YouTube - Barack Obama: Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants?


Is a DL a right or a privilege?

I would have to say privilege because it is was a right, everyone would get one weather they could pass the pass or not.

But why would Obama go against the majority of Americans on this issue?

Pandering to the illegals who cannot vote? Or does Obama see into the furture of where illegals get a say even though they break our laws to be here in the first place yet still get to vote in Obama land?

I do however love how Wolf put him on the spot.

Yeah, Wolf did a good job there, but ...

As President, I fail to see how Obama would have anything to do with whether or not states grant driver's licenses to illegal aliens. It seems like a non-issue to me.

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I still can remember when the current President pushed through issues that were unpopular, yet his supporters defended him for his strengh in opposing the masses while acting the way he believed it is best for the country. Now, that Senator Obama does the same, and even has the guts to do it while beeing in a tough campaign, the same behaviour is a threat. And all this on DL's, not on war or corruption like Mr Bush. Maybe some people should really start to "recalibrate" their priorities.

When it comes to illegals on owning DL's, I as a german have two ideas for Germany:
1.) Massively cut down illegal immigration by installing "big-brother-like" border parameters and strict electronisation of money transfers.
2.) Give all illegal immigrants german citizenship, teach them our language, provide housing and start integrating them in our society.

But since we even are unable to integrate the LEGAL immigrants properly, and our politicians also aren't interested into getting the whole issue fixed, I guess our whorehouses and slave-labour construction sides will run on illegals for the end of time.

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Im Grabe schlummert ein neues Morgenrot.

I don't think anyone is even arguing that it is a right instead of a privilege. No one actually thinks possessing a driver's license is a right.

Essentially, Obama said that states should be allowed to decide whether or not they think allowing illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses in an attempt to improve public safety is a reasonable policy or not. God forbid Obama suggest more power to the states, right?

As a matter of policy, I think it's actually a pretty decent idea to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Obviously, they'd have to pay for them, which means they're adding money to state treasuries. Also, it's a great way to keep tabs on them, rather than letting them fly under the radar. There would, presumably, have to be some kind of reform that would allow authorities to access DMV records (maybe they already can, I don't know), but I don't see how letting illegal immigrants have driver's licenses could somehow have an impact on the level of immigration in this country.

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"The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.”
- George Will

This is just fucking astonishing.

No, they should not be given driver's licenses.

They should be told that they can come in and get them and, when they do, we hog-tie them and ship their asses to the border.

They're here illegally already. Why should we believe that they're going to suddenly have some sense of civic duty and get a driver's license so their illegal asses can drive, legally, on our highways? It's not some civil right that's being violated if we don't give them to them. It's a privilege, and one which should not be extended to those who have already shown that they're willing to break our laws.

They're called "illegal aliens" for a reason: they're here illegally.Why in the fuck should we give them something like a driver's license?

Anybody who really cared knew this already.

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Is our children learning? -George W. Bush

"I think—tide turning—see, as I remember—I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of—it's easy to see a tide turn—did I say those words?"—Washington, D.C., June 14, 2006

"[T]he illiteracy level of our children are appalling."—Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 2004

No one is arguing that it is a civil right that's being violated. Plus, people aren't given driver's licenses. They pay for them. This is another example of convincing these people to pay more than they already are. Also, these people are driving anyway. It's not as though you physically are unable to drive a car until you get a license. Now, once these people get licenses, if they are pulled over, when the authorities run their license, they'll have the ability to almost immediately know they aren't here legally.

Finally, can you come up with a better way to practically keep tabs on these people? If so, then let's implement that strategy. But since it's unlikely that we'll be able to "hog-tie them" up and ship them back home (which actually does almost nothing to deter them from returning), I think we've got to come up with some reasonable way to keep track of them.

I don't like the idea of having millions and millions of illegal immigrants entering the country any more than you do. But allowing them to get driver's licenses isn't going to change the number of illegals that come to America.

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"The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.”
- George Will

Isn't there a statue of limitations for "current events"?

LS is commenting on this as if it just happened. Just because LS just discovered this doesn't make it a current event.

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"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."

-Thomas Jefferson

Hey, here's a thought: When they show up to get their license, we'll know they're here illegally. The same result is accomplished, and we never have to give them a license...

Where the fuck did you get the idea that I want to "keep tabs" on them?

