Page 13 - National ID Cards

Yes, it's far more efficient to have a system with 50 different standards. We see that every day, no? No reason to decide on a standard for web languages, we'll just conform our pages to the multiple standards. For more efficient that way.

Welcome back Cody.

Well isn't that a call to standardize the system we have now? Instead of creating more government make the government we have more efficient.

Start at the top of the list: unless it's your first day on a job you don't need your SSN card for anything take it out of your wallet and keep it in a firebox or something.

Nor do you need your safety certs except when you're doing that.



* Debit card and/or credit card
* Card that says "in case of emergency please contact ____" and also lets them know what drugs--if any--you are allergic to or other important medical info.

Other things to put in your wallet:
* Stamps
* Business cards
* Transit passes
* HMO ID Card
* Dental Insurance ID Card

Oh and
* Money

SSN is not a unique identifier. SSN+DOB is unique though. SSN should never be used as an ID number unless it's by the social security administration. Using SSN as a unique identifier has gotten way out of hand. It was implemented to be used as an ID number for one, and only one, organization.

And the Privacy Act of (I want to say 1972, but I don't recall off the top of my head) says that no individual can be adversely affected by refusing to provide or use an SSN for identification.

I don't carry my SSN card. Oh yeah I do have my credit card in my wallet.

the UK were pushing for a similar ID scheme, and the "Tale of 2 CD's" sorted that one out. If central government can send unencrypted information by CD, unregistered, so's it gets lost, it proves 'accidents' can happen. Regardless of the amount of safeguards ... excrement invariably occurs.

IMO each of the systems that the ID card are proposed to permeate, are currently disparate and should be disparate, both in terms of functionality, and more importantly responsibility.

Rather than an actual National ID card, I think the US needs to adopt a national driver's license. It's a pain moving from one state to another and switching your license. When I moved to VA from PA, it took me nearly 3 months to get everything straightened out and it's not like I had to be retested or anything.

If you can prove residency (i.e. a utilities bill), you should be able to just have your address updated on your license without having to stand in line at a DMV for nothing.

And deprive all the states of all their own license fees? Cause all the clerks at every DMV in the country to lose their jobs? starting a recession?

Unless you explain in your argument explicitly how the premise (deprivation of states' licensing fees) will directly and inevitably cause the conclusion (DMV clerks losing their jobs ad the economy going into a recession), it is invalid. This is a logical error called "Fallacious Slippery Slope," if you're interested in researching it further.

Its easy.

1) Feds start national license, replacing state license.
2) states lose fees from state license
3) DMV clerks have less work, no need to issue state licenses
4) state cuts jobs at DMV because no need for excess workers
5) some DMV employees go on unemployment
6) state tax revenue goes down because formerly working and tax paying folks are out of money6) after a while unemployment runs out
7) unemployement benefits expire, ex-DMV workers are broke
8) state tax revenue goes down because formerly working and tax paying folks are out of money
9) state cuts workers because of lower revenue for taxes and fees.
10) repeat as needed.
11) economy falls into sand monster.

One could argue that this might not happen, but then politicians argue that they have control over the economy when they are in office. They also argue that when they are out of office, the economy could be better and would be if they were in office. This ignores a tiny fact: They have no control.

Wow many you are pulling at straws. How can a select group of people, maybe 0.05% of the population cause a recession?

Plus there'd still be a need for those services. I think we should keep our current system but standardize it for every state.

Yes. If I had my way, every DMV would be shut down too. Should I feel bad that they'd lose their unnecessary job?

Let's not forget though, with a national license, it would still have to be created somewhere. If I live in Virginia and I get my license, I'd get it in Virginia... but I should be able to take it with me when I move. And if I move into Virginia, I'd pay Virginia DMV to update the address on it. It wouldn't deprive anyone from anything.

As I see it, the DMV is one of those very long branches of our bureaucracy that is almost completely useless. Sure, there are a few things that humans should be doing, but at least 90% of what's done should be automated. The machine tells you what to do, you do it, you slip the forms into the machine, it checks it, it asks you to verify information, and it asks you to correct as needed (or rewrite something if it cannot understand it).

This is similar to a friends' school where there are ~ten secretaries handling calls. One secretary handles early dismissal, one handles people being late to school/class, one handles the constantly-happening suspensions, etc. And I'm over here thinking "Hey, this is what a fill-in-the-black web app with a database is for! See those ten people? I can make all their jobs (and them) useless in a few weeks of coding!"

Now you need Federal standards, and bureaucrats to check that the state DMV is complying with them. Forms to indicate compliance. Bureaucrats to check the forms. And more bureaucrats to handle variance processing, since drivers in Boston have different needs than drivers in Wisconsin or Wyoming -- some will have to apply for, be adjudicated, and granted special waivers from the Federal standards.

I though you wanted small, efficient government. Sounds like your asking to grow the Big Inefficient Federal government.

As stated above, you really don't need people to be doing most of that work in today's day and age. You could create and enforce standards much easier with machines, because they damn well do what they're told to.