THE LATEST S.C. IMMIGRATION REFORM TRAINWRECK
FITSNews – May 2, 2008 – The clusterfuck that is “immigration reform” in South Carolina keeps getting messier and more complicated.
Last week, it was a visceral back and forth over parliamentary procedure between the S.C. House and Senate, this week it was Gov. Mark Sanford jumping into the fray. Specifically, Sanford weighed in over the use of current federal I-9 forms versus the equally problematic E-Verify system as a method of determining whether or not businesses are hiring illegal workers. From SC Biz:
In a statement Sanford’s office said the I-9 process is an ineffective system already employed by the federal government in which fraudulent documents can be used to satisfy the verification requirements. The Senate bill also contains fines that are pre-empted by federal law, and therefore unenforceable, the statement said.
“By stripping out the e-verify requirement last night, the Senate has taken out the single most effective part of this immigration reform bill,” Gov. Sanford said. “For anyone who cares about real immigration reform, the time is now for them to e-mail or call their Senator or House member, or better yet show up in person at the Statehouse on Tuesday to tell their elected leaders face-to-face how they feel.”
Not surprisingly, Senate President Glenn McConnell didn’t take kindly to the governor’s criticism.
In a press release sent to reporters yesterday, McConnell blasted Sanford for “flip-flopping” on employee verification standards:
After the Senate has again completed the heavy lifting “the Governor wants to hide in the bushes and take potshots at the Senate instead of stepping onto the battlefield,†says Senate President Pro Tempore Senator Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston) …
“We did exactly what he asked in multiple media statements, and it is a pattern with this Governor,†says Senator McConnell. “He prefers a political fight in the press rather than substantial progress.”
Frankly, both I-9 and E-Verify have serious problems, and any one who thinks the adoption of one or the other is going to have a material impact on South Carolina’s immigration problem is crazy.
Having said that, it’s always fun to watch our state government “in action …” or rather our state government “inaction.”
By anonymous May 2, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Former South Carolina State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel To Report To Prison By May 29
Thomas Ravenel should be in prison by the end of the month.
Defense attorney Bart Daniel told The (Charleston) Post and Courier that Ravenel plans to report to a federal prison in Jesup, Georgia, by May 29th to begin serving a ten-month sentence on a drug charge.
The medium-security prison is about 65 miles from Savannah, Georgia.
Ravenel pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to possess
cocaine with the intent to distribute. The 45-year-old developer turned down an offer to delay his prison report date, saying he wanted to get his time behind bars finished so he could continue his life.
http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/local/18448514.html
By anonymous May 3, 2008 at 10:48 am
Port appointment dominates Senate debate
http://www.beaufortgazette.com/local/story/427460.html
By good one May 3, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Great Picture! Just the picture got a 1000 laughs here.
By Don Johnson May 4, 2008 at 8:13 pm
“The government that governs best, governs least.”
Perhaps a logjam isn’t the worst thing after all.
By anonymous May 5, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Governor Sanford’s Brother-in-law
An ethics complaint against Beaufort Mayor Bill Rauch that was dismissed last month arose out of statements “made in passing and in jest,” Rauch told the State Ethics Commission last year, though his accuser claims city attorney Bill Harvey later made clear that Rauch’s statements were serious.
Billy Keyserling, who ran against Rauch for mayor in 1999 and 2004, wrote to the State Ethics Commission in August that Rauch had offered to accept a bribe from Keyserling, if Keyserling agreed. A commission investigation turned up probable cause, but the complaint was dismissed April 15 because no exchange took place.
http://www.beaufortgazette.com/local/story/429472.html
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