National ID Cards are a Bad Idea

Ever since September 11th, the federal government has been pushing their realID act to try to establish national ID cards. Recently, it looks like it’s taken another step forward.

If you ask me, national ID cards will only create more problems. Anytime you store more information about people in one central place, you’re just making yourself a target for identity theft or hackers. Given our government’s past record with data, this can’t end well. It seems like we’re hearing about laptops full of social security numbers disappearing every week now - and we still haven’t been given an answer as to why our social security numbers seem to be installed standard on government laptops.

The real ID aims to turn drivers licenses into national ID cards - which doesn’t make any sense to me. What makes sense to me is only having to show a drivers license if you want to drive a car, and only having to give a social security number if you want to collect social security. One card, one purpose, no possibilities for identity theft.

Of course, if you’re over 44 none of this applies to you. The real ID act for some reason, only applies to Americans born after 1964. I guess there aren’t any terrorists over 45.

January 11th, 2008