Driving a privilege, not a right to all

This is in response to a Nov. 30 story, “Sheriff continues push to give undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses”). My first reaction to the representatives and supporters of this proposal was, Are you nuts? According to the law, illegal immigrants should not be here in the first place. They have literally jumped to the head of the line of all those who are waiting to become U.S. citizens the legal way. Furthermore, having a driver’s license is a “privilege,” not a right. Just because they “have to drive every day to support their families” does not fulfill the process and laws already in place to drive legally.

Additionally, where are they driving to? Who is their employer? Why are they employed illegally? What about auto insurance? Just because they have a driver’s license does not mean they will pay for insurance, or will the state provide that too?

A quote from story really says it all: “Supporters argue people with legal driver’s licenses are less likely to get in accidents.” Really? Where do you get your facts? Sure, the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” felt smarter because he was given a diploma from the wizard, too.

We should do this the right way. If the illegal drivers want to drive legally, let’s make them U.S. citizens with responsibilities and commitments! Develop an immigration course to help them learn about this great country. Help them read the road signs correctly. And, by all means, send them to a driver’s education course to go through the proper process to get a license, but please don’t hand out driver’s licenses like free gift cards to Starbucks just because they’re already driving. State representatives are supposed to uphold the laws, not sidestep them for votes or because law enforcement is too expensive.

Tim Lavin

Schaumburg