Real ID is really bad
Sorry for the lack of blogging, but with my early mornings and commute I've been pretty tapped out recently. However, that doesn't mean that I don't want to share my thoughts with you, my loyal readers, so today I'm going to do just that on new legislation that will effect us all and tramples on states rights in the name of "national security".
The legislation I'm referring to the the Real ID Act of 2005 legislation passed last week by the House and pending this week by the Senate. When I say "passed", I'm not referring to the standard practice of introducing a bill and debating its merits before voting on it; rather, it was slipped in as an amendment to the $82 billion Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill. To me, this is an indicator of the amount of support it had in Congress as separate legislation and how much certain members of Congress wanted to hide it from the general public as well as other congressmen to shield it from hearings and debate.
I'm not going to discuss how it will effect illegal immigration, other than to point out that a small group of senators is working to get the amendment removed prior to its passage. Anyone who knows me knows that any effort to crack down on illegal immigration will find no enemy in me. And if those efforts help prevent terrorist attacks and facilitate the arrest and detainment of said terrorist suspects, then that's an added bonus. And I won't even start on the subjects of the new potential for identity theft (by criminals, terrorists or govt. employees); imposition of a national id card; travel restrictions; violations of the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth and Tenth Amendments (last two already happening); or other potential abuses of the new power the federal government would wield over the masses and states.
What I am more concerned about is the blunt and deliberate reach of the federal government into an area that the definite realm of the states and the breaching of states rights in the name of "national security". There is nothing more firmly rooted in the "states' rights" garden patch than the issuance & regulation of driving rights, licenses and ID cards for thier residents. By passing this new law, the federal government has effectively abrogated this right of the states to issue legal identification to their residents and taken on this burden themselves.
Well, you might say, the legislation does allow states to "opt out" of the legislation. While that option is there, any state chosing to exercise this option will have their id's essentially "invalidated" for use in boarding planes, trains, entering federal buildings, etc.; those states will then be forced to issue a second "certified" id card that meets Real ID Act standards for use in these instances. Essentially, any state that refuses to participate will risk having their citizens relegated to "second-class" status and be barred from most forms of interstate/international travel and from physical interaction from virtually all sectors of the federal government. So once again we have forced compliance with unfunded mandates forced upon the states "for our own good & safety."
Wait, what country are we living in? Didn't the Soviet Union collapse 15 years ago under the weight of a burdensome government bureaucracy that tried to do everything "in the name of safety & peace"? Our constitution was written specifically to enumerate certain duties upon the Federal government and all the others upon the states; I don't see the regulation and issuance of identification cards mentioned anywhere in it. Once again, this to me is another example of federal goverment blackmailing the states into submission, a la seat belt laws, DUI limits, road funds, etc.; the list is endless.
While it is a good idea to propose a set of standards for driver licenses so that there is some uniformity of information nationwide, these standards should be crafted with generous input from the states. These standards should then be implemented by the states voluntarially and strengthed if desired (Virgina has some of the toughest licensing laws in the country, and I've had the experience of getting a license here in the last year). However, if a state chooses not to implement these standards or doesn't implement the "cookie cutter/ one-size-fits-all" solution that the Beltway loves to impose, then their residents shouldn't be penalized or excluded from some of our most basic freedoms: travel & government interaction.
I see this as sailing into a rough sea without out storm warnings, charts & life boats. Unfortunately, I don't think that many will see the problems with it until its too late (read: the TSA and airport security), and then it will be impossible to reverse our course and avoid the storm.
The legislation I'm referring to the the Real ID Act of 2005 legislation passed last week by the House and pending this week by the Senate. When I say "passed", I'm not referring to the standard practice of introducing a bill and debating its merits before voting on it; rather, it was slipped in as an amendment to the $82 billion Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill. To me, this is an indicator of the amount of support it had in Congress as separate legislation and how much certain members of Congress wanted to hide it from the general public as well as other congressmen to shield it from hearings and debate.
I'm not going to discuss how it will effect illegal immigration, other than to point out that a small group of senators is working to get the amendment removed prior to its passage. Anyone who knows me knows that any effort to crack down on illegal immigration will find no enemy in me. And if those efforts help prevent terrorist attacks and facilitate the arrest and detainment of said terrorist suspects, then that's an added bonus. And I won't even start on the subjects of the new potential for identity theft (by criminals, terrorists or govt. employees); imposition of a national id card; travel restrictions; violations of the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth and Tenth Amendments (last two already happening); or other potential abuses of the new power the federal government would wield over the masses and states.
What I am more concerned about is the blunt and deliberate reach of the federal government into an area that the definite realm of the states and the breaching of states rights in the name of "national security". There is nothing more firmly rooted in the "states' rights" garden patch than the issuance & regulation of driving rights, licenses and ID cards for thier residents. By passing this new law, the federal government has effectively abrogated this right of the states to issue legal identification to their residents and taken on this burden themselves.
Well, you might say, the legislation does allow states to "opt out" of the legislation. While that option is there, any state chosing to exercise this option will have their id's essentially "invalidated" for use in boarding planes, trains, entering federal buildings, etc.; those states will then be forced to issue a second "certified" id card that meets Real ID Act standards for use in these instances. Essentially, any state that refuses to participate will risk having their citizens relegated to "second-class" status and be barred from most forms of interstate/international travel and from physical interaction from virtually all sectors of the federal government. So once again we have forced compliance with unfunded mandates forced upon the states "for our own good & safety."
Wait, what country are we living in? Didn't the Soviet Union collapse 15 years ago under the weight of a burdensome government bureaucracy that tried to do everything "in the name of safety & peace"? Our constitution was written specifically to enumerate certain duties upon the Federal government and all the others upon the states; I don't see the regulation and issuance of identification cards mentioned anywhere in it. Once again, this to me is another example of federal goverment blackmailing the states into submission, a la seat belt laws, DUI limits, road funds, etc.; the list is endless.
While it is a good idea to propose a set of standards for driver licenses so that there is some uniformity of information nationwide, these standards should be crafted with generous input from the states. These standards should then be implemented by the states voluntarially and strengthed if desired (Virgina has some of the toughest licensing laws in the country, and I've had the experience of getting a license here in the last year). However, if a state chooses not to implement these standards or doesn't implement the "cookie cutter/ one-size-fits-all" solution that the Beltway loves to impose, then their residents shouldn't be penalized or excluded from some of our most basic freedoms: travel & government interaction.
I see this as sailing into a rough sea without out storm warnings, charts & life boats. Unfortunately, I don't think that many will see the problems with it until its too late (read: the TSA and airport security), and then it will be impossible to reverse our course and avoid the storm.
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