8 Aug. Cato Daily Dispatch. Is it worth the ultimate cost?

[alan]

8 Aug. Cato Daily Dispatch, Is it worth the ultimate cost?
August 8, 2006


Do We Need a National ID Card? No.
by Jim Harper

Jim Harper is director of Information Policy Studies and the author of Identity Crisis: How Identification is Overused and Misunderstood.

Reports this week that government testers got into the country with false IDs are sure to turn up the volume on calls for a "more secure" national identification system. But identity-based security cannot - and should not - be fixed.

Why are we asked for identification cards in the first place? The theory is that there is greater security when someone can examine your background or track your movements.

It's true that surveillance makes law-abiding people easier for authorities to control. People required to show ID could, for instance, be run against databases of outstanding fines and tax delinquencies at local shopping malls. But identification gives the government no similar control over terrorists and sophisticated criminals - the people we're trying to stop with these ID checks.

To do identity-based security, you need to know who people are in the first place. That's not easy to do with lawbreakers.

To start, the U.S. has a substantial trade in false documents good enough to fool Department of Motor Vehicle employees. And criminals regularly corrupt DMV workers to procure false drivers' licenses. Can this problem be curtailed? Yes. Solved? No. Even if we had the strongest possible national ID card - a cradle-to-grave, government-mandated, biometric tracking system - the greatest weakness would still remain: Knowing who a person is does not reveal what they plan to do.

Examples are legion in terrorism, and routine in crime, of people with no history of wrongdoing being the ones who act. For the 9/11 attacks, Al Qaeda selected operatives without records of involvement in terrorism.

In the end, talk about creating a foolproof ID card distracts us from making honest improvements in security that address tools and methods of attack directly. Strong cockpit doors and self-reliant passengers prevent commandeering of airplanes no matter who is onboard. That is real security.

What's more, the negative consequences of a national ID card would be profound. Lawful trade and travel would be disrupted for ID checks, at a substantial cost to both liberty and commerce. What little benefits we'd reap would not be worth such a high price.

It's possible to "fix" the identification problem, but it doesn't solve the security problem. A national ID system would provide a tiny margin of security - and almost none against threats like terrorism.

This article appeared in the New York Daily News, August 5, 2006.

Who is it that watches the watchmen?

 

[NukemJim]

In the end, talk about creating a foolproof ID card distracts us from making honest improvements in security that address tools and methods of attack directly.

Best argument against a national ID that the Sheeple will accept. IMHO

NukemJim

 

[crazed_ss]

I assume none of you have ever crossed back from Mexico into the US?
One foot, it can takes up to two hours to get through the line. In a car, even longer. The DHS cant possibly verify every single piece of Identification. They usually question random people or question those who look suspicious or have looking fake documents. A National ID card wouldnt help anything. I'd say over half of the people coming through the San Ysidro port of entry are Mexican nationals.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Ysidro,_California
San Ysidro is home to the world's busiest land border crossing, where U.S. Interstate 5 crosses into Mexico at Tijuana. Each year over 14 million vehicles and 40 million people enter the U.S. at the San Ysidro port of entry. The great majority of these are workers (both of Mexican and U.S. nationality) commuting from Tijuana to jobs in the greater San Diego area and throughout southern California. There is also a thriving reverse traffic, both of workers traveling to maquiladoras in Mexico and those purchasing services (vehicle repairs, hair and beauty services, childcare, medical and dental) or seeking entertainment in Tijuana. Crossing times are notoriously slow at San Ysidro, particularly for those entering the U.S. in cars. For this reason many cross on foot, the line for which is frequently much faster than the vehicle line. Some foot travelers own a car in each country, and store them in one of the large parking lots located near the border post, or use the respective public transportation systems of both cities (both systems have a bus station built solely to serve the border crossing point).


These are people in cars waiting to get into the US.. This line backs up for miles into Tijuana..


I remember after 9/11 they tried to crack down and scrutinized everyone. It didnt last very long. The two regions here are linked and the insanely long waits to get into the US were simply unnacceptable.

 

[ArmedBear]

True. A National ID wouldn't change anything at the border, except to give the US Government a better way to track the movements of Americans. As the son of survivors of Nazi rule, that's not something I regard as positive.

Moreover, people who cross at San Ysidro regularly can already sign up for a special accelerated system, so most of the heavy traffic is from people who aren't really part of our "linked" region. I've sat in that line. It's a PITA. But I don't go down there much, so I'm not really part of the cross-border economy; I'm just an occasional tourist. If I crossed often, I'd sign up for the faster lanes.

 

[crazed_ss]

I go to TJ to see my girl every weekend.
I end up waiting in that line every weekend.
My name is a little wierd so the DHS guys always give me a little extra hassle too
The problem with the SENTRI cards is only one person per vehicle is allowed.
That's not gonna work for the mother who has 3 small children or tourists who bring their family for a day of shopping in Mexico. Oh and the regions are linked. Have you ever been to the Plaza Rio mall in Tijuana? .. Half of the cars are sporting American plates. Go down to the border and watch everyone going home to Mexico in the evening. You'll notice they're wearing work uniforms and carrying bags full of goods purchased in the US. It's more than just jobs and goods linking us.. too.

Did you know San Diego proccesses sewage for Tijuana?
http://www.ibwc.state.gov/html/sbiwtp.html

 

[ArmedBear]

The problem with the SENTRI cards is only one person per vehicle is allowed.

Yes. And that is what we ought to change, not our system of ID in general, for American citizens, the vast majority of whom will never cross the border here.

Thank God someone treats that sewage. I've been in the water a lot over the past 22 years here, and that agreement was an attempt to solve the problem of untreated sewage from Mexico (yuck!).

No money for sewage treatment, but plenty of money for the Presidente when he "retires" to another country... Sad thing, Mexico. Nice people down there.

This much I'll say, though. I think that illegal immigration is a problem, when our politicians want to hand out free stuff at taxpayer expense, and when business uses the welfare state to externalize the costs of its workforce. Solve those problems, and I'd much rather see an open border than a tracking device in my wallet. MUCH rather. Hell, even WITH those problems.

 

[alan]

ArmedBear writes in part:

True. A National ID wouldn't change anything at the border, except to give the US Government a better way to track the movements of Americans. As the son of survivors of Nazi rule, that's not something I regard as positive.
-----------------------

In my opinion the imposition of a National Identity Card, or turning drivers licenses thereinto don't even come close to being "positive". It doesn't pass the smell test either.