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National ID Law a Big Brother Nightmare
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Two years ago, congressional Republicans railroaded through legislation to create a massive national ID system, which many say lacks adequate security or privacy safeguards. Now a broad coalition of more than 40 organizations, including the AFL-CIO, is working to repeal the law.
Under the Real ID Act, U.S. residents will need a federally approved ID card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments or take advantage of nearly any government service.
States will be required to check their citizens’ identification papers, and driver’s licenses likely will be reissued to comply with Department of Homeland Security requirements. As a result, opponents say, the law could create a bureaucratic nightmare with long lines, repeat trips and higher fees for individuals trying to get licenses and IDs. The rules go into effect in May 2008.
The problems of a national ID system became more apparent in March when the Department of Homeland Security issued draft Real ID regulations. The rules would require that the home addresses and personal information of drivers be included on their licenses in a two-dimensional barcode without encryption. Retail stores, banks and other businesses could easily access your home address and personal information when they skim your driver’s license. That would make the IDs especially vulnerable to identity theft.
Also, Homeland Security has not ruled out the use of mandatory radio frequency identification tags in the cards, which raises additional privacy concerns because it easily could enable routine tracking of individuals by the government.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who plans to introduce a bill to repeal the law, says Real ID is a good example of what happens when the federal government imposes itself rather than creating a partnership with states.
The days of Congress rubber-stamping any and every idea cooked up by this administration are over.
Americans deeply value their privacy. Americans have traditionally recognized the danger of an overreaching government. Real ID will effectively create a national ID card.
In addition, Real ID is an unfunded mandate that could cost states more than $23 billion, he added.
Under the Act, states and federal government also would share access to a vast national database that could include images of birth certificates, marriage licenses, divorce papers, court-ordered separations and medical records for more than 240 million Americans with no requirements or controls on how this information might be used.
The database also could contain detailed information on the name, date of birth, race, religion, ethnicity, gender, address, telephone, e-mail address and Social Security numbers for every American.
For more information on the campaign to repeal Real ID, click here and here.
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10 Comments
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You know, this didn’t just show up a couple years ago. This was buried along with who-knows-what in the thousands of pages of the trash that was passed after 9/11, called “The Patriot Act” that nobody read, nobody knew what was in it, the legislators admitted they didn’t know what was in it, and that they didn’t read it. Nobody can read it unless you want to make it about at least a years worth of work! It’s so convoluted and covers so many other federal statutes, there’s probably no way any single person COULD know what was in it.
Both the Republicans AND the Democrats are responsible. And Labor is also responsible for not taking a stand against such egregious insults to the personal liberties of a free people.
The Real ID Act is also terrible for transgender workers, and opens them up to even more chances for harassment and discrimination.
AMEN to the Pat Act Post. I read the thing. It’s a nightmare.
I don’t think it will really do much to stop terrorists, but it will sure make it easier to track and trace ordinary people.
We’re living in a surveillance society now, and it’s only going to get worse.
Funny how Fascism always takes the name Patriotism in its infant stages.
BUSH IS LISTENING: USE BIG WORDS
I don’t like the current legislation and feel that this issue needs modified and I won’t support total repeal until I understand more about the legislation that covers the concept of requiring people to prove who they are and that they are legally in the USA . How different would that be than requiring a passport to travel out of country and get back in legally? You will find few that are more opposed to taking away our personal rights and liberties than I am but I would like to see a way that everyone would be required to have legal documentation if they want to recieve Social Sucurity payments, public assistance, or get any job. You require far more than that if I want to buy a firearm to protect myself and my family.
Federal I.D. is the first step to border control from state to state. We have never had to prove who we were before unless we broke a law and a state I.D. or Driver’s license has always worked before. Now we need a Federal I. D. the only reason for this is that they want to track our movement in our own supposedly free country. It is not Free we have been sold out to the hightest bidder when will they start the showerrooms or the box car vacations.
This like the Immigration law proposed needs to be killed so we can keep some freedoms.
This is truly BIG BROTHER Hitler was German Bush is german any similarities,,,,,,i’m afraid there are many.
Sorry brothers and sisters that are unequivacally against this , but this union member doesn’t have a problem with the concept of a national I.D. system. My only concerns would be how it is implemented. Obviously, the I.D. issued should be , (at least) as secure as our currency is. And as tamper-proof as we are capable of making it. And assuming that the Fed does all it should do to make this happen, I’ll feel much more comfortable when I take the next flight, knowing that everyone on the plane is a known quantity. And, although I’m a geezeer relative to many, I live in the northeast, and I have an EASYPASS in my truck. The EASYPASS can be construed by some as an invasion of privacy, as “Big Brother” DOES know where and when you are using the EASYPASS. But as I sail through the toll plazas, and glance over at the poor sods waiting in line to pay their tolls, I DO think to myself, “what are they thinking?”. Technology is not necessarily a bad thing.
We’ve never had a national ID in the USA unless we consider the Social Security Card as one, given that it is now needed for purposes other than retirement or disability insurance, such as opening a bank account. We do not need another one.
I applaud the AFL-CIO for seeking its repeal.
I just got my drivers’ license renewed for six years. I don’t want to have to go back to the Motor Vehicle Bureau next year to get a Real ID compliant one. FYI, the Maine Legislature is fighting Real ID.
This is just another way that the Republicans can keep tract of the United States citizens while they are selling our jobs to the cheapest bidders from the 3rd world country so that there rich buddy’s get richer.
If you’re not upset by this, you are not paying attention!