SamSaid!

PHOTO ID

IN THE HUGE HASSLE OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, THE QUESTION OF A NATIONAL PHOTO ID CARD HAS COME UP TIME AND AGAIN, BUT FOR REASONS HARD TO UNDERSTAND, IT JUST DOESN'T GET MUCH TRACTION AND MOMEMNTUM. CIVIL LIBERTARIANS AND VARIOUS OTHER INTEREST GROUPS ARE ADAMANTLY OPPOSED TO THE NOTION, BUT MOST OF MY FRIENDS SO NO PROBLEM WITH SUCH A CARD WHEN WE HAVE 12-20 MILLION PEOPLE HERE IN THE COUNTRY WHOSE NAMES, WHEREABOUTS AND IDENTITY ARE UNKNOWN TO US. THAT'S AN AWFUL LOT OF STRANGERS IN OUR MIDST. AND ADD TO THAT THE MANY SITUATIONS WHERE WE CITIZENS ALREADY ARE REQUIRED TO PRODUCE IDs WITH PHOTOS ATTACHED. WHEN WE THINK OF SOCIAL SECURITY, DRIVERS LICENSE, BOARDING AIRCRAFT, LIBRARY CARDS, LISTING A TELEPHONE,OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT ETC., ETC., THIS WHOLE NOTION OF SENSITIVE PERSONAL INFO ALMOST SEEMS SILLY. RIGHT NOW, I HAVE TO DISCLOSE THE MAIDEN NAME OF MY DECEASED MOTHER JUST TO DEPOSIT OR CASH A CHECK AT MY OWN BANK.

GRANTED, THERE WOULD BE PROBLEMS WITH A NATIONAL PHOTO ID CARD FOR EVERYONE. BUT WE ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS — BIG PROBLEMS — WITHOUT ONE. SO, IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH ACKNOWLEDGING UP FRONT THAT PROBLEMS WILL PLAGUE BOTH APPROAHES? AND THEN TRY TO SETTLE FOR THE LESSER OF 2 EVILS?? IF THERE IS NO FOOTPROOF SYSTEM, WHY NOT SETLE FOR THE BETTER OF THE TWO.

DO YOU THINK THAT OUR LEADERS CAN GRASP THIS SIMPLE APPROACH??

SOMEHOW, THE BASIC IDEA OF 12-20 MILLION UNIDENTIFIED STRANGERS IN OUR MIDST IS NOT COMFORTING. WHAT KIND OF A DISASTER WILL IT TAKE
TO REGISTER ON THE TERRORIST RICHTER SCALE??