I've never quite understood what possessed Oregon Democratics to push - and pass - a bill to issue driver cards to illegal aliens. It's a bit more understandable in light of the chain of events leading up to it:
Faced with the federal Real ID Act, the Legislature in 2008 grudgingly passed Senate Bill 1080. SB 1080 required proof of legal U.S. residency to obtain an Oregon driver’s license.
It effectively revoked driving privileges for undocumented immigrants. Immigrant advocacy groups and their allies in the Legislature soon began looking for ways around SB 1080. Gov. John Kitzhaber aligned himself with this effort.
What became SB 833 was concocted in 2012 by a secretive governor’s panel, the very existence of which was denied by state officials. Multiple requests for information on the makeup of the group, its meeting minutes and its agendas were also denied. The 2013 Democratic leadership then partially bypassed the normal legislative hearing process and rammed the bill through the 2013 Legislature.
Basically, Democratics from Retread on down hatched a plan to secretly craft a bill to benefit not only illegal aliens, but also the nurseries and other employers around the state who illegally hire them. They then slammed that puppy through on a party-line vote, and Retread signed it into law last May, amid considerable pomp and circumstance.
When the inevitable backlash arose, Democratics defended their behavior by claiming that it would make our roads safer, and that the illegals would now purchase insurance; conveniently ignoring the fact that after New Mexico passed the same sort of idiocy, insurance rates did not increase. In other words, the Democratics worked furtively, then lied about it.
Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for enough signatures to be gathered to force a public vote on the matter. Then things got really nasty:
The original ballot title of the SB 833 referendum, written by the state attorney general’s office, reads, “Provides Oregon resident ‘driver card’ without requiring proof of legal residence in the United States.” No matter how legislators may try to spin the intent of SB 833, that is what the bill did. Accordingly, that ballot title is appropriate and accurate. Because at least some voters decide a measure based solely on its ballot title, the wording is critical.
Worse yet, polls showed that even Democrat voters opposed giving illegal aliens drivers' licenses. Now in a full-bore panic, legislators in the House overrode the AG and rewrote the title for the upcoming ballot:
“Establishes limited purpose, duration driver card for individuals who prove Oregon residency, meet driving requirements.”
Gone was the reference to “legal residence in the United States,” an omission that would have defeated the whole purpose of the referendum. In a final act of arrogance, a provision was added prohibiting any challenge to the revised title.
That was too much even for the Democrat-controlled Senate; the rewrite died there, and the referendum will be voted on under the original title, as written by the Oregon state Attorney General's office. That's a good thing, but the path to get here has been long and inordinately convoluted. And illustrative of the absolute mendacity and corruption of Oregon Democratics.
