El Paso LNRC Losing Independent Voice

The El Paso Latino National Republican Coalition is losing its independent voice and appears to be in the process of becoming the brown yes-men of the Republican Party.

I was hoping that the primary focus of the LNRC would be something consistent with their motto, Engage, Empower, Education, and something else with an "e".

But they seem to be the brown faces the Republicans use to sign off on legislation that is aimed at people that look and sound like them.

Their latest example is a press release that was sent out in support of the Voter ID Bill which is just the latest in a line of legislation that Governor Rick Perry has identified as "emergency" measures.

As if the classification of the sonogram bill as an "emergency" was stupid enough, the latest is even worse.

Part of their press release says, "As Hispanics we understand what Voter ID aims to accomplish and are encouraged that action is being taken to restore trust in our most vital institution of government. Knowing that we can ensure that every Texas voter has proper identification, we can finally solidify our election process. Senate Bill 14 ensures that every Texan has access to a free valid photo ID for voting purposes. We believe this is important in eliminating the concern that this burdens individuals with any cost regarding voting. Every citizen is entitled to a vote and voter ID serves a greater public interest in protecting the integrity of our election process."

This is the first part where they appear to be the brown yes-men for the GOP. Restore trust? When did we have trust issues with the election process across the state that has anything to do with voter identification?

The facts don't support their position, which appears to be nothing more than a way for the GOP to sleep well at night. This bill doesn't solve a problem!

Even GOP leaders indicate that there are not large numbers of voter ID fraud in elections in Texas. Don't take my word for it, just ask them!

These are wedge bills meant to feed in to people's fears. I hate to break it to most members of the LNRC but the reality is, just because you want to be accepted by them, doesn't mean that you are. If most of the Republican leadership saw a group of Latinos, I doubt they would be able to identify the document and the undocumented. The Hispanics from the Chicanos, from the Mexicanos.

The reason is, you can't tell by looking. The point is, many of them look at us as though we are all the same.

But wait, it gets better. Check out this part of the press release: "We reject the notion that this legislation in any way targets Hispanic families or disenfranchises other Texans alike. In upholding the constitutionality of a similar voter ID law in Indiana, the U.S. Supreme Court has also rejected the premise that such legislation results in an unconstitutional burden on minorities. Voter identification has been implemented in other parts of the country with success and has contributed to increased voter participation, as is the case in Puerto Rico, a wholly Hispanic U.S. Territory. Many
Latin American countries such as Mexico also rely on strong voter identification laws to protect the integrity of their electoral processes."

Just who the hell do you think it is that the bill IS targeting? Hello?

Here's the give away, if they didn't think it was targeted at Latinos, why the hell would you need to site laws in other countries made up of brown people with Spanish surnames?

And you guys say Liberals want big government. I guess big government is okay with Republicans as long as they are telling you who can get married, what you have to see, track what books you read, and tell you what kind of ID to have.

And don't even get me started on the hypocrisy of this bill. Republicans said that no bill is passing unless its debt neutral. There is no such thing as a FREE lunch, so somewhere along the line, we Texas taxpayers are going to have to pay for the Republicans and their wasteful spending.