Posted on 01/01/2002 9:13:35 AM PST by Jhoffa_
Again, experience says not.
"Your biometric database record would NOT be your identity -- it would only establish whether you are a citizen or non-citizen. "
I don't think you understand your own statement. If you are not a citizen then your identity doesn't matter. You don't matter if you are not a citizen so who cares who you are. Not a citizen? No vote, no credit, not driver's license, etc.
"That's why there needs to be a system of back-up databases at the state level."
You obviously understand little about databases and government corruption.
Really? Based on what? Do you not understand what a corrupt and non-effective government we already have?
"I don't see how the existence of biometrics-only citizenship database would expand this ability. "
Simple. We don't trust much these days. Tell everyone what a secure and foolproof system biometrics is and the will give additional credence to the system making it harder to justify yourself.
Now, what would your biodb give that we don't have already that wouldn't be a pain in the ass and cause us all a loss of additional control over our identities to the federal government?
We have 27,000+ federal, state, and local guns laws on the books. The liberals want us to create thousands more because the first 27,000 don't seem to work. We don't enforce them, that is why they don't work, and they are enforceable.
For illegal immigration, we already have thousands of laws on the books. We don’t enforce a single one of those, either, and they are also enforceable.
So, why are you backing the establishment of an entirely new system within the government, which will be comprised of thousands of additional new laws, when we are not even enforcing the enforceable laws that we already have on the books?
I'll second that. Let's clean up quickly: One term per person per lifetime. Buddists, one term per existence.
After their support for the PATRIOTS Act, I no longer feel that way.
What country are you living in?!?! First of all, there is no connection between citizenship status and credit or driver's licenses -- not legally, and not in practice. As for voting, I hate to break it to you, but as it stands now, plenty of non-citizens are voting. How easy is this? So easy that a non-citizen can end up registered to vote without even trying, thanks to "moter-voter" and various other schemes to make it easier for apathetic and non-functional people to register to vote. Last year, a foreign student at my alma mater (in Pennsylvania) was startled to receive a voter registration card in her school mail box. Since she wasn't interested in casting a fraudulent vote she looked into how this could have happened. Turned out that some of the folks handing out driver's licenses are so eager to get everyone registered to vote that they register even people who decline the registration option. And needless to say, no one anywhere along the line cared to inquire or verify whether this young lady -- or anybody else they were registering -- was a citizen.
Thanks for pointing out another positive aspect of my scheme. Although undoubtedly a few legitimate citizens would run into database glitches preventing them them from voting in one election, this would be more than compensated for by tripping up all the illegal non-citizen voters who currently dilute the votes of citizens.
Having been raised a military brat and having served, I can tell you exactly what a National ID means. When you are required to carry it, then you will be required to present it. On military bases you present it to enter the base, buy gas, buy at the exchange, buy at the commissary, goto the bowling alley, etc.
We don't have a national ID system in place and not everyone is required to have a driver's license, so we don't operate with a national ID mentality. Give everyone an ID and make having it a requirement, and things WILL change.
As for being required to carry something, with a direct biometric system, you'd be hard-pressed not to, and that's important, because it is absolutely unacceptable to require people to carry some ID card around (it would mysteriously vanish whenever some crooked cop or fed felt like arresting you). I fully recognize that sufficiently reliable technology to implement such a system probably doesn't exist yet. But I expect it will before too long, and than I would advocate a system like this. I do not care to have half the population of Mexico and various other 3rd world countries come here and destroy our economy and political system and drive our taxes through the roof, or to have foreign terrorists roaming around at will, working at jobs they aren't entitled to and spending the proceeds on equipment and specialized training to commit various types of terrorist assaults.
Without a means to efficiently and reliably determine citizenship, we might as well abandon the concept altogether and just treat anyone who is physically here as a citizen. That's exactly what the one-world-government crowd wants, and I'm not with them.
True, but, can you state a single item of government that has ever gotten smaller without having been replaced by something bigger?
”Most merchants would have no interest in checking customers' citizenship “
Biometric analysis has gotten to be a commodity item. It can be installed anywhere, and considering most people are on-line, it could easily be a purchasing requirement. Besides, the IRS would LOVE such a system.
”Without a means to efficiently and reliably determine citizenship, we might as well abandon the concept altogether and just treat anyone who is physically here as a citizen. That's exactly what the one-world-government crowd wants, and I'm not with them. ”
I understand your concerns and share them. We are on the same page as far as knowing a need, but I just think from past experience what a nasty program a national ID would be. We cannot allow our federal government to control identity information as one way or another they will abuse the privilege to our detriment.
It really isn’t all that hard to spot a foreigner. We just don’t do anything about one when they are identified. We also shouldn’t care too much about the few foreigners who assimilate into our society undetected. Those are the very immigrants we want here. They are usually the ones who pull their own weight, understand our culture, and desire greatly to be Americans.
Remember, if we can prevent 95% of illegal immigration with little effort then we have done a great job. We can do that with the laws and techniques in place now, we just need to enforce the laws.
Imagine a merchant like a Burger King being fined $5,000 for each illegal found on the payroll? Imagine a $100,000 tab that was enforced? Imagine the owner and the managers going to jail for one year for each illegal? Imagine paying that fine or losing your business? The illegals would have no place to work. Such laws are on the books already.
Another point. I truly believe that there are border farms that use illegals because making them legal is a pain. I fully support those border farms having day workers who return home every day or after each season. We need to secure the program and ensure compliance.
TONIGHT...
...put the blasted Rose Bowl game on MUTE for a while and join AnnaZ and Mercuria for A Very Unspun New Year!!
Our guest line-up includes:
Heidi Maher - If you haven't been reading about her husband Ted, who has now been imprisoned in Monaco for two years under the most suspicious circumstances, click HERE and bone up before the show!
David Keene - Chairman of the American Conservative Union, who will be talking about the upcoming CPAC shindig!
Sean Finnegan - columnist for Mercurial Times and Sierra Times, who will be rapping with us about Klamath, issues of freedom, and what it's like to work in Mercuria's on-line scribbler sweat shop!
That's TONIGHT - JANUARY 3, 2002, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. PST - on UNSPUN WITH AnnaZ!!
We will be taking calls (but don't even bother trying while we have a guest on the air)...
1-866-RADIOFR!!!
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