(Repub) Senator Slams New Driver's License Rules

[villager]

(hell, does this mean I have to some small amount of grudging respect for Lamar Alexander now? )

Senator Slams New Driver's License Rules

By SUZANNE GAMBOA, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - New driver's license rules tucked in a military spending bill will create national identification cards for Americans and stick state governments with the bill, Republican Sen.
Lamar Alexander said Tuesday.

Alexander, R-Tenn., joined Democrats and state officials in railing against the White House-backed driver's license rules and other immigration measures before the Senate approved the $82 billion spending bill 100-0. The House approved it last week.

Several states fear the new rules will be costly, provide little protection against invasions of privacy and identity theft, and make getting a driver's license a bigger headache for Americans.

<snip>

"It's possible that some governor may look at this and say, 'Wait a minute. Who are these people in Washington telling us what to do with our driver's licenses and making us pay for them, too?'" Alexander said. Some states have threatened to challenge the new driver's license orders in court and even disobey them.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, vice chairman of the National Governors Association, has said "if more than half of the governors agree we're not going down without a fight on this, Congress will have to consider changing" the rules. Huckabee also is a Republican.

<snip>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050510/ap_on_go_co/immigration_driver_s_licenses_4

[LiberalFighter]

1. Why aren't they telling their Senators and Reps to remove it?

[dbeach]

2. Nah he's just posturing..trying to soften the real ID reality..

they crushed the USA today BUT maybe more folks will wake up and see how both parties are corrupt beyond belief.."Z' s scored big today..onlt a truth exposing 9/11 scandal can turn this USA that we all love around..

9/11 woke me up and I been involved with politics and other isues for many yrs..

[Greylyn58]

5. Of course he's just posturing

Mike Malloy just reported on his show that all, count 'em, all 100 Senators just voted for this bill. So we have been sold down the river by all of them

Here's the link from Raw Story.

http://rawstory.com/aexternal/ny_daily_news_real_id_510

[nittygritty]

3. Damn straight!!!

"It's possible that some governor may look at this and say, 'Wait a minute. Who are these people in Washington telling us what to do with our driver's licenses and making us pay for them, too?'"

Calling and writing Gov. Granholm (D) to tell her to fight this shit.

[Lord_StarFyre]

4. I wish I had a Governor who wasn't a

lying, self-obsessed, son-of-a-Nazi, douchebag.

The Gropenator will do as he's told by * and Rove.

"Hez de gubinor off Cal-ee-forn-eeee-ah"

[villager]

6. how can we fight it in California?

ballot initiative? legislature? Making "ID" an issue in the next gubernatorial campaign?

[villager]

14. unless we make it an issue in the governor's race next year

n/t

[merwin]

7. So, he didn't want the National ID, but he voted for it? That is the

mark of a complete line-toeing idiot.

[villager]

8. as are they all, after that 100-0 vote...

n/t

[Brooklyn Michael]

9. The problem is...

...that the GOP tacked it onto the Iraq spending bill (without debate, I might add). Also in that spending bill was a rider that now gives the families of soldiers who die in combat a payout of $100,000, up from $12,400 previously...

Now, I am nauseated at the amount of money we've wasted on the Iraq fiasco...I am disgusted at the sneaky manner in which Republicans (not surprisingly) tacked on that bill....I'm sure if I looked close enough, I'd find plenty more to be sickened by in that appropriations bill...but I can't say I'm against compensating soldiers who sacrificed their lives (for better or worse) and their families with more money than a used Hyundai costs.

Any Senator, Dem or Repub, who voted against that would've been accused of being against Mothers and Apple Pie...

[freedom_to_read]

10. that's right

Just another example of the GOP abusing procedure for their own nefarious ends.

[villager]

13. the Dems *have* to learn how to frame this stuff, though

or they will continue to get played as the chumps they currently appear to be...

You call press conferences with war widows and say their pay is being held hostage by GOP fanatics who want National ID cards... and you do it over and over again 'til people start listening...

[Zodiak]

11. Vote for a police state or we will hurt the soldiers and brown people

To that we can add tsunami relief, as well. With the media firmly in the hands of only one party, it is true that voting against the bil can make the Democrats look bad.

HOWEVER...the media will make the Democrats look bad anyways; the neocons will lie to do it and no one will chalenge them. It really doesn't matter, anymore, so the Democrats might as well fight.

But they do not, so we get fascism in full-bloom. This was the precipitating moment for a LOT of us progressives. Expect the expatriation rate to accelerate.

[Zorra]

12. Post-mortem GOP weeping and gnashing of teeth is laughable. These

goddamn republican fascists are taking away our liberties faster than you can say "George Washington".

Why didn't our republican controlled senate filibuster this vote until the Real ID rider was stricken from the spending bill?

By filibustering, they could have made those supporting the rider look like dung. This rider had no earthly business being attached to a defense spending bill and everyone and their dog knows it.

There were so many republicans in favor of this bill that any Democrat that voted against the Real ID rider would be infinitely harrassed and accused of "not supporting the troops on the ground" by raging lunatic hordes of hypocrite republicans.

[geniph]

15. Where are the Libertarians on this?

they should be going completely around the bend about this; this is a fundamental violation of individual privacy, which the Libs are usually all about.

[villager]

17. selling out their souls to the GOP, as usual...

Did Ron Paul speak up/out about this outrage?

[pfitz59]

16. he voted for it....

hot air!