Real ID Hits a Roadblock

By Laura Knoy on Tuesday, May 2, 2006.

New Hampshire is at the forefront of opposition to a national identification card system saying it infringes on rights and privacy. Proponents however say that the Federal Real ID program is necessary to better protect ourselves in an age of increased terrorism at home and abroad. We'll weigh the pros and cons of the Real ID and look at New Hampshire's role in this debate. Laura's guest is Neal Kurk, Republican State Representative from Weare. Kurk is a co-sponsor of House Bill 1582, which prohibits New Hampshire from participating in a national identification card system. Also joining us is Robert Atkinson, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a Washington, D.C., based technology policy think tank, author of "The Past and Future of America's Economy: Long Waves of Innovation that Power Cycles of Growth" and a member of the Task Force on National Security in the Information Age.

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A driver's license provides
mulp - Tue, 05/02/2006 - 10:26

A driver's license provides information about one's authorization to drive.

But what of people who are not authorized to drive because:
- they are seven years old
- they are blind
- they have been convicted of drunk driving
- they have no need to drive so they never applied

My guess is that more than half of US citizens do not have drivers licenses.

So, how does identifying half the people make any sense if the point is to provide identity for all people.

Why will there be 50 State, plus a half dozen territorial drivers examination systems, plus another 50 State, plus a half dozen territorial identification in place of a drivers license, plus the Federal government all implementing ways of validating identification, and when the Federal government decides to change the rules, at least a hundred different agencies need to phase in these new rules.

If the idea is that the people who are focused on verifying the ability of someone to drive, that they know the rules of the road, that they have the skills to operate a car, that they have the greater skills to operate big trucks, and to track the driving records of all these drivers, will also track children, the blind, the people who can't drive or shouldn't be allowed to drive, then we no longer have an agency that focuses on making sure people can drive.

By the way, if the driver's license is going to be required to get into a court house, how does the person who was involved in an accident and that the officer believes was driving drunk and has pulled his drivers license, get into the court house for his court hearing? Will the rules change so that flagrant violators of the driving laws always be able to keep their drivers licnese so they can rent additional cars and resume driving drunk? Or once you lose your drivers license, you lose your identity?

Bottom line: what does driving a car or truck or bus have to do with riding a plane, train, or bus as a passenger?

If the Federal government thinks that there should be a single standard for identifying people, why not have a single agency issue a single standard that identifies people?

And as this identification standard applies to all, man, woman, and child, then shouldn't it be issued without charge to all, at least for the first one that each person requires as the standard changes over time, and it will.

The answer is that making a Federal identity card available for free to everyone is not something that anyone wants to pay for at the Federal budget level, but to say "you need to pay $120 every five years to be a US citizen even if five years old" isn't going to fly, so the Federal government is punting the cost issue to the States, and then covering up the cost by saying "the charge is for the privilege of driving" when it is really to pay for the national identity system.