[ale] Big Brother Wins, We lose... From /. Real-ID Passes U.S. Senate 100-0

[Sean Kilpatrick]

On Wednesday 11 May 2005 10:50 am, James Baldwin wrote:
|  Your State need NOT participate ?
| in the sharing of data with other States in order for your license to ?
| be accept. It only participates if it wishes to receive funding.
| 
| So... What is everyone getting their panties in a knot about?
| 


Hoo, boy.  Let me try in a way that is at least nominally
On Topic (for a computer users group). I am sure that 
everyone on this list is aware, painfully aware, of how
insecure large data collections are these days. Does anyone
on this list _really_ believe that state or federal government
flunkies will be any more diligent about securing these
databases than their commercial counterparts? Once databases
are shared then the entire collection is only as secure as the
least secure portal. That scares me.
Congress has been sidestepping the Constitution for decades by
saying to states "do it OUR way or lose funding." That's how the
nation-wide 55 mph speed limit was imposed. When the Feds say
"do it OUR way or lose funding" the states really have no choice.
Too much money is involved.
The issue is whether your Georgia Driver's License can be accepted
in "Federal" transactions. That is, is it an acceptable ID for
flying on a commercial airline; is it an acceptable ID for cashing
a check drawn on an out-of-state bank; will the gate guard at any 
federal institution (including National Parks) accept it as an ID.
The entire thrust of the law is to create what is, in fact, a national
identification card that will be decorated with the logos of the
different states.  This country has never had one before -- unlike
most, if not all, of Europe. The question is, "Do we really need
one now?"
I think not. But YMMV.


Sean


Sean

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