Reckless Driving

Visitors to Mustard Street know that we're strong supporters of Governor Spitzer.   The road to salvation for New York depends on more of the Spitzer touch, not less.   We'd be sickened by the hypocrisy of an old-school political hack like Joe Bruno excoriating the Governor on the much overblown "troopergate" matter, if we weren't distressed instead by its potential for distracting the Governor from his agenda.

One such distraction is the State Department of Motor Vehicles' poorly-conceived plan to give drivers licenses to illegal aliens.   In the face of Bruno's onslaught, the Guv supports this in order to shore up his base, since the proposal really has little to do with driving and everything to do with registering illegal aliens to vote. The only document needed in order to register is a drivers license.

Why so many Democrats assume that convicted felons (to whom they also want to give the vote) and other lawbreakers such as illegal aliens will all vote Democratic is a mystery.   Maybe it tells us more about what some Democrats really think about their party than they'd want us to know.   We asked the lovely Miss Lucy, Mustard Street resident and proud -- though independently-minded -- member of the party of Jefferson and Jackson.   Lucy says it makes complete sense:   "Democrats talk about redistributing wealth.   Criminals go out and do it."

Maybe there's a philosophic kinship we hadn't thought about.

On the local scene, calmer heads are responding.   County Clerk Cheryl DiNolfo, whose office issues drivers licenses, has said she won't issue licenses in contravention of state law, which is what the State DMV's edict would have her do.

County Legislator Dave Malta introduced in the Monroe County Legislature a resolution preventing the County Clerk's office from using County resources to issue licenses in violation of law.   It passed last night with bi-partisan support.   One source relates that it was Democratic legislator Ted O'Brien -- himself a lawyer -- who made the case that state law forbids the Clerk to issue licenses to illegal aliens.   O'Brien pointed out that if the state DMV wants to change the license-issuing policy, then the state legislature needs to amend the existing law.  But that unless and until it does, the County Legislature's action last night calls on DiNolfo to follow the law.

O'Brien, joined by the two other Democrats running for office this year in competitive districts, then voted in favor of Malta's resolution to withhold county resources (e.g., taxpayers' money) from issuing drivers licenses illegally.