Driver’s license law makes no sense

As a conservative Republican, being labeled a racist is in the cards if I dare express negative thoughts against illegal immigrants and those who support giving benefits to them. I therefore cringed when it was announced that Illinois may soon become the fifth most populous state to grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

States permitting illegal immigrants to drive are Washington state and New Mexico; Utah allows driving permits.

Respect was lost for former Republican governor, Jim Edgar, and Republican controller, Judy Baar Topinka, for joining Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in support of the law.

The sheriff of Lake County, Mark Curran, is likewise a renegade Republican who, as a devout Catholic believes in social justice for all, supports not only issuing illegal immigrants driver’s licenses, but also favors total amnesty despite his charge to uphold the rule of law.

Supporters claim the law would be good for public safety, allowing the quarter million of undocumented drivers on the road to get tested on their skills and buy insurance. Estimated is that unlicensed immigrant drivers cost $64 million in damage claims alone.

The idea of issuing undocumented immigrants Illinois’ existing temporary visitor driver’s licenses sounds innocent enough. The fly in the ointment is how will the insurance part be enforced on the estimated 250,000 illegal immigrant drivers? Since unlicensed, uninsured drivers in Illinois are involved each year in almost 80,000 accidents causing $660 million in damage, why just give licenses to illegal immigrant drivers?

This smells of political favors.

Nancy J. Thorner

Lake Bluff