"And according to AAA, Spitzer's plan will reduce accidents."

It's been my expierience that someone without a license drives more carefully and obeys traffic laws because they don't want to get caught. So how exactly will issuing millions of licenses reduce traffic accidents?
Also it is supposed to save us millions on car insurance? Right. I will just sit here and wait for my rebate check from the insurance company. The only thing I agree with is that it may help with security because it will help identify who is in the country. Then again how many illegal aliens are actually going to go to DMV to register their name and address with the government for a license that basically identifies them as illegal?

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Are hispanics who object to bending the law for illegals also racist? How does that work?

America has always limited and controlled immigrants.

Somebody needs to nail corporate sponsors of underpaid, illegal labor. Thank you Lou Dobbs, for paying attention.

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Why Spitzer did not say before elections what he is going to do. He wouldnot be governor today.
Lou Dobbs is absolutely right

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it is only delaying the take-over of the USA for another few decades. Illegals, and their descendents, and legal Hispanics are already the majority in some states and cities. So denying the illegals the vote now will simply put off the "Reconquista" in the legislatures by a decade or so since the illegals will get amnesty soon or will breed and have legal children who will vote in 18yrs.

ps: from someone who has been rear-ended twice (separate incidents) by our friendly illegals just wonder if the illegals will need to buy auto insurance when they get their NY driver license? Or does that rule only apply to American citizens?

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Lou Dobbs is not against immigrants or immigration. He is against illegal immigration and policies and programs that support illegal immigration. He is right in saying that the major benefactors of illegal immigration are employers who hire illegal immigrants. The employers are able to get cheap labor and some employers pay under the table so that there is no income tax or documentation. The healthcare systems and the schools are not funded to take care of these illegal immigrants and so the taxpayers of this country pay the costs. The health department in my community is operating in the red because of this influx of illegal immigrants. There is also a lowering of wages in construction and farming because of the cheap labor. These costs to our local governments and our local communities are rarely commented on outside of Lou Dobbs. I don't see how we can have a reasonable discussion of the issues around illegal immigration with people who support illegal immigration calling people who don't support illegal immigration racist.

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It is apparent that Ms. Hamsher does not understand that the word illegal is not a racial slur anymore than Gov. Spitzer does. Lou Dobbs has pointed out repeatedly that he supports LEGAL immigration and the enforcement of immigration laws, period.

He feels, and he is not alone, that the country is not safe or secure as long we have mayors, governors, and presidents who not only support illegal immigration, but advocate breaking the laws of this nation by just ignoring them. It is not racist to identify a person as an illegal immigrant if in fact that is what the person is. It is stating truth, but in an argument like this one, only those with no understanding of the facts, and that includes the repercussions of these kinds of actions, or who chose to ignore those facts for political gain, resort to the racist baiting and name calling of Gov. Spitzer towards Lou Dobbs. Mr. Dobbs is well within his rights as a citizen of New York to express his outrage and dismay at this action. Go for it, Lou. Maybe someday they will get it, but I have little hope you or I will be around to see it.

Just a footnote: I moved to New York State in 2002. My Washington driver's license was set to expire, so I went to the local DMV to transfer my commercial driver's license. Now in WA you need to present proof of ID (your old license); birth certificate or a secondary proof like a SS number; and a record of a 10 year driving record. They know who you are when you apply that you are who you say you are and that you are legally here. In NY, they required 6 proofs of ID, including records of my previous marriage and divorce 30 years ago; my legal name change; my last two driver's licenses; my birth certificate; my social security number. Since I did not have all of that information, I could not get a NY driver's license! Now these same people want to give illegal immigrants driver's licenses without the same kinds of proof!?! Talk about discrimination - it is harder in New York State to get a legal driver's license if you are an American than a criminal from another country who is here in violation of our laws.

