I had a LTE in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review today
(6/19/2008).  It followed the standard A-B-C LTE formula:

A - Comment on an article.  They like to know someone reads
their stuff.

B - Add a perspective not apparent.  They like to know
someone thinks about their stuff.

C - Badmouth Rendell's hometown. Self-evident.

"A" is the just-passed smoking ban.  "B" is REAL ID.  I'm
always looking for examples showing why REAL ID is so bad.
Unfortunately, I think I found a really scary one.  "C" just
came to me because my niece (3rd year medical student, U of
Chicago) got her first traffic ticket ever -- running a red
light.  One of those cameras got her.

Mark

PS -- I have eight printed LTEs so far this year and June isn't
even over.  I guess you could say I'm smokin' !!

----------------------------------------

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/opinion/s_573426.html

Smoked by the state
Thursday, June 19, 2008

Gov. Rendell and the Legislature just gave us another big
reason to oppose the REAL ID driver's license ("Rendell
signs statewide limits on smoking," June 14 and
PghTrib.com).

It's as easy as A, B, C.

A -- Enact an anti-smoking law carrying first-time and
repeat maximum fines of $250 and $1,000 for smoking in
nonsmoking areas.

B -- Implement REAL ID driver's licenses in Pennsylvania
with biometric software and databases enabling
identification of your face from government cameras.

C -- Install government cameras in public areas with smoking
bans.

Next, expect more ridiculous bans and fines custom-made for
places where it's easy to put government cameras.  It's more
revenue and power for bloated, intrusive, nanny-state
government.

Call your state representative and senator.  Urge them to
reject REAL ID by supporting bills H.B. 1351 and S.B. 1220
in the Pennsylvania Legislature.

If we fail, don't be surprised to see a new twist on an old
traffic scam -- Philadelphia mailing smoking citations to
Pittsburghers who've never even been there.

Mark Crowley
Plum

I'm not sure what's so bad about a National ID card or some sort of ID.  Not to the extent that's mentioned in this letter but everyone's SS # is used as a sort of National ID and it's rdiculous.

"I'm not sure what's so bad about a National ID card or some sort of ID.  Not to the extent that's mentioned in this letter but everyone's SS # is used as a sort of National ID and it's rdiculous."

I could write for hours on why this is so very, very bad.  Here are a few reasons:

** Smart Cards -- A REAL ID drivers license will become a smart card.  That means it can become a credit card, shoppers card, ATM card, insurance card, even a private membership card.  Goverment will not madate that, but it will put pressure on businesses to "fight terrorism, "fight <fill in the blank>" and use secure ID methods.  Now imagine the FEMA or the idiot New Orleans politicians in charge of your card during an emergency.  They might deny the identity confirmation function when you need it most.  This is way, way too much power to give to bureaucrats far, far away from you.

** RFID chips -- They will be put into REAL ID cards despite what the feds say. With that you can be tracked.  Even worse with the right electronics a thief can walk through the mall and record the REAL ID signatures of people around him.  He can then artificially broadcast your REAL ID signal when he commits a crime.

** North American Union -- Part of the SPP agreements specifically talk about the exchange of identity tracking systems to quickly and efficiently monitor people as they cross the US-Canada and US-Mexico borders.  I don't trust the politicians and bureaucrats in Allegheny County -- and for good reason.  How can I possibly trust those in Canada or Mexico?

** Effectiveness -- The feds will require the states to verify the accuracy of the people getting IDs. They require the states to match information against an assortment of federal databases.  These same federal databases have illegal immigrants listed as citizens. I don't mean to get into an "illegal immigrant" discussion here, but the fed's own databases are wrong and political correctness is stopping them from correcting them.  The very federal requirement of information accuracy is violated by the feds before you start. 

** Birth Certificates -- You'll need your original birth certificate to get a REAL ID or you'll have to go through the your state's process for getting alternate documents.  You think the DMV is bad now.....

** Cost -- It's another unfunded mandate.  The same people that tell us inflation is 2% to 4% are saying it will only take between $45 million and (I forget exactly) $85 million for PA.  Would you wanna bet they'll come in under that estimate?  For fun, check this out.  Find out what the Lifelock identity protection service costs. See if it's cheaper to have the state buy everyone a Lifelock subscription than to fund REAL ID. I haven't done the math, but I'm told Lifelock is far cheaper and it's a private solution. Now that calculation would make a great LTE!

** Govt Information -- To mangle a phrase from P.J. O'Rourke (sp), "Giving government information and the power to regulate, is like giving teenage boys alcohol and car keys.  Like my LTE suggests, if they have the ability to identify your face, some bureaucrat will want to do that for some ridiculous reason and another will want to do that for some illegal reason.  Look for your Philly smoking citation in the mail.

(I'll stop here. It's way past my bedtime.  It took multiple tries to post this.)

Mark

Yeah, they are terrible. But just remember if they can't get your card to work you won't be allowed on the plane. So if your "papers" aren't in order, you could be sitting in a small room waiting on some bureaucrat who doesn't give a damn about you to find a solution. And the current incarnation of smart cards have no issues do they? What happens when the rapids/deers network goes down? Oh darn. No one can get an ID card.

Yeah, beyond the actual loss of freedoms that comes with national identificataion there are several logistical issues that make the scheme even more ridiculous.

I can't emphasize this enough... 

If REAL ID is implemented, then government will pressure private businesses and organizations to use it.  By "use it" I mean adopt it as a generic "card" for everything -- bank card, ATM card, health insurance card, grocery shopper card, credit card, debit card, private membership card, employee card, public event attendance card, season ticket holder card, etc. 

At that point, government has made these and other daily transactions subject to an identity check that government will validate. Your basic rights are now permissions.  The control implications are staggering.  The temptation for government to perform "real time" control of transactions is, well, uncontrollable. 

"Smart card" technology and the push away from cash transactions makes this feasible.  Government forcing businesses and organizations to become their anti-constitutional subcontractors makes this possible as government can claim,  "It's businesses that want to make sure who you are when you buy vegetables on sale, not us.  We would never want to interfere in the free market."

Mark

Even the cash can now be tracked. A scanner can tell how much cash you are carrying. It seems the tracking strip in bills that used to be visible has gotten very small indeed.

Barter, that's the way to go.