I don't want to "keep tabs" on them, I want to kick them the fuck out of this country because they shouldn't be here. Giving them a driver's license will not accomplish that...

I'm lost on the whole idea that "tracking them" (which will be an impossibility unless they get pulled over) is a better idea than kicking their ILLEGAL asses out of the country. Unless,of course, you suspect that they will get pulled over, in which case it would stand to reason that they're getting pulled over because they're (GASP!) breaking the law.

So because it won't impact the number, we should let them get a license? There's no logic there whatsoever.

Wrap your head around the concept that they're here illegally. They should be dealt with as the law breakers they are...

As Obama supports driver's licenses for illegal scumbag aliens, and as he's the presumptive nominee of the party, and is now hot on the Presidential campaign trail, this issue deserves to be revisited.

Unless you'd rather we not talk about such a stupid fucking liberal idea...

Oh I understand, it's just this is not a current event, and more aptly belongs in the "Gun Rights and Security Issues" section.

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"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."

-Thomas Jefferson

I liked Obama's response to this question. I hit that link thinking, "WTF?" but after listening to him, I find I agree. Yes, this is a good idea.

The federal government does not issue driver's licenses. The state government is not responsible for border security. The state government IS responsible for public safety, however. We have a problem of illegal aliens because the federal government isn't doing its job properly. That means illegal aliens driving illegally are here impacting how the state handles ITS job.

The state cannot banish illegal aliens; that's not its jurisdiction. So for the state, the decision is whether to require documentation of a right to live here before issuing a driver's license (resulting in potential public safety hazard), or to go ahead and issue one with appropriate testing, thus doing its own job properly whether or not the federal government is doing its job.

Obama is right on this -- again. And a "gotcha" simplification, once again, shows that it is the wrong approach.

I'd much rather have them driving illegally and w/o insurance. This way, when accidents do occur that remain uninsured, those legal citezens who are involved will be much more likely to become actively involved in rounding up and deporting the scumbags.

Obama has no authority on this issue if he's elected POTUS beyond the Commercial Driver's Licence (CDL). Thus, it's only an unenforceable opinion, although highway funding could be tied to the issue to encourage any desired acts by states.

I don't think the federal government should allow CDLs to be issued by states unless documentation is shown to prove lawful residency. That goes beyond state public safety and police power concerns and would encourage unlawful employment.

The states have different powers and concerns. I believe they should grant driver's licences to undocumented immigrants. These bans--whilst making some people feel good about 'sticking it' to illegal immigrants and/or feeling they are discouraging it--is really only self-immolating. The illegals only choose to drive without licences and insurance. This very often results in crash victims without compensation, fleeing and eluding, 'hit and run,' etc. It encourages identity theft and false information to authorities, fake and/or stolen car registrations, insurance documents, inspection and emission stickers and licenses, motivates corruption at licensing centres, etc. It also hinders these people from seeking lawful status by accumulating traffic offences where they will just attempt to continue to enter, reenter and/or live illegitimately.

In sum, it's an "I'll show you! I'll f*** me!" trigger response and/or cheap perfume pandering that falsely poses as an instant gratification and effective 'tough on illegals' position rather than real measures that might work.

Driver's licences give absolutely no legal immigrant status to undocumented immigration. It's merely a state document with no federal authority and has entirely different purposes.

What I am interested in seeing is immigration reform and security measures from the federal government that is empowered and entrusted to resolve these issue fairly, sensibly and effectively. I've seen far too much politicking and gimmickery on both sides, abysmal negligence and bad faith, blame shifting to state and local authorities, bogus remedies, etc, that have left a perpetual (and often intended) situation where the lawful procedures for admission are defective, inefficient, underfunded, understaffed, overly 'red taped,' overly delayed, and overly miserly on visas. Simultaneously, the borders are left wide open for millions to cross. The only reasons that make sense for this paradoxical dual failure are political and economic exploitation motivations plus laziness/cheapness in budgeting and organisation.

What I want to hear from Obama and McCain and any other federal elected politician and its agents is what they intend to do about this situation for real instead of the usual defaults, excuses, tomfoolerly, hustles, shams, etc. If they worked on real solutions, the driver's licence 'issue' really wouldn't even be one.

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Obama DOESN'T support it. He believes it's a State's Rights issue, you know, like whether women are full citizens, or vociferous minorities can force the teaching of their religion as fact, according to conservatives.

Tell the truth, or don't you want to try such a stupid fucking liberal idea.