The Real ID Act: Real Headaches for Travelers
In a nutshell, this act means that the people who want to enter a federal building or get on an airplane after the year 2014 will have to present a drivers license that meets the requirement of the 2005 REAL ID Act. You may even need it to open up a new bank account.
In essence it forces our state drivers licenses to serve as a verified form of federal identification. If you see dollar bills ringing in front of you, you're right. It's an expensive proposal. Worse, the federal government is making each state pick up all but a few pennies of the cost for your new drivers license.
Parts of the Real ID act are set to take hold during the Spring of 2008. Federal officials are threatening that if states have not asked for a delay in implementing their programs, residents of those states might not be able to board an airplane after May 11, 2008.
If you're questioning the purpose behind the Real ID Act, it was designed to stop terrorists from boarding planes and crashing them into buildings a la 9-11. It doesn't stop terrorist from coming into the country. It doesn't stop illegal immigrants from crossing the boarders. But it purportedly will stop them from entering a federal building or boarding a plane.
The Real ID Act would force states to include a ton of personal information on driver's licenses that many people are opposed to. Your birth certificate, Social Security Number and home address are just three of the additional pieces of data that would be stored on your driver's license.
Who, you may ask, could access this data? Why, the federal government, of course. And a few dozen other businesses. What's to stop anyone from collecting even more personal information about you than they already have, and selling that new information, too? Nothing.
So far those who back this amendment the most are the companies who will benefit from it. Companies who design and make such documents for others. They love it - it's like mandating that each state give them X amount of money.
If the purpose of the Real ID act is to prevent terrorist from killing innocent people, let's really make it work. Let's require everyone present their Real ID to enter a store, since terrorists in a store could kill people. Let's make people present their Real ID to a movie theater or restaurant, since people can be murdered in a theater or restaurant.
I be it would really be effective if we had to insert our Real ID into our cars and trucks before we started them. If we didn't have a Real ID, the vehicles wouldn't start. Hmmmm. That might cut down on car theft, too.
Heck, maybe they should have to show their Real ID to get on a bus. Do you suppose we should give this suggestion to Israel? Or London? Or Spain? Maybe it would help prevent the number of terrorist bombs that are exploded on buses, subways and malls for them, too.
Do you think it would work?
Sources:
http://www.realnightmare.org/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/American+Civil+Liberties+Union?tid=informline
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/11/AR2008011103410.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/11/AR2008011103410.html
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/30292prs20070627.html
Published by Patty Oh
A self-employed writer and speaker, Patty has eclectic interests. She loves long road trips and the silence of swimming. An avid reader and SEO writer, she is also available for hire. View profile
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11 Comments
Post a CommentI saw the Internet video on this ID a while back. I don't agree with all of the information they want to embed on it. A thought on losing my ID or having my purse stolen comes to mind. There were some other points brought up in that video. One mentioned, injecting identification chips into us--like the ones used for animals, but more information and tracking capabilities. How far will they take this? Only time will tell.
Thanks for such an informative article Patty. I know I have to fork out bucks for the documents to get a new DL in a different state now as they want a copy of my marriage license (for my name, why divorce papers won't do I don't know) _and_ birth certificate _and_ current ID _and_ SS card. Some of this excess documentation makes little sense to me.
Great reporting! Don Yates makes a lot of assumptions. He is right on one thing though - if the government is involved, I will likely be complaining.
You women are the same ones that will be crying when the next terrorist attack happens. You know our current system of IDs is not effective. Terrorist and illegal immigrants love the system we have and hope folks like you will complain everytime the government works to stop them. There is no one thing that will stop terrorist but there are some things we can do to make it more difficult for them. Having a better ID is one of them. Yes, there needs to be safeguards against the information being abused, but we need a better ID system in the U.S.
Don Yates
Iraq War Veteran
You are so right about this one!
The government has a way of screwing up everything they touch, are you surprised?
For the record, I am definately against the Real ID Act .... I don't see it as a means of accomplishing anything to stopping terrorism.
I agree with Carol, identification cards will not stop terrorosm.
Heil Hitler comrade. Not me. I am the one to get picked up, held without charge, indefinitely without rights to council or phone call on suspicion of being an "enemy combatant", under GWB "You are either with us or you are for them" law. I am with Code Pink and probably just paranoid, eh. Unused military barracks were being readied for a sudden "influx of illegal aliens". I wonder what happens when homeless people who lost all their ID when police rousted them from camps, trashing all their worldly possessions, can not provide the needed ID to get the National ID card? I know at least two AC CPs that will be willing to gas those of us rounded up and marched into those new detention centers.
Good article Patty!