Posted on 12/21/2004 10:32:53 PM PST by kattracks
Are you in favor of a national identity card? Even though many Americans are against the idea of a national identity card, it is coming. In fact, in many ways, it is already here. Every American citizen and every foreign worker in America is required to have a Social Security card. Your Social Security card is only supposed to be used to gain employment and receive Society Security benefits, but try applying for credit without giving your Social Security number — and most often you will be turned down.[snip]
If the question posed at the beginning of this commentary was: "Would you be in favor of a card that could prove your ID while at the same time protect you from giving information about yourself (including medical and financial information) that you do not wish to provide?" I am sure that more people would give a yes response.
The fact is we do not need nor should we have a government issued national ID card. What we need is for the government to specify for what purposes and when it positively must know our identity, and what constitutes acceptable proof. Private organizations, such as airlines, banks and merchants already do the same thing. Then the private sector will develop the most user-privacy-friendly and cost-effective devices. Tiny computer chips containing all of the necessary biometric information coupled with nearly unbreakable encryption have already been developed. Consumers will be able to choose what information they wish to have stored in such devices, and who is allowed to have access to what. The chips can be placed in "smart cards," cell phones and PDAs, or even implanted in the body.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
I'm not going to agree to it unless it's REQUIRED at every polling place in this country.
I'm not going to agree to it EVEN IF it's REQUIRED at every polling place in this country.
yes
The private sector has long ago made it necessary to have driver licenses or other picture id. I think the horse has already left the barn on this issue. What people would not of allowed any tyrant to do, they have willingly allowed business to do. Now as a businessman, I am not complaining since criminals would eat you alive if you couldn't require identification. Just try and function without a social security number and a picture id. Beyond those things every time you borrow money to purchase anything you encounter the credit bureaus which collects information on people more efficiently then the wildest dreams of any secret police. Computers make it easy for the police to check a persons history with the law in mere minutes based on driver license numbers. While it is still possible to drop off the radar, by setting up straw identities, paying cash and bartering for everything, you could do that even if they had a national id card. If you want to tighten security don't issue driver licenses or state picture ids to illegal aliens.
The reason that people have accepted the state drivers license is that because you are closer to your state goverment than the federal government therefore you have more control over them and are more able to stop gross violations of your rights.
The Constitution does not permit the federal government to force you to show papers as you go about your life. The 4th amendment says all your papers are secure against illegal search and seizure, which includes illegally requiring you to show them to anyone. If you grant the federal government this kind of control out of ignorance of individual rights, or because you want the federal government to become even more powerful, your rights will become more and more tenuous and harder and harder to preserve. This idea shows that Americans are quite willing to throw away their legacy of freedom apparently because they are unwilling to do their civic duty and elect individuals to the federal the federal government who will protect their individual rights and enforce the borders of a sovereign nation.
When people ask for my SSN I just refuse. It really confuses them because they're used to compliance.
"Your papers please"
Maybe if they were Freepers :)
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