Real ID - A national identity card... for existence

Well, folks, this is my virgin entry. Let's all be kind.

I'm blogging today about an issue some of you may or may not be aware about... the Real ID Act passed by Congress in 2005. Nowadays, most of us are used to having little plastic cards or paper that identify us in some way or another - driver's licenses, passports, credit cards, birth certificates, Social Security cards, etc. They allow our government to keep tabs on its citizes and arrange them in some sort of fashion, especially as we move into an increasingly digital era. We are used to proving our identity, and being able to do so with relatively small hassle. However, that is now all set to change.

September 11, 2001 was a terrible day for America. Our boundaries had been violated not just physically but our mental safety was also torn away. The US government quickly gathered itself together and quickly responded to the terrorist threat, creating a national safety network to attempt to create some immediate security for its citizens. In the aftermath of September 11, perhaps we were willing to let our personal rights be violated, if only for a short time, to allow the government to properly dispel the enemy. Yet somehow the Bush administration has continually sacrificed the personal rights of full US citizens in order to satisfy its need for "full surveillance". The plans have been set in motion to take more rights away.

The Real ID Act is a bill passed by Congress which mandates that all states change their licensing laws to fit within certain federal guidelines by 2008. So how does this differ from a traditional driver's license? Well, first, you don't have to drive to need one. Every citizen will be required to obtain a Real ID Card from their Driver's License office. It doesn't matter if you're 5 or 95, you still have to have one. How do you obtain a Real ID? Well, that's a lengthy and complicated process. First, you will have to provide several documents that prove without a doubt that you are YOU. That's right, you need to prove you EXIST. Birth certificates, social security cards and possibly more will have to be provided and scanned into a national database to be kept indefinitely. And what if you don't have one? Tough luck... there aren't any real provisions in the Act to describe what you might need, so if for some reason you can't prove you are you, then most likely your life will start to become much more difficult.

These Real ID's will be required to board a plane, to enter a federal building, and possibly even to get a job.

So that's your burden... partially. Some of you might be asking, this sounds expensive. Who's going to pay for it? Well, in the end, it's Mr. Joe Taxpayer. The Act has left no federal funding whatsoever. Zip. Zero. Nada. The burden of funding is on the individual states. They have to pay for the equipment, the staffing, and the logistics. Sounds kind of unfair, right? So why have this bill anyway?

Is the threat of terrorism really worth another freedom? Are you ready to sacrifice your independence to be catalogued for the sake of America? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to hand over my freedom with a smile and wave. I'm ready to fight for it.

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