Too often anymore strident adherence to ideology gets in the way of reasonable thinking. Take Colorado’s shameful handling of its fledgling driver’s license program for those living – and driving – in the country illegally.

This is a smart program, or it should have been. By giving those here illegally the chance to prove their ability to comply with the rules of the road, all of us are safer. The licenses are specifically marked to note the holder isn’t a U.S. citizen and cannot be used to grant voting privileges in our local and national elections. To fund the program without burden to taxpayers, the state charges $50 more per license. More than 120,000 people are eligible. If ever there was the potential for a self-sustaining program, this is one.

But for three years now, the program has been cruelly stymied by a lack of authorized funding. Each legislative session, conservative hardliners allow only a fraction of the population to be served by setting overly tight spending allowances. So instead of planning for 120,000 applicants, the state structures its appointments for the licenses to allow but a trickle.

Read more at The Denver Post.