Big Brother is alive and well and living amidst the bureaucracy in the Department of Homeland Security.
It seems that soon the federal government is going to create something called Real ID, a national license system keyed apparently to each state's drivers' license system.
The law, passed with a federal military appropriations bill, gives the Department of Homeland Security the power to set standards for state drivers' licenses and other identification. Only approved identification can be used for such things as boarding an airplane or entering a federal courthouse, Burns [Jim Burns, inspector general for the Illinois secretary of state] said.Oh, that gived me a warm, fuzzy feeling all over.
Just how, exactly, did a drivers license morph into a national ID?
People seeking driver's licenses in any state must produce documents with their full legal name, including a full middle name, a photo identity document, birth records, proof of Social Security number and proof of name and principal residence.That's nothing I CAN'T comply with. Although it doesn't really seem to be anything I actually WANT to comply with. How many more agencies need to know every little detail of my existance?
The federal law requires the state to verify the documents and then scan and store them electronically. The system must be in place by May 2008, according to Burns. That will mean new computer systems and may require additional employees, he said.
Unless I'm mistaken, a driver's license gives me the right to drive, provided I have proof of insurance, abide by the laws of the state in which I drive and provided I have or can procur a motor vehicle.
Just exactly who decided that document should become an all-powerful, all encompassing Real ID? And what happens to people who don't drive? My dear little mother gave up her driver's license a couple years ago. She no longer drives, which is good for national security. But does this mean that if she decided she wants to fly out to visit me, she'll have to get herself down to the driver's license station, get a driver's license or another form of ID? How silly is that?
My point is, not everyone has a driver's license. Not everyone drives. It's NOT mandatory in this country. Will it soon become mandatory? And WHY? It appears we will have no say in this not-too-well-thought-out adventure.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the cost of implementing Real ID would be $100 million over five years, or less than $2 million per state, with the District of Columbia included.What ever happened to passports? They used to work pretty well. (And don't tell me passports are too easy to conterfeit. Every college student in America knows how to or knows someone who can make them a fake driver's license...) Instead, why not, oh, just tattoo a security number on everyone's forearm...?
"Our attitude is it's going to be done," Burns said. The feds have said it's going to be done. It's being done from a security standpoint, so we aren't going to sit by and wait. Let's buckle down and get going."
I'm all for homeland security. Please, protect my butt.
My real point in all this is: If you want to create a national ID, create a national ID. Don't try to softpeddle it and attach it to a VOLUNTARY system like the driver's license system. Don't pretend it's something it's not. Don't pretend you're not taking away just a few more of our liberties under the questionable auspices of 'homeland security.' And DON'T try to slip it in with a military appropriations bill in a time of war. That's just dishonest.
And just plain stupid.
And so it goes.
6 comments:
Great post. I agree 100%.
I just hope my passport will be a good enough ID to get a DL, a license I have had for nearly 40 years.
And BTW, a DL is for the privilege, not the right, to drive.
Life, liberty, etc, are rights. Bombing around in your Studebaker is a privilege. (Ok not in a Studebaker, but in a LaSalle maybe!)
No, the Studebaker is a definitely privilege. Perhaps an honor. That's what I learned to drive in. (Along with a Nash).
Good post. You're not the only one who isn't a fan of RealID.
I'm sure you're aware though that you don't need a driver's license as a form of ID, you can go to the DMV and obtain a regular ID card, which has the same levels of verification. I know this because one of my friends didn't drive, but he was over 21 and wanted something to prove his age.
It seems that the only difference for verification will be that people will have their information stored instead of just glanced at. And they're storing it electronically.
Boy, didn't we just hear about several big name companies who lost user information because of hackers and identity thieves? And who's getting contracted to do all this database filing?
I'm not concerned about Big Brother, but instead the person who can look into Big Brother's personal "secure" files.
Excellent point, kiyoshi.
I trust my bank to remain secure, but I'm not so sure I'll trust the low bidder on the contract, who probably is the cousin of the fundraising guy's wife.
I agree 100%. This ID plan also seems to shirk the cost of issuing and maintaining these ID's to the states---for something federal.
Perhaps a legal expert would know...isn't this some sort of problem requiring states to pay for a federal plan? Isn't the federal government supposed to pay for federal programs?
Just curious....
Well of course the federal government should be paying for it. But, since they say it's only $2 million per state (ha!) that's just chump change for the feds. Walking around money. Every state should have that much laying around in a DMV desk drawer.
I don't think you'll ever get the feds to pay for a fed program like this. Not how they work. Too busy speending a half a billion a day in Iraq.
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