On Cards & Band-aids

Today is the day. Finally, those who have suffered due to complete lack of documentation can get something. So what is this something being offered?

Remember SB 303? It's now in effect. And driver's authorization cards are now available at the local DMV.



Long lines formed outside DMV offices in Southern and Northern Nevada this morning for the first day to obtain driver's authorization cards. Many are excited about the change happening here in Nevada. Yet even with today's big opening, there's an underscore of disappointment.

Why? While these cards are better than what we had before (nothing), they're still not an actual path to actual legal status. Keep in mind that Nevada and nine other states now offer these cards because Congress still hasn't passed comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).

Actually, that's not entirely accurate any more. The Senate passed S 744 last June. The House, however, passed nothing but an amendment aimed at deporting DREAMers. Even though a supermajority of US Senators and the American public want CIR, and even though the votes likely exist to pass CIR in the House, House G-O-TEA "leaders" have instead opted the "Duck & Cover Strategy" of trying to avoid the issue and deflect attention (& blame) onto their favored haute faux scandal of the day.

Even as this state and others must figure out how to adapt to the reality of the nation's broken immigration system, Nevada’s own Rep. Joe Heck (R-???) has done nothing but parrot the same old vacuous talking points provided to him by (House G-O-TEA) "leadership". And of course, that very "leadership" has only "led" in absurd spin while following the lead of Rep. Steve King (R-Crazy) and his army of 21st Century Know Nothings. Oh, yes. That's right. CIR has been stalled to death in the House because swing district backbenchers (like Heck) fear the consequences of sidestepping "leadership"... And "leadership" fears the consequences of angering the 21st Century Know Nothings (too much).

Yet ironically enough, the same 21st Century Know Nothings are expressing "OUTRAGE!!!" over Nevada taking steps to adapt to the reality brought on by Congress' failure to fix it's own problems. They're even angry at Nevada's Republican Governor for signing SB 303 into law, yet they want Reps. Joe Heck & Mark Amodei to keep blocking any progress on CIR (even the bill Senator Dean Heller supported). As long as there's no CIR, these kinds of ad hoc state/local level band-aids are all we can do.

And if any Republican politicians want to continue complaining about it, they know how to fix it for good.