2008 Woodie Awards
One more card to carry in wallets everywhere
Elaine Wilson
Issue date: 2/13/07 Section: Viewpoints
- Page 1 of 1
College students are accustomed to having to show an ID for everything. Here, we all need a Skyhawk card. Soon, we'll be adding another ID card that we have to carry.
Unless something changes before then, in May 2008 the Real ID Act will go into effect. This is the federal government's response to the fact that four of the 19 foreign hijackers on 9/11 had obtained valid U.S. driver's licenses and an attempt to keep illegal immigrants off of state welfare roles. Instead, it may be causing problems that were never intended.
Tens of millions of Americans will be forced to come up with documents such as their original Social Security cards and birth certificates, or dole out money to get new ones to do ordinary tasks.
Anxiety about voter fraud along with the worry that illegal immigrants are taking advantage of taxpayer-funded public services has prompted an increase in stiffer ID requirements.
Americans increasingly need a paper trail to qualify for some of the benefits of citizenship. But there are exceptions. Public colleges in Texas allow illegal immigrants to attend school there and pay in-state tuition rates while students who are legal American citizens of other states must pay out-of-state tuition rates. It doesn't seem quite fair.
States that have enacted the new standards are running into legal trouble, and many states are refusing to enforce the act if it becomes law. New rules that require proof of both identity and legal U.S. residency have left some in Colorado unable to get a driver's license or state ID card. Without either, they had no access to financial help such as welfare or winter heating assistance, nor could they do simple things like get a fishing license.
Most Americans probably aren't aware that a bill that was designed to capture terrorists and illegal aliens is about to capture them too. And most states aren't prepared nor equipped to deal with the onslaught that will occur when every driver comes in person to renew their driver's licenses. Everyone will have to bring a set of documents proving his identity and residency, although no one yet knows which documents will be needed. Those documents will have to be verified by government databases that don't yet exist, and states will also have to create new IDs with anti-counterfeiting security features that haven't been explained yet.
As happens far too often, people leap before they think. This nation does need to tighten security but before our leaders dive headfirst into the ocean, perhaps they ought to think first about what kind of ship they'll need to bring along.
Unless something changes before then, in May 2008 the Real ID Act will go into effect. This is the federal government's response to the fact that four of the 19 foreign hijackers on 9/11 had obtained valid U.S. driver's licenses and an attempt to keep illegal immigrants off of state welfare roles. Instead, it may be causing problems that were never intended.
Tens of millions of Americans will be forced to come up with documents such as their original Social Security cards and birth certificates, or dole out money to get new ones to do ordinary tasks.
Anxiety about voter fraud along with the worry that illegal immigrants are taking advantage of taxpayer-funded public services has prompted an increase in stiffer ID requirements.
Americans increasingly need a paper trail to qualify for some of the benefits of citizenship. But there are exceptions. Public colleges in Texas allow illegal immigrants to attend school there and pay in-state tuition rates while students who are legal American citizens of other states must pay out-of-state tuition rates. It doesn't seem quite fair.
States that have enacted the new standards are running into legal trouble, and many states are refusing to enforce the act if it becomes law. New rules that require proof of both identity and legal U.S. residency have left some in Colorado unable to get a driver's license or state ID card. Without either, they had no access to financial help such as welfare or winter heating assistance, nor could they do simple things like get a fishing license.
Most Americans probably aren't aware that a bill that was designed to capture terrorists and illegal aliens is about to capture them too. And most states aren't prepared nor equipped to deal with the onslaught that will occur when every driver comes in person to renew their driver's licenses. Everyone will have to bring a set of documents proving his identity and residency, although no one yet knows which documents will be needed. Those documents will have to be verified by government databases that don't yet exist, and states will also have to create new IDs with anti-counterfeiting security features that haven't been explained yet.
As happens far too often, people leap before they think. This nation does need to tighten security but before our leaders dive headfirst into the ocean, perhaps they ought to think first about what kind of ship they'll need to bring along.
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