] This Tuesday, the US Senate is scheduled to vote on the
] implementation of a national ID card system. The Real ID
] Act is nothing less than a Real National ID Act.

Fresh from his somewhat kinda victory in the RFID passport debacle Bill Scannell is at it again on the national ID card.

Now, the interesting thing about this proposal is that it is not vulnerable to the one security related objection I've heard for this, which is that if there is only one ID card you have to fake then all of the resources in the country devoted to faking IDs will be devoted to faking THAT id, and so everyone will be able to fake it very well, where as today people tend to fake a multitude of state IDs poorly. As each state will still have its own ID under this system, it won't create a single focal point for forgers.

As all the state databases will be linked, the first thing that will occur is annoyances. People attempting to drink underage or dodge traffic tickets will find life more difficult. People with out of order paperwork may find themselves in jail, as a friend of mine did recently because his social security card has a different name then his drivers license. (Yes it was their mistake, and no they didn't really think twice about booking him anyway.)

It is inevitable that all the data the government has about you is going to be connected, tied to your banking and medical records, and biometrically identified. Objections of the ACLU and the Conservative Christians aside, we are going to do this. It is only a matter of time. We do not understand why we shouldn't as we expect perfect law compliance. This is a step in that direction.

This will be coupled with increasingly cheap and automated surveillance of public space. Ultimately, the IDs WILL go wireless so that they can easily be scanned by the government without having to approach a suspect. You already have a license plate, right? Ultimately the Supreme Court will concede that its not unconstitutional to require every person to carry such a card. That will be the last straw. I put it 40 years out unless there is another major terrorist attack. I'd be willing to make a long bet on this.

Its easy, its cheap, and it will make you safe. As law enforcement becomes perfect, the fairness of laws becomes vital. Our Mass Media driven government does not produce fair or reasonable law. It produces reactionary, fad and interest driven law.

This is simply going to cause a lot of people a lot of pain, and I feel like complaining about it is pissing against the wind. I really think we're going to learn this the hard way. We ought to know better but we're gunna run right into this wall at full speed.

UnRealID.com