer, to come here and work for below minimum wages. If they can live in Mexico without AC and cross the desert, they can probably make it a few days while they find a way to go back home.
Oh, he understands it, he is part of the problem! He wants cheap labor for businesses.
"Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry Endorses Senator John McCain"
Glenn Hamer is the Director of Business Development and Government Relations for First Solar, Executive Director of the Solar Energy Industries Association, Chief of Staff to then-Congressman Matt Salmon and Executive Director of the Arizona Republican Party, Glenn has always focused on achieving strategic goals that advanced organizations several levels. When Glenn was the Director of Government Relations for First Solar, he earned a prestigious appointment to the Western Governors Association's 30 GW Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee and chaired the Solar Task Force. Glenn also served on Governor Janet Napolitano's Solar Energy Task Force.
The key to winning the battle against illegal immigration is self-deportation...
“It won’t work. Especially right now. Arizonans get very upset if a dog is left outside in this heat. Water and a/c are life, everything else is negotiable.”
You don’t have to cut them off in July - how about Jan or Feb...let them deal with the temperatures warming up - they’ll get the message without dropping dead.
Then let the illegals move back to their perfect weather conditions, I doubt they had air conditioning in mexico.
Water, yes - a/c, no.
I was born and raised in the Southwest during a time when air conditioning in homes was rare. I never had a house with air conditioning until I was in my 40s.
And let's not forget the tough-as-nails settlers who first built the cities and towns of the American Southwest. Think they had a/c?
For what it's worth, I don't think I'd sign on to the candidate's plan, only because shutting someone's power off isn't the right way to enforce our immigration laws. I'd prefer for the power company to pass along tips to the proper immigration authorities if they suspect that any of their customers is illegal.
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