National ID Cards - Coming Soon to Your Wallet

[WormGod]

Wow. I never heard one word about this until I read this. Goes to show ya, that teh Capital Boys love to grind their rich and powerful gears behind the backs of those who pay their salaries. Nothing new, but since this does involves ALL US citizens having to actually CARRY "another" form of ID on them, I would think that it is in our best interest to know beforehand.

On another note, if they can prove how this will benefit us and not create some new "eye in the sky" over us, I guess I am indifferent to the proposal. Sure, I hate to have more crap rusting away in my wallet, but if the reason is good enough, I am fine with it. Guess I will have to keep my eyes open on this one.

[MachineVX]

I don't have anything to hide, but what worries me is the presumption that I'm guilty of something, that I have to prove I'm not.

[mbeach]

I think that it's a great idea!

We can all have the same ID, so that door men at the bar wouldn't have to learn 50+ different ones.

We will all get one more piece of photo ID, just in case we loose one of the 2 or 3 that we already carry.

We can embed smartchips (those little gold things) into each card, and link it to a health database that has ALL citizens. That way, if I get into an accident, my card can be scanned. This will allow medical personnel to treat my injuries with respect to my health history.

We can also link our insurance information to the health history, that way the hospital will know right away who to bill (or who not to bill).

While were encoding the chip, we can link it to the account in our forthcoming terrorist-safe bank. We can then use our ID card as a debit card -maybe even a credit card if my credit rating (also linked in) is good enough.

How nice would it be if I got pulled over for a traffic violation? I could just hand the officer my new 'smart' ID, and he could scan it, immediately having access to my personal history, doublechecking my scanned fingerprints to ensure that I am who is on the card. He can also verify insurance coverage and maybe even take the fine right out of my bank account. That'll get rid of those pesky orange envelopes, and all of that wasted court time -in fact, courts will be unnecessary for all but the most heinous crimes, since money and insurance generally handle most crime today.

This new smart ID will also serve as an internal passport, this will allow government agencies like the Dept. of Commerce to keep an eye on illegal activities that hurt all citizens, like buying cigarettes in another state where they are cheaper.

Soon, this new ID will become so useful, that no one will accept any other form of identification/payment. After all it's foolproof. No more fake IDs, no more bogus credit card scams, bounced checks, etc. This will help the economy by eliminating the cost of these crimes, AND it will ensure that only 'real' US citizens will have the right to purchase any goods and services in OUR country.

I can't stress enough how excited I am about this whole thing. Maybe one day I can get rid of my wallet altogether. I'll just keep this new ID dangling from a ball-chain around my neck. After all, I won't need any other ID, nor will I need to carry cash. If I want to look at a family photo, I can swipe my card in a touchscreen kiosk, and take a look at the latest satellite surveilance photos of my family -just in case.

In all seriousness, I have spent more than 13 of my 32 years on Earth in service to the government in one way or another(military/security/contractor/consultant) - this is just another dumb idea that's been waiting for the technology to catch up.
I don't see it happening within the next 10 years, I mean, look how slow our government moves on the good ideas.

[MachineVX]

Maybe we can add a GPS to it, so that the gov't will be able to know where we are at all times. If you have nothing to hide, this shouldn't be a worry. Could also have a biometric monitor, so the gov't could know when we have just expired so our organs can be harvested for use by others, if we can't be saved. This could also eliminate speeding and traffic violations . . . Why bother with a card, when they can just implant RFID chips into us at birth?

[transio]

Why bother with a card, when they can just implant RFID chips into us at birth?

All drama aside, personal RFID is something that is also in R&D.

It's easy for dramatic conspiracy theorists to present situations where technology infringes on our freedom. Try instead to imagine how these things will improve our lives. Being able to walk in and out of a store without standing in line to pay, automatically billing your purchases to your account of choice, never having to clock in and out of your job again, being able to track your kids in case they're kidnapped by a sex offender - the possibilities are limitless.

If you are afraid of technology taking away your freedoms, why the hell are you using the Internet? Go live in the woods with the other antisocial conspiracy theorists.

[mbeach]

- the possibilities are limitless.

Exactly.

[transio]

Exactly.

So we should eliminate any technology that could potentially be used to infringe on our freedoms or harm us? Ok, then add to your list the Internet, computers, telephones, airplanes, automobiles, gasoline, nuclear power, medical research, SSNs, driver's licenses, cameras, and weapons. Scrap 'em all. Weapons are the one thing on that list that don't have a single beneficial use in society. Ironically, it's people who cry about freedom infringement who fight the fiercest for the maintenance of weapons in society "to protect themselves". The bottom line is that if a technology is more beneficial than detrimental to society then it's worth considering implementation of it.

[Mr. I-MAN]

WyrreJ

Go to Canada I'm sure they don't have those kind of cards there, and you can hang out with the rest of the ex-pats, draft dodgers and criminals who found the American system just too hard to deal with. Hell they love your kind up there.

[Moncha]

[Tone]

Dang, I finally agree completely with I-Man! Lots of complaining in the USA but try going ANY PLACE ELSE and report back how you like it.

[crager34]

On Tuesday, May 10, 2005, senators voted -- unanimously, with no discussion, and without even reading the bill -- to create a national ID card.

[Mr. I-MAN]

You guys right.


I guess in my 8 1/2 years in Marine Corps

3 1/2 - enlisted(Non Com) 5 - Commissioned
&
3.5 years gov't contracted to put in GPS E911 system for this country.

I havent learned difference between freedom, The 50 states and my TAINT!

[transio]

Oh, the drama. This could be a made-for-TV movie.

[Moncha]

Wow. I never heard one word about this until I read this.....

Actually, the idea has been around since I was a kid which was WHILE ago! The idea isn't new but, gets rehashed when events bring it to the forefront.