The war is heating up in the Real ID controversy. Four states (Maine, Idaho, Arkansas and Washington) have already voted to reject the implementation in their states. But others are going ahead with it.
The Real ID Act of 2005 would turn our state driver’s licenses into a genuine national identity card. Known as the "Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005," it was signed into law on May 11, 2005 after being attached to a military spending bill by its author, Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI).
The stated purpose of the Act is to establish a national standard for state-issued driver’s licenses, tighten laws on deportations and applications for asylum, requires aliens to post a bond before being released pending immigration hearings and change visa limits for some workers.
Requirements to obtain such a card include a photo ID (or non-photo ID with full name and birthdate), documentation of birthdate, documentation of legal status and Social Security Number and documentation showing name and principle residence address. Digital images of each identity document will be stored in each state DMV database.
Complaints are myriad.
It establishes databases linking state-issued ID with Social Security numbers, enabling the routine tracking of individuals, creating a "surveillance society." This is a big hit on personal privacy rights.
Millions of government workers will have access to your information and the digital documents backing them up. Imagine the abuses in the hands of people like those in the Administration. This is a nightmare waiting to happen.
The authenticity of a national ID card will make it more difficult to prove your identity has been stolen. Although they will be counterfeited like all other forms of identification, their veracity will be harder to challenge...and the charges made against you by such a fake card.
It is an expensive ($23B, unfunded) proposal which be reflected the citizens’ license fees.
Problems with the system have already surfaced. Watch this video of a retired firefighter who lost his driver’s license due to a 50-year old discrepancy between it and his social security card. The upshot is that he is powerless to right the wrong.
Oh and it will do little to protect us against terrorism unless you are worried about those evil illegal aliens who were hired to build the border fence on the Mexican border. (See who the U.S. Attorney was? No wonder she was fired!)
What can we do? Get involved.
Click on this interactive map to see what’s happening in your state. A quick read tells me that there is already very serious opposition to this act but unless the law fails completely, some states’ citizens may find themselves restricted from flying, traveling, collected federal benefits. This has to be a crushing defeat for Bush and the neocons who have always wanted a Big Brother society.