My son Wes couldn't open his own bank account for years
because he didn't have the government issued ID the bank
required. He somehow didn't have enough "points" to get
a learner's permit, even though he had his birth certificate,
Social Security card, college picture ID, and credit cards. But
the state Department of Motor Vehicles still denied him a permit.
Now if he had been an illegal alien, Governor Spitzer probably
would have drafted the paperwork for him personally.
Am I the only one who thinks our governor has gone stark raving
mad? Does Mr. Spitzer realize that his proposal to give illegal
immigrants driver's licenses would make all our current state IDs
invalid as bona fide forms of identification, or that it would
give illegals access to such government buildings as 26 Federal
Plaza? Should we all get federal passports to go from state to
state, since our state IDs would become worthless? What is
Governor Spitzer thinking?
I bear no responsibility for this man being in office because I
voted for John Faso, and the number of New Yorkers who voted for
Mr. Spitzer means he was hardly handed a mandate to act like the
emperor over our lives. The saddest thing about the governor's
insane edict is that New Yorkers have no one to blame but
themselves. So many of them are exactly like the woman I
overheard talking to her friend on the Staten Island ferry.
"I only vote in the presidential election," she said
with a shrug.
The turnouts for local elections are ever shrinking, and yet
those who slip into office on the slimmest of electoral margins
have much more control over our lives than any White House
occupant. Local elections that put our City Council members,
district attorneys, judges, mayors, governors, state senators,
and Assembly members in power have poor voter turnouts.
When we consider the daily troubles we face from crime, traffic,
taxes, potholes, public transportation, and poor education
results, we should be electing candidates who present workable
solutions to these problems. But we don't. The only local
political issues that seem to warrant our attention are scandals.
Albany is a mess and has been for years. The state Assembly and
Senate are controlled by politicians more interested in their job
security than the welfare of New Yorkers. Closer to home we're
even more apathetic. New York City residents had a chance to vote
in an entirely new City Council a few years ago, yet they
preferred to continue griping and complaining instead of chugging
along to the ballot box on Election Day.
I have to smile whenever a reader who's as disgusted as I am with
the current electorate suggests that I run for office. Surely
there are more vital individuals ready to take on the challenge.
If you have $200 and dream of entering the political arena, or
you simply want to help the cause, check out the open-bar IZPAC
inaugural party at the Retreat Lounge on 17th Street between
Fifth and Sixth avenues between 5 and 10 p.m. on Friday. Those
interested can register for the event at IZPAC.com. This is a new
political action committee formed in response to serious problems
in our national, state, and local governments. Its mission is
promoting integrity and zeal in government. The words
"integrity" and "government" that close
together seem somewhat oxymoronic, but one can only hope that
this group can carry out its aim to "identify and recruit
like-minded, ethical, hardworking leaders from outside of
politics as candidates for important elected offices";
"assist potential candidates in cultivating the political
goodwill and financial resources necessary for a successful
campaign," and "provide financial assistance to these
candidates and promote relevant policies and positions through
mass media and targeted outreach."
We could have used a PAC like this last year. Mr. Spitzer made a
name for himself pursuing high-profile targets on Wall Street
that generated headlines and magazine articles portraying him as
tough on corporate crime. While what he did as attorney general
was more self-promotion than prosecutorial success, nevertheless
he had name recognition and a bigger campaign chest than Mr.
Faso, so now we are stuck with a governor who thinks that illegal
immigrants should be given driver's licenses. Mr. Spitzer is
doing this because he is a politician who recognizes that
driver's licenses give the undocumented access to voting
privileges under the Motor Voter Registration Act, which will
lead to - drum roll - voter fraud.
So is he stark raving mad or just your average New York pol?