Posted on 11/08/2011 1:25:49 PM PST by moonshinner_09
Utility company PROHIBITING illegal immigrants from obtaining electric, gas, water or sewer service in Alabama...
A major utilities company in Alabama is now prohibiting illegal immigrants from receiving electricity, gas, water or wastewater services to heated reactions on both sides, but they're just following the law.
The Decatur Utilities company is now one of many in the state that follows the newly signed immigration law which prohibits business with illegal immigrants in the state or its subdivisions.
'We did not [originally] document or confirm whether or not they were citizens or aliens here legally,' Stephen Pirkle, Decatur business manager and chief financial officer told the Decatur 'Because of the new law, we are now going through the process to confirm that they are either a citizen or an alien here legally. If not, we will deny them service,' he added.
Section 30 of the Beason-Hammon Alabama Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act, signed into law on June 9th of this year, will make it a felony offense, encouraging businesses like Decatur Utilities, with over 30,000 customers, to check customer's citizenship before service.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
“The only affect the Beason-Hammond Act has on private business is that they must use e-verify on all their employees.”
I’m not quite sure how that is constitutional either. Businesses have to report all new hires to the government? Wow. That’s a big step in the wrong direction...
So we have FDR to thank for that situation. *sigh*
I hope this works out for you folks, but I fear the worst. Giving the government control over all aspects of your life strikes me as a bad idea.
I grew up on a farm. We had a backup generator, wood stoves, and a well. Came in handy in the winter when the power would go out and we were able to get along ok. I guess that sort of thing is frowned upon in America today.
You didn't show that the law causes any problem in any way.
If the woman or her family wanted her to have power they could either have her in her own country or they could go through the proper channels to bring her in legally. The total weight of all consequences for coming here falls on the woman.
It isn't the utilities' job to worry about the consequences a foreigner may bring on themselves by illegal entry.
“95 year old lady gets a message to prove her citizenship or she will be cut off.”
I don’t think that the 95 year old lady is the problem! If she’s actually 95, she’s more than likely a citizen or a green card holder from the Reagan Amnesty. So your argument is fallacious! Also, she probably doesn’t live alone. Nice Try!
I have no problems with it as a voluntary tool. But private business is just that. If american businesses are forced to report all new hires to the federal government, how far are we from the point where they can step in and say no?
Can they strip your business license for hiring someone who is disliked by the administration?
Also, as for tackling the illegal immigrant problem, it reduces citizenship to a piece of paper. A paper which can be forged. I’ve dealt with E-Verify before, and one of the things it explicitly says is that it cannot catch identity theft. If someone were to steal your documentation, the system will not catch it.
I am not saying that they mean poorly, I just don’t agree with the way of solving the problem. I believe that the solution is worse than the disease.
“What a heartless company.” - Rick Perry
How does the utility know that she is a 95 year old lady when they send the notice to customer 15029?
I am not saying that the 95 year old lady is the problem, I am saying that it is an unintended consequence of the law.
The problem is that the 95 year old citizen gets cut off and dies as a result of the utility not doing due diligence.
“If the woman or her family wanted her to have power they could either have her in her own country.”
You’re missing the point. I’m talking about a citizen who gets cut off for failing to provide the documentation, either through not seeing the notice, or understanding the notice. This already happens every year during cold snaps and heat waves, the utility company cuts an elderly person off without investigating as to the actual cause for non-payment.
It’s happened before and unless they are very careful, this will happen again. The result of which will be a lawsuit.
No school enrollment.
No job.
No utilities.
No driver’s license or state ID.
No medical care or emergency room access. (Just enough to get them back across the border).
No social services.
No voting.
No enrollment in colleges or universities. Don’t even think about grants or in-state-tuition.
One of the benefits of refried beans...
Warning. Do NOT flick your bic.
No anchor baby citizenships.
A brainless fear.
The only person they need check is the person who signed for the utility account.
If the holder of the account "invites" 30 friends to live with him that is a whole other scenario, which I assume is also covered by either the new law or existing occupancy laws.
“Obama needs to do his job rather than pawning it off on everybody else.”
Well since he won’t, then we the people should just allow our nation to be over run?
The power companies should make it mandatory to put smart meters on homes occupied by illegals to monitor the electrical and gas usage. They end up with ten people in the house using massive electrical and gas plus end up plugging the sewar lines with massive grease. They should be charged for all of that.
You don’t know what you’re talking about.
The utilities aren’t required to check anything on existing customers. They only need to check when someone applies for NEW service.
Don’t hire illegals, don’t do business with anyone who hires them, don’t patronize businesses that hire them.
If every American did their duty then this would not be a problem.
So long as Americans are unwilling to do this, then they are going to have problems. Curtailing the rights of citizens is not the answer, not when you reduce it to a piece of paper that can be forged.
Giving states the right to enforce (or not enforce) immigration laws might work in the short run, but in the long run will destroy America. What happens when CA issues visas to all comers?
The federal government needs to step up and enforce the law. At the border, not in the US, trying to close the barn door when the horse has left the stable.
Good to hear.
“The utilities aren’t required to check anything on existing customers. They only need to check when someone applies for NEW service.”
Ok, so everyone else is grandfathered in. Thank you.
That makes much more sense to me. That, was not clear earlier in the thread.
Are they really loud and vocal ?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.