#4 This Real ID act is going to be a disaster. Both political parties have been inching towards a national ID card since Roosevelt (the bad one), and all supporters of the card have hilariously naive and totally unrealistic expectations of what they will "get" out of it. And be under no illusions, the card is *not* for your benefit, it is for the benefit of those who wish to get something out of you. First of all, the card will tout its security--an utter lie, as the cards will be issued by State DMVs, the singularly most corrupt and incompetant, nationwide, type of government agency. Second of all, it will create a motivation for illegal IDs that is *stronger* than was the motivation for alcohol during Prohibition *and* the motivation for illegal drugs during the War on Drugs. The ID will be your "right to be an American". What would you do to get and keep that right? Americans proudly proclaim that it is worth the shedding of their blood to keep their freedom and liberty *as Americans*. While mostly people think of the "freedom and liberty" part of that statement, the "as Americans" part is just as deadly serious. Third, what happens when "the noble experiment" comes crashing down like what is happening *right now* with the BILLIONS of dollars of Homeland Security technology, or more likely, like Canada's efforts at gun registration? Will the US government spend TRILLIONS of dollars trying to prop up the failed system, like with the War on Drugs; or will they humbly admit defeat, like in Prohibition? This is going to be a national nightmare, and millions of people are going to be hurt. It could very possibly result in a Civil War between the "government authorized American citizens", and the "Americans who have been denied their citizenship because they do not have a piece of paper." |