Jeb backed driver’s licenses for the undocumented

Not often in agreement with our former governor, I found myself nodding positively through Beth Reinhard’s column in the Saturday Miami Herald. The other day I was mentally arguing against “Big Ed” Schultz on normally reliable Air America, WINZ AM940, as he raved against letting undocumented immigrants have licenses.

Schultz’ argument was that immigrants “take jobs” from American workers (Evidence, Ed?) and “drive down” wages (Maybe true), and so “80 percent” of Americans are against letting such immigrants have licenses. Ed, I’d like to hear what wording was used in the survey to get that overwhelming result. Maybe this: Should illegal aliens be given driver’s licenses so they can run down your grandmother?

Because I also have heard that Americans in general feel that immigrants should get a path to legalization and eventual citizenship, and it would seem contradictory that they not also get a driver’s license along the way.

My life experience includes living overseas a lot, and I’ve had driver’s licenses from Israel, Britain, Japan and Germany – as a legal resident, of course. Seems pretty routine to me – you live somewhere, you get a driver’s license there. If you get stopped it’s one less problem. It’s also part of living openly.

Reinhard’s column recalls that three years ago Jeb Bush supported a bill by a fellow Republican, Sen. Rudy Garcia of Hialeah, requiring background checks before granting such licenses. It failed utterly with other Republicans and did not become law.

Now it’s a fuss in New York with Gov. Elliot Spitzer’s proposal and Hillary Clinton’s wavering reply in this week’s Democratic presidential debate.

From neo-con paradise (The Hoover Institute) emerges a quote from Jeb: “Politicians use this as a wedge issue – it’s a loser.”

Again, I agree with Jeb on this. Thanks to Beth Reinhard for laying it out. Click here for a link to her column.