It’s pretty clear that nationally and here in Georgia, the Republican base just isn’t ready to accept comprehensive immigration reform, which would include a form of amnesty. In a way, I get that. Yes, such reform is inevitable, largely because it’s the only plausible solution to the problem, but for some that’s a hard thing to acknowledge. People need time.
But frankly, I’m surprised by the aggressive tone of anti-immigrant legislation making its way through the 2014 Georgia General Assembly. It’s as if Republicans want to take every last possible opportunity to drive a permanent wedge between their party and the growing number of Hispanic voters in the state.
For example, a proposed constitutional amendment is making its way through the state Senate that would make English the state’s official language and also bar state officials from giving the state drivers’ license test in any language other than English. (It is currently offered in
That amendment, Senate Resolution 1031,
What possible purpose would be served by stripping those people of the right to drive legally? The bill strikes me as being mean simply for the pleasure of being mean. Unfortunately, the bill's co-sponsors include the chairman of the Senate Government Oversight Committee, the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, the chairman of the Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee and the vice chair of the Senate Republican Caucus.
Senseless, mean-spirited bills like that have a way of being remembered for a long, long time. The memory will be handed down from parent to child to grandchild, poisoning the reputation of the GOP even among future generations who speak little or no Spanish, but who remain proud of their background.
And for what?
