In November 2008, an illegal immigrant facing deportation and running for political office in Rhode Island was prosecuted and found guilty of using her position as a Rhode Island DMV clerk to sell driver’s licenses to “out of state” drug dealers with stolen identities. The scam included 11 others. The beauty of the scam was that the DMV clerk, Dolores Rodriguez LaFlamme, was able to pursue her illegal activity because Rhode Island does not verify an applicant’s license information from another state.
But no other state does either, which is why the 2005 federal secure driver’s license law, REAL ID, imposed a “one driver/one license” rule on states, requiring them to ensure that applicants be vetted for other licenses in other states before being issued a license. That rule exists because 18 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were able to get a total of 30 driver’s licenses and non-driver IDs from multiple states.
If REAL ID stays in effect, corrupt government workers considering the LaFlamme scam will be out of luck: millions of dollars under the current federal driver’s license security law are being used right now to fix this problem of states being unable to query other states to verify out-of-state driver’s license information.
However, if the proposed PASS ID legislation is approved, as DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, the National Governors Association, and a handful of Democrats and even fewer Republicans want, the LaFlamme scam will remain viable. Why? PASS ID repeals the “one driver/one license” rule of REAL ID. Instead, it gives a wink and a nod to the current efforts to streamline applicant vetting by turning this important REAL ID program into a “demonstration project” geared towards never seeing the light of day.
If Ms. LaFlamme had had the chance to win political office and not be deported or not go to jail, I’m sure she’d be a big advocate of PASS ID. Because it is folks like her, not the law-abiding, who would most benefit from PASS ID allowing states to keep blinders on in regard to who their applicants are, and whether they legitimately earn the privilege of a state-issued ID.
Oh, and the added benefit Ms. LaFlamme provided her drug-dealing clients: no interviews and no driving tests. The roads were all the more unsafe, thanks to Ms. LaFlamme. The sorry end note is, there are lots of scams like this one out there. This one just had a little extra heat in it.
As Barack Obama turns America upside down, the subject of illegal immigration has almost become an afterthought.
Sure, the economic calamity heightened by his leadership has probably slowed the rate of illegal entry into the country. But there are plans in Congress to provide amnesty for tens of millions already here – adding to the illegal, ACORN-stacked voter rolls for the elections of 2010 and 2012.
U.S. Rep. Zack Space has added a proposal to the public health care debate that would bar illegal immigrants from receiving government-funded health benefits.
Meanwhile, he and other so-called “Blue Dog” Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee continue to negotiate with House leadership to craft a health care reform bill.
“I am preparing an amendment to make it clear that this legislation is not designed to benefit those persons who are undocumented,” Space, D-Ohio, said during a conference call Thursday. “It should benefit only those who are American citizens.
“There has been a lot of concern among the public about this issue, and I want to make sure the beneficiaries of this legislation are tax-paying Americans.”
Under his amendment, those applying for government-funded health insurance would have to show proof of citizenry - just as is currently required by those receiving Medicare, according to Space.
The House leadership wants the health care legislation completed before Congress adjourned for August recess, but this time frame had been in doubt as the some members have pushed for more time. Still, the bill could be ready this weekend, Space said.
“It’s been a busy week … a stressful week … but also a very fruitful one,” he said. “We began the markup in the Energy and Commerce Committee, and we will continue until it is complete. That may be (today), that may be Saturday, that may be even Sunday.
“As it now stands … this will go a long way toward meeting the concerns of rural Ohio.”
Space has pushed for higher Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements for hospitals in rural areas to be included as part of any health care reform. This is because many hospitals in East Ohio have a higher percentage of elderly patients, and cuts in what they receive for providing treatment through Medicare and Medicaid can severely impact their bottom lines, according to Space.
Any cuts also could force some medical clinics and facilities to shut down, leaving many rural areas without access to basic health care, he continued.
Overall, the proposed health care reforms before Congress will benefit Americans, he said.
“These changes will allow those rural hospitals to continue to provide quality care,” he said. “They also will help protect small businesses. They will begin to bring down the cost curve, and address the rising cost of health care generally.
“And this bill is deficit neutral. The cost of the bill will actually come down over time.”
Most experts have placed the cost of health care reform at more than $1 trillion over the next decade.
On Thursday, Space admitted that he was surprised by the short time frame that was given lawmakers to craft the reform legislation.
“And I was not alone,” he said. “I believe the public feels like I do.
“Given the significance of this legislation, it should require a deliberate, thoughtful process. I felt strongly we needed more time to digest this - with what the bill entails. That was a major part of the discussion.”
Obama wants to make all these illegal aliens legal. You need to contact your representatives and tell them NO ILLEGAL ALIENS, DEPORT THEM DO NOT REWARD THEM OR THEIR ANCHOR BABIES.
DO NOT use words like immigrants, that extends them so type of right to think they should be here. They think we can not live with out them, this is our country not the welfare office to Mexico. Support this guy, space, you won’t find many Demos willing to say no to illegals.
We should try any leader that will not say no to illegals.
It’s time for ZERO TOLERENCE with these ILLEGAL ALIENS. It’s time for them get out of this Country and back in their own Country where they belong. When we get rid of the ILLEGAL ALIENS, we will get rid of all the problems that go with them.