This bill should just be allowed to die.
They should come back and do this in pieces not in an all or nothing.
The democrats see the security czar as the US Prime Minister they wanted back in carter's day. Imagine what a Clintonesque Hitlary security czar would do with national id, tax information, and other private data...
Don't worry! Republicans are in charge! Also, if you're doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about!
/sarcasm
Currently being an English teacher in Communist China (BTW I'm coming home next week, THANK GOD!!!), I've seen firsthand the Orwellian systems put in place here. Chinese citizens are forbidden to leave home without their official state IDs.
Anything resembling national IDs is a step toward totalitarian madness. Paranoid? Perhaps. But after living in a society in which Big Brother is crossed with Peeping Tom, I couldn't be a stronger opponent of the ID proposals.
1) We need a scannable SSI card with embedded data, pics to ensure a citizen is who they say they are.
2) We need to require EVERYONE without the item aforesaid mentioned in #1 to hold a valid passport from their respective country of origin containing proper U.S. visas.
3) We need to be willing to crate up anyone absent items aforesaid in #1 or #2 and drop ship them over the border.
Almost two years ago I spoke by invitation to a group of state legislators from around the country on the subject of the state role in national security. I told them that all states had to tighten up their drivers license procedures to eliminate the fraud opportunities that allowed almost all of the 9/11 terrorists to get apparently valid US licenses.
I also told them that if the states did not get on the stick and act, that the federal government would do it to them. Congress, of course, has no authority to require or compel the states to do anything with their DMV laws. Congress DOES have the power, however, to cut off every penny of any state's highway aid.
The last two times there were such threats by Congress, there was a loud sucking sound and all 50 states passed the 55 MPH speed limit, or passed the tighter drunk driving laws.
Face it, driver's licenses now ARE a national identity card, except there are 51 versions (counting D.C.). And there is the little problem that people who AREN'T AMERICANS and want to KILL AMERICANS can currently get their hands on this documents as easy as pie. And having gotten a license in the sloppiest state, they can go to the strictest state and swap it in for the new one.
It is amazing that thousands of Americans have not already been killed due to this monumental failure by the state legislators. Now, Congress is about to correct for that failure, by using federal dollars as the key weapon.
Congressman Billybob
Click for latest, "Jennings on Jeopardy! -- Nice Guys Do Finish First"
Don't like this idea at all. A national id is just another piece of paperwork to be stolen and misused and abused by terrorists. Can just hear the old Nazi line to a person: "Your papers?"
Contact Congress -> http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Tell them no National ID ! No linking of motor vehicle databases between states and especially Mexico and Canada !
This gang of Nazi thugs (oops excuse me, "well-meaning but misguided people") has been screaming and howling for this for years and years.
Now, thanks to Osama bin Ladin, they're going to get it. (I'm sure they're grateful).
Well, the law fixed that anyway:
"SEC. 7214. PROHIBITION OF THE DISPLAY OF SOCIAL SECURITY ACCOUNT NUMBERS ON DRIVER’S LICENSES OR MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS. (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 205(c)(2)(C)(vi) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405(c)(2)(C)(vi)) is amended— (1) by inserting ‘‘(I)’’ after ‘‘(vi)’’; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subclause: ‘‘(II) Any State or political subdivision thereof (and any person acting as an agent of such an agency or instrumentality), in the administration of any driver’s license or motor vehicle registration law within its jurisdiction, may not display a social security account number issued by the Commissioner of Social Security (or any derivative of such number) on any driver’s license, motor vehicle registration, or personal identification card (as defined in section 7212(a)(2) of the 9/11 Commission Implementation Act of 2004), or include, on any such license, registration, or personal identification card, a magnetic strip, bar code, or other means of communication which conveys such number (or derivative thereof).’’."
We already have a National ID card, it's called your social security card.
Freaking GOP ain't got a clue...