Friday, March 2, 2007
National ID Card Regulations Issued
I read this bit of news this morning over at the Wired blog, 27B Stroke 6:
The Department of Homeland Security released long-delayed requirements for the standardization of state identification documents Thursday. States must start issuing the new internal passports by May 2008, or else their citizens will not be able to board planes or enter federal courthouses. Civil libertarians say the requirement, known as the REAL ID Act, creates a national identity card that presents significant privacy risks to Americans. Many states oppose the rule as an unfunded mandate and an encroachment on states rights.
I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about this. Check that. As a liberal blogger I know how I’m to feel about this. I’m supposed to be all up in arms and declare this to be an infringement on my personal privacy. Blah Blah Blah. The truth is, I think this is a good idea. Who ever came up with the idea that a license to drive a motor vehicle would also double as the de facto photo ID?
Driving a car has nothing to do with proving you are who you say you are. I don’t know why the kid working a register needs to see my license to drive a motor vehicle any time I want to use my Visa Card. It doesn’t make sense. It never has. A driver’s license is meant to show that I am licensed to operate a motor vehicle. Not that I am authorized to rack up more debt.
I see nothing wrong with this. In fact, I like it.
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Debbie Schlussel called you a “liberal blogger.” I called Debbie Schlussel a diseased tartmobile.
Schlussel.
Strudel.
Little Debbie.
Tartmobile.
Yes she did. To be honest, I’ve been called worse things be various woman over the years. Some of the women were even related to me.
Debbie Schlussel and I both agree that Sean Hannity is a world class weenie.
Didn’t the Nazis have national ID cards?
Yeah, but the Nazi’s also drank beer.
We kind of sort of already have national ID cards. They are called drivers licenses. It’s not what they were ever intended for.
But state IDs are exactly intended for that, and are given to people who can’t drive for what ever reason. They even look almost identical to DLs in most states, if I’m not wrong.
I don’t think any state’s department of motor vehicles should be the governing agency over establishing someone’s identity. That’s not their mandate, nor should it be. They are there to ensure people are licensed to operate motor vehicles. That’s it.
It’s like the issue of states issuing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Why shouldn’t they? Their duty is to license people who are driving motor vehicles in their state, not to verify someone’s legal immigration status in this country. They are powerless to enforce federal immigration law.
Immigration is the duty of the federal government, not the states. The fact that the federal government chooses to turn a blind eye to illegal immigration shouldn’t be further burden to the states.
It’s currently a flawed system. 9-11 showed that. Many of the terrorists were able to easily get Virginia driver’s licenses. They were then able to use those same licenses to board planes in New England.