Ms. Hamsher - wake up and smell the roses - this is not a racist issue this is a legal one and when people like you figure that out, like the rest of us who are legal citizens of this nation, your comments might have some worth! Stop calling anyone who wants the laws of this nation enforced a racist. I am a third generation American and proud of that fact. My family followed the rules to come here and insisted that their children learn English and become part of the American way of life. When illegal immigrants are forced to follow the same rules as my grandparents, then they will be welcome here. NOT UNTIL THEN!!!! This is not their country and I will not be told what language to speak, what to teach my children, or be forced to work for less than a living wage to compete in the job market, by a group of people in this country in violation of our laws with the support of people such as yourself and others with political agendas that would change this country into a poverty stricken third world nation like the one they left behind.

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We make choices as a society every day whether to put resources into police actions or uplifting the human spirit, whether to protect advantage or promote the general welfare. The results are evident in Iraq, in New Orleans, in our health care system.

Lou Dobbs wants us worked up about what might be taken away from us. People who put their energy into that fear miss opportunities to do a lot of good.

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So, Spitzer's eyes must be brown (along with his nose). What about the word "illegal" does he not understand? The first commenter's comment about "reduced accidents and insurance rates" is right on the money - duh? Sound like a Bush justification for something - bullshit covered with slogans.

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I live in Tennessee. About 5-10 years back, the state legislature decided to give illegal immigrants drivers licenses. It turned into a frigging nightmare. A massive flood of illegals came in. The lines stretched for miles at the DMV.

they finally wised up and threw the law out. At that point NO ONE supported keeping the law and it was widely acknowledged to have been a crazy mistake.

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It's really nice to wake up this morning and see that no one falls for this race-baiting crap of Spitzer and others who have nothing valid to offer in support of this illegal alien craziness. It's obscenely absurd that he and others think that they can paint a whole racially diverse group of Americans who oppose his bullshit as 'racist.' It only goes to demonstrate the absolute poverty of values and ideas behind this.

I hope spitzer gets booted out on his butt for this.

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The majority of New Yorkers do not want their tax dollars going towards issuing driver's licences to foreign nationals who are inhabiting this country illegally. Whether you or I like that or not--and there are merits to both arguments--licensing drivers is a function of state government which is supposed to be responsive (well, back in the day) to the will of the people.

But of course, personal ideology, political payback, and cold hard campaign cash trump the will of the people. Strange; some folks have it in their noodles that the parties of money and power are different, somehow?

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I guess that Ms. Hamsher does not understand illegal from legal. She also ignors the fact the good Governor simply wants more democratic voters in his state.

A drivers license is a key to the world. Illegals will vote, (a crime) will not all get insurance, (bad for all of us) and will use that nice little tool for just about anything they want including bank accounts, etc. As far as saving money, just because the Governor said it will happne will not make it happen. Try enforcing the laws of the land for a change.

That is what all the lackass politicals swore to do. Now just do it.

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How do you think that makes MRS Lou Dobbs feel? She is of Mexican heritage. And don't forget that all illegals are not Mexican. We have a large Chinese and Russian illegal population.

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Why does Alternet, supposedly a "progressive" site, consistently support illegal immigration which harms the working class and overwhelms school and hospital facilities intended for American citizens? How exactly does attacking low-income American citizens by driving down their wages and collapsing their support systems help make America a better place? As with previous articles on this subject, I don't notice too many other posters agreeing with this globalist agenda either.

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Lou Dobbs is RIGHT about illegal aliens and has been for a long time. He's also been right about a lot of other things. He's not racist. This is ridiculous. He has more sense than most of the politicians in the country, he cares about working people, and has had the courage to speak out in spite of BS like Ms. Ignoramus' column. I wish he was president.

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This just confirms me that Alternet is the same liberal b.s. that the "republicans" spew. Alternet, wake the fuck up. This is America. We are governed by laws and morals. To see Alternet and Jane Hamsher's illegal view of what America is supposed to be is despicable. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ILLEGAL ALIENS!!! ILLEGAL you bafoon.

If you really believe that this country should allow illegal aliens to receive preferential treatment, then I hope to GOD some country will allow me to come in their Country after a fascist like Hilary Clinton or Rudy Guliani gets elected, cause I am out of here if that happens. QUIT DESTROYING AMERICA YOU FASCIST FOOL.

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