Protestors rally Monday, Oct. 22 at the Capitol against driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants. (Philip Kamrass / Times Union)
County clerk sues DMV; opposing bill passes in Senate as GOP pledges to fight Spitzer plan
Lawsuit filed as pressure increases
times union.com…for complete article
ALBANY
Opponents of Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s plan to allow illegal immigrants to gain driver’s licenses turned up the pressure on the first-term Democrat on Monday, with Rensselaer County’s elected clerk filing a private lawsuit, Assembly and Senate Republicans threatening taxpayer-funded litigation and several hundred citizens rallying against the governor’s “unilateral” act.
“We are going to do everything that we can to keep that from happening,” said Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick, in supporting a bill passed Monday night to derail the governor’s action.
Rensselaer County Clerk Frank Merola, a Republican, sued the state Department of Motor Vehicles in Albany County in an effort to block the governor’s policy and, as Merola told demonstrators on the Capitol steps, “to stop this nonsense.”
“The governor is not listening to the people; perhaps he may listen to the courts,” Merola said. “New York residents have stated loudly and clearly that we are not in favor of giving licenses to illegal aliens and all we get from the governor are lectures on how we are wrong, and that if we were as smart as he was, we would understand and support this policy,” Merola said.
Spitzer, who met privately with Democratic lawmakers, some of whom also dislike the directive, insists it is legal and seemed undeterred by the heavy criticism and a recent poll showing more than 70 percent of New Yorkers dislike his licensing plan. He said he governs according to principle, not polls.
“That is part of the discourse we have on tough issues and that’s wonderful, as it should be,” Spitzer said. “Some of the rhetoric that has been imposed and brought into this issue is not only overheated but … counterproductive.”
Some of Spitzer’s Democratic allies in the Senate minority and Assembly majority portrayed him as showing leadership amid fear-mongering and an undercurrent of racism.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Assemblyman David Townsend, R-Rome, said the Spitzer initiative is part of a conspiracy to get illegal immigrants registered as voters in time to vote for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., next year in the presidential primary and general election.
That is EXACTLY what this sham is…a huge voting bloc for Hillary.
“”A driver’s license is not a ticket to voting,” Spitzer said”
He’s lying through his teeth. A license is all you need to sign up to vote with motor voter. Spitzer is such lying, arrogant, jerk.
Of course it is! The Dummycraps are so desperate for votes, they’ll do anything to get them. Including breaking the law.
Another entrance ramp to the tollroad of socialism. Politicians are pursueing their own agendas and not representing the voters, the law or the Constitution. The Republic has cancer.
When I went to register to vote, they asked to see my drivers license; not my birth certificate, passport, or even my military ID. Once an illegal has a drivers license, how do you prevent them from voting?
All of them are in favor of OPEN BORDERS, Every democrat candidate, some the the Republican Candidates. Spitzer is just another cog in the wheel of our misfortune. He is one of them.
North Carolina already tried this drivers liscense crap and it was a dismal failure. They had illegals migrating from other states to get a divers liscense’s.
Why are we racing toward Socialism, its as if we can’t get there fast enough.
Exactly WT, I have seen the results directly of the drivers license being the key to the voters booth, my home town is a Mexican city now with all the support of the State and County governments. I don’t like it. Nuff said.
Lynn, remember when the democrats had dead people voting. hahahahahaha
Tom, good way of putting it….”tollroad of socialism”.
Bob that’s what I would like to know too. This is totally crazy.
Mark, …”Why are we racing toward Socialism, its as if we can’t get there fast enough.”….I know and I just don’t get it. Who in their right mind would want to live under socialism. It never works, it is horrible!!!!
Jack, it is awful, like you said it has changed so many things already. augh
Has anybody thought about another consequnce of this? Auto insurance companies are going to have a field day with this! I can already see my insurance rates going through the roof.