Thursday, July 1, 2010

Pulling The Plug

The quest to deny anything and everything to illegal immigrants in Arizona in order to turn everyone in the state into deputy ICE continues unabated.  This week, it's cutting the power.

Barry Wong (R-AZ), a candidate for the Arizona Corporation Commission — which is responsible for final decisions on granting or denying utility rate adjustment, among other things — wants to save utility customers from future rate hike by shutting off the power, and other utilities, to undocumented immigrants. Wong, who is the grandson of Chinese immigrants, explained that his plan would require utility companies to verify the immigration status of new customers and weed out existing customers in the country illegally:
“We shoulder and we all share the costs,” said Wong, who is running for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission. “Granted they pay for it, but as we use more electricity overall then utilities will have to eventually build more power plants.” [...] “The [state] constitution gives the Corporation Commission specific authority to deal with rate-making which is setting the price that we pay for the electric, natural gas, telephone service, private water companies,” Wong said. [...]
Wong said he would give customers plenty of advance noticed before any utilities are shut off. “You wouldn’t shut down somebody’s power the next day. You put people on notice,” Wong said. “I think they have to make their own decisions. It’s an individual responsibility of how they’re going to take care of it themselves without the utility.”
So now Arizona's power companies are expected to serve as immigration cops even though they have no training, no plan, and no legal way to verify immigration status.  Also, who's going to pay for the training and implementation of the Power Cop Plan here?  Arizona taxpayers, Arizona power customers, or both?

At what point do we draw the line on drafting people to verify immigration status before selling goods and services to Arizonans?  The Public Library?  Paramedics and hospitals?  Schools?  What about ice cream vendors?  They use public utilities and power to keep their ice cream cool, there's a taxpayer interest in drafting them to police Arizona's population, right?  Pizza delivery chains?  Grocery stores?  Gas stations?

Why not go all the way and implement a steep fine for knowingly providing a good or service to an illegal immigrant?  That way everybody has to show papers for everything, every time, right?  That'll solve your problem!

That's the most egalitarian way to do it, right?

Why go half-ass on the police state fascism here?  Which one of Arizona's "Real Americans" will stand up for "Real Arizonans" and push a law like that?

7 comments:

In Ur Blog Eatin Waffles (Accept no fail imitations) said...

quest to deny anything and everything to illegal immigrants in Arizona

See I don't know, I could be reading this wrong but given the history of me reading your blog I don't think I am so feel free to correct me if I am.

This comes across as if Arizona owes something to these people who are breaking our laws. If that's the case than you are way off the mark. Why do we need immigration reform when we aren't even following our laws now? Let's enforce them and see if they work, then if not change them. How do we know if we make new laws if that will solve the problem? What if we just don't follow them like we're doing now?

What's sad is the only times you've really made sense is when you were posting comments as Arcadian...

Zandar said...

I forgot. The only thing that matters is that they are breaking the law. They have no human or US constitutional rights, and shouldn't expect any from here.

Round them up!

Also...if I'm Arcadian, where are the amazing troll brothers Stupid and Shadow lately? They vanished too at juuust about the same time.

Funny how that works.

In Ur Blog Eatin Waffles (Accept no fail imitations) said...

Actually Shadow posted just the other day in regards to your "Bloggers are journalists" post if you were paying attention.

Want me to go through YOUR blog and find it for you?

I didn't say round them up and put them in concentration camps, how is sending them back home because they're breaking our laws inhumane?

Wait, 12 million illegals, that's not too many, it couldn't possibly be putting a strain on the system... /endsarcasm

Zandar said...

Then round them up and deport them. That's the only solution by your logic. Why not admit that's the endpoint of Arizona's law?

In Ur Blog Eatin Waffles (Accept no fail imitations) said...

It's a very good solution, we have a process in which to legally migrate to this country. If the process is broken and that is the reason for them circumventing it then why not re-evaluate it and make it a more effective process, not reward them for breaking the law.

I know most are here to actually help their families, but this is where we differ. You are being compassionate and understanding vs. I am understanding but believe in the rule of law. If you start picking and choosing what laws to enforce then where does it end?

You must not be a parent or have any friends with children. The same principle applies. Allowing bad behavior begets bad behavior.

Let's discuss reform, but not amnesty. Let's talk about changing the system and making it more effective not giving citizenship after they broke our laws.

Unknown said...

"If the process is broken and that is the reason for them circumventing it then why not re-evaluate it and make it a more effective process."

That's funny, because that's exactly what Obama called for in his speech. Glad to see you on board with your president!

In Ur Blog Eatin Waffles (Accept no fail imitations) said...

As long as he meant what he said

"And no matter how decent they are, no matter their reasons, the 11 million who broke these laws should be held accountable."

and as long as

"pathway for legal status..."

does not translate to "Amnesty" then I'm all for having a serious discussion about our current systems problems and what we can do to better them, but I also expect the current laws to be enforced and to do away with "Sanctuary Cities"

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