Analysis: Driver's license issue still a test for the governor

Sac Bee ^ | 12/4/03 | Amy Chance

[NormsRevenge]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was up early and on the radio Wednesday morning to promote his economic-recovery plan, but the interview wasn't sticking to the script.

Radio host Bill Handel, who averages about 1.5 million listeners a week on his top-rated Los Angeles talk show on KFI (640 AM), also wanted to ask about driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.

[NormsRevenge]

.

[expatpat]

A drivers license which is DIFFERENT from that available to a citizen or legal immigrant, and which does not allow voting rights, is OK with me from a practical point of view (the principle of official recognition of illegals is still troubling, tho'). It might help keep track of illegals, as well as address some of the traffic issues.

[Pa' fuera]

A drivers license which is DIFFERENT from that available to a citizen or legal immigrant, and which does not allow voting rights, is OK with me from a practical point of view (the principle of official recognition of illegals is still troubling, tho'). It might help keep track of illegals, as well as address some of the traffic issues.

The current drivers license doesn't allow voting rights to, say, a legal foreigner - but that legal foreigner can easily commit fraud by signing a statement saying he is a citizen. The deterrent is that, if he gets caught, his permanent residence may be revoked. That deterrent doesn't exist for illegal aliens. Also, Motor Voter is a federally mandated program, so you couldn't exclude illegals from participating in it at the state level. It facilitates fraud for so many other things besides voting, that it is just a bad idea all the way around to let illegals get their hands on them.

[Pa' fuera]

On the radio Tuesday, Schwarzenegger told Kobylt that his approach "is not legitimizing anything.

The governor is dead wrong about this. The ease with which this went through the Senate and Assembly is actually alarming, because it indicates the governor made promises to the legislators. The people will once again will have to bring pressure to bear in order to keep the politicians from giving benefits to people who do not deserve them.

Keep this URL handy, we'll all need it later. http://www.saveourlicense.com/new-home.htm

[VU4G10]

www.save187.com

[StoneColdGOP]

Handel's interview was great, he went on at length about the spending cap and bond-tax, then totally blindsided Mr. S with the illegal aliens license question. You could tell Mr. S was not happy about being asked about it.

There is NO "right way" to give a California drivers license to an illegal alien!

[gubamyster]

Those who listened carefully to Schwarzenegger in the course of the campaign would have heard him attacking the way Davis approached the issue of driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants -- not the concept itself.

That's the way I heard it too.

[Sabertooth]

"What we want to do is get insurance to them because they're driving anyway," Schwarzenegger said on one Tuesday radio show.

Smoking gun.

[expatpat]

That's why I suggested it should be a different document, registering the driver only, with no other rights.

[ambrose]

There is no post-election "smoking gun" here. He made it quite clear prior to Oct. 7th that he favored a modified licenses for illegals bill. He never objected to SB60 as a matter of principle. Only the blind groupies on here refused to acknowledge this.

[FairOpinion]

Maybe you should watch what Arnold DOES.

Arnold is a natural born diplomate, he "speaks softly and carries a big stick", instead of some who rant and rave, and alienate everyone and do absolutely NOTHING.

[gubamyster]

Maybe you should watch what Arnold DOES.

Let not your heart be troubled, I'll be watching.

[Sabertooth]

Maybe you should watch what Arnold DOES.

And ignore what he says?

Arnold is a natural born diplomate, he "speaks softly and carries a big stick", instead of some who rant and rave, and alienate everyone and do absolutely NOTHING.

If I'm ignoring what he says, how can I be attentive to his natural-born diplomacy?

Yet, when I observe his diplomacy, he keeps saing things like he did Tuesday...

"What we want to do is get insurance to them because they're driving anyway."

and it sounds familiar...

Schwarzenegger criticized Davis for signing a bill granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, saying, "We're leaving ourselves wide open to terrorism." And he repeated his support for a guest-worker visa program -- "then they can (get) driver's licenses hooked together with insurance."
Sacramento Bee - September 9th, 2003

So I get alienated, because Arnold's diplomacy sounds like more of the same old, natural-born appeasement on Illegals we've been seeing from politicians from both parties for years.

[FairOpinion]

If Arnold waved a magic wand, which would transport all illegals back to where they came from in a blink of an eye, and seal the border, you would still find something to criticize about Arnold.

[Sabertooth]

If Arnold waved a magic wand, which would transport all illegals back to where they came from in a blink of an eye, and seal the border, you would still find something to criticize about Arnold.

No, and not only that, I'd have a lot less criticism of President Bush as a bonus.

So tell me, what do you suppose Arnold meant when he said...

"What we want to do is get insurance to them because they're driving anyway."

Do you think he meant, "We want to insure the Illegals without giving them CDLs?"

Do you think he's floating a trial balloon to have a system where the rest of us need driver's licences, and Illegals don't?

When I read "what we want to do is get insurance to them because they're driving anyway," I don't hear "they're Illegal, and they don't belong in our state, let alone on our roads."

Do you?

I hear "get insurance to them because they're driving anyway," and I can't imagine Arnold wants to get insurance to Illegals without them having driver's licenses.

Can you?

[Pelham]

When Arnold pushes this bill he's going to get the surprise of his life. He's going to find out how it felt to be Gray Davis.

[Pelham]

How's the koolaid?