By William M. Dowd
Few topics have more quickly polarized the community of New York officialdom — and unofficialdom, for that matter — than Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s plan to reward scofflaws with driver’s licenses.
More than a dozen county clerks, representative of those offices that dispense the majority of licenses in New York, met this week in Albany to demand a full explanation of the reason behind the governor’s desire to allow illegal aliens to get legal licenses from the state.
Let’s review. In Eliot Spitzer’s world, if you (1.) thumb your nose at U.S. immigration law rather than going through the process to which literally millions of people — probably your ancestors and mine — submitted, then (2.) New York will grant you legitimacy and a license to operate a vehicle anywhere in the U.S., and (3.) no move will be made to penalize you for willfully breaking the law.
This from a law-and-order type who preached strict adherence to the law during his time as state attorney general.
Spitzer, whose family crest is a steamroller crushing any opposition to anything he likes, is sending a dangerous message. In effect, he’s saying that people whose first act in the U.S. is to break the law are every bit as worthy of licensing privileges as those who are law-abiding, legal residents — born, naturalized or government authorized.
Frank Merola, the Rensselaer County clerk, was one of the first to stand up to the Spitzer dictum, and good for him. When a Spitzer representative sent to meet with the clerks in Albany failed to provide more than happy talk and political pap in response to questions from these elected officials, Merola walked out on the session. Again, good for him.
No matter one’s party affiliation, Spitzer’s push to make other elected officials do something of, to put it charitably, questionable legality is the height of arrogance. Their resistance to it is the height of responsible action.
(Posted 10/06/07)
William M. Dowd is a Capital Region writer and photographer. He’ll help you keep up with information on food, drink and destinations at Taste for Travel and Dowd On Drinks.