February 24, 2006
Well, the first piece to our Demagnetize Tennessee puzzle has fallen into place. The governor has finally come to his senses, or has he simply given in to the avalanche of criticism over illegal immigration? Whichever, the end result is the same. Governor Phil Bredesen (D) had boasted that the driving certificate program would be a model for other states. Before the certificate program, illegal aliens were clogging driver's testing centers for regular driver's licenses, having to produce little more than a utility bill. The recent rash of out-of-state driving certificate rings prompted the governor to put the breaks on this runaway lunacy. The driving certificate program has been suspended and will likely be scrapped altogether.
However, it appears the folks in the governor's office still don't quite get it. “In theory, it looked like a very good program,” said interim Safety Commissioner Gerald Nicely, noting that it was “very well-meaning, but in the implementation it's turned out to be much more problematic.” I'll say. This notion that it “looked like a very good program” is a clear indicator that those running the state of Tennessee are still oblivious to the problem but are now focused on the political fallout. That's a scary way to craft policy.
The Tennessean newspaper reported, erroneously I might add, “The crackdown means that immigrants to Tennessee will have a harder time becoming legal drivers.” No. The crackdown means that illegal immigrants will have a harder time becoming legal drivers. Legal immigrants need only prove they are visiting our country legally and they can get a driving certificate. This is how it was before this insane practice of handing out legal documents like candy became law under Governor Bredesen's predecessor. We were going to make the streets safer. Yeah, right.
In the meantime, we've had countless numbers of people maimed or killed by illegal aliens holding official driving documentation. The very idea of handing out driver's licenses or driving certificates – official state documents, mind you – to illegal aliens has left many people scratching their heads wondering if the folks in Nashville have lost their minds. At a time when we're trying to discourage illegals from coming here and taking jobs, the state has been facilitating this illegal activity. It's nuts. But it's about to come to a screeching halt and screeching is just what the illegal alien pimps will be doing. Those who now make money by exploiting illegal aliens will be coming unglued.
One apparently illegal immigrant from El Salvador was upset about the driving certificate change when interviewed just after the story broke. “People have to go to work, and if the department doesn't provide certificates, they can't go to work without transportation,” he said. Let's analyze that statement. “People have to go to work.” Not if they're here illegally! They need to go home and re-apply for legal entry.
You want to know what's really funny? FedEx was commissioned by the governor last year to analyze the state's driver's testing facilities to make recommendations on how to run them more smoothly so people wouldn't have to wait so long. FedEx did the study for free and I guess you get what you pay for. There was not one mention in the news reports I read about doing away with giving illegal aliens driving certificates. The bureaucrats have chosen, heretofore, to ignore the elephant in the room. Concerned citizens have raised enough cane that, at least, the elephant won't be getting a driving certificate. The big question remains. Will our elected officials now have the backbone to run him out of the house?