Fact and Fiction in Drivers License Debate

Why are certain county clerks in NY vowing to disobey Governor Spitzer’s law allowing undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses? Like all opposition to illegal immigration, it’s a matter of firm principle: illegal immigrants did not follow our laws and thus came here illegally!

Other county and state officials are jumping on the bandwagon because they know that the vast majority of Americans are extremely ill-informed and quite likely bigoted in their view of immigrants (legal or illegal) and the potential of pandering to that ignorance is limitless.

State Senator James Seward, Assemblyman Pete Lopez, County Clerk Indica Jaycox, Board of Supervisors Chairman Earl Van Wormer and Sheriff John Bates lined up at a recent press conference to issue the standard canned condemnations of illegal immigrants. Are there so many illegal immigrants in Schoharie County that all of our officials and representatives must speak out in this manner? Maybe it's just election-year politics. Nothin' gets the voters excited like some good old fashioned nativist fear-mongering.

Despite the hue and cry over the issue, there are good reasons for the law and the facts support it. Here are some examples of the widespread distortions of reality on this issue.

“This plan makes it easier, far easier, for driver’s licenses to fall into the wrong hands, like those of potential terrorists,” said Kathleen Marchione, the Saratoga County clerk who is the president of the New York State Association of County Clerks.

Yes, but the 9/11 hi-jackers did not need drivers licenses to board planes on 9/11. They were here on visas and could have gotten on the planes using their passports, which all of them had. If anything, having official drivers licenses will allow potential terrorists to be tracked bringing them out of the shadows, if they’re dumb enough to get one and use it. The claim that this law makes us more vulnerable to terrorism is simply not true. Further, despite the concerns of a few county clerks across the state, the 9/11 commission did not recommend denying licenses to unauthorized immigrants.

But instead of discussion based on facts, this is what you get from Republicans in the age of Bush and the Patriot Act:

Senator Vincent L. Leibell, an upstate Republican, declared that under the proposal, Osama bin Laden could obtain a driver’s license in New York.

As for the benefits of the law, statewide insurance costs could drop by as much as $120 million dollars a year (only about 15 dollars per person). However, if an undocumented immigrant crashes into you or your car, whether or not they have auto insurance could determine whether or not you actually see any money for your injuries or property damage.

There’s also the argument that by issuing drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants they will be forced to take road tests and written tests which will make roads safer. In all fairness, there’s been no research demonstrating that this will in fact make roads safer. But I’d personally wager that we'd all benefit by having all drivers taking the time to learn the rules of the road before they get behind the wheel. Maybe a provision that undocumented immigrants take drivers ed or defensive driving courses before getting the license would help to ensure that this actually does increase safety.

Regardless of the facts surrounding this issue, there’s simply way too much noise. We have a political climate that thrives on fear and suspicion, and this just gives politicians a license to pander. A recent Siena Poll shows that over 70 percent of New Yorkers oppose this law. Oh well, according to polls, half of America still believes America actually found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

The 'Grader' Good in Richmondville

Eric Sperbeck wants to be Richmondville’s Town Highway Superintendent. With a Masters degree in education and a previous stint on Richmondville’s Village Board of Trustees, Sperbeck believes he has the experience and the dedication necessary to oust incumbent Keith Althiser in this November’s elections.

Sperbeck is careful not to attack the job of current highway department crew members but he points to plenty of administrative issues that offer room for improvement. Sperbeck criticizes the way the Town handled the sale of an aged and mechanically failing highway department grader. The grader was sold to the Town of Root, who then made a small investment to do the mechanical work necessary to repair it. However, since then, the Town highway department has been renting a grader at a monthly rate that has now exceeded the small investment made by the Town of Root. Clearly, Eric Sperbeck is someone who will work on behalf of Richmondville taxpayers for the greater good, or should I say, the ‘grader’ good.

Then there’s the Town garage, a facility that is literally collapsing into a stream below it. What has the current leadership done to prevent this? Sperbeck also expresses an interest in seeking out grants, addressing overtime issues and looking into sharing services with other communities.

Some may say that highway superintendent elections are not all-important. But I believe that few things are as important as partaking in our civic duty to choose those officials which are closest to home. Being highway superintendent requires tough decisions about how much salt to use, how deep to make the ditches on the side of the road and the appropriate diameter of culvert pipes.

I’m not urging Richmondville voters to choose Sperbeck or Althiser. I am urging voters to go out and spend at least a few days thoroughly researching their Town’s highway superintendent candidates. There’s really nothing much at stake, aside from the very foundation of our democracy.

Thank You for Not Passing Another Stupid Law

This week, the Cobleskill Village Board thought better of proposing an ill-conceived ban on smoking in Cobleskill’s parks. With skateboarders just recently winning back the right to skate on village streets without getting their name in the police blotter, the Village went straight back to the drawing board with another bad idea with which to harass and ticket village residents.

For the record, I do not smoke nor do I particularly care to be in the presence of people who do. But when I think of this law I have nightmares of finger-wagging do-gooders barking in people’s faces about what’s right and wrong, and this to me is far more irritating than second-hand smoke. I have no problem with banning smoking indoors. Smokers have no business puffing away blowing second-hand smoke in someone’s face in a contained area. But outside, if I confront you about your cigarette smoke I’m risking a punch in the face. And that’s fine with me.

As for setting an example for children, this is perhaps among the dumbest and scariest reasons for passing a bill imaginable. Children are not precious little artifacts to be sheltered from every possible danger that exists in the real world. Nor are they particularly benefited by policies that suck all the fun out of life.

Another dimension to this issue, is the question of who has the right to use Cobleskill’s parks. Banning smoking seems very much like an idea born of middle class concerns about children and safety. Meanwhile, smoking seems to be a practice concentrated among working class and poor people. I doubt village officials are consciously pushing the ban for these reasons. Nonetheless, these tensions are real and a ban would seem to have the largest impact on the so-called ‘wrong elements’ considered undesirable by middle class soccer moms and do-gooders. For all these reasons and more, the smoking ban was a bad idea. The Village has better things to do and park-users don’t need another annoying law to comply with. The Village’s parks are over-regulated as it is.

Cobleskill: Home of the Ultimate Fighter!

Okay, so Ultimate Fighter Matt Arroyo doesn't live in Cobleskill anymore, but he hails from Cobleskill and I for one am proud of that. Plus, I think a lot of our problems would be better solved through Ultimate Fighting Championship-style events.

Village Board meetings would be vastly more entertaining if the issue of town-village consolidation was decided by a kickboxing match between Trustees Marc Galasso and Carol McGuire.

Garbage men bidding for contracts? No, I don't think so. Make them face off in the ring.

Cancel all elections right now and tell Roger Cohn and Bob Strother to begin physical training. The next supervisor of Matt Arroyo's hometown should be determined by blood, sweat and Brazilian Ju Jijitsu.