Should there be free government IDs in america?

[sawyerloggingon]

Would be difficult to upgrade or edit the information within.

Point is the authorities would always know who you are and where you have been and the chip would be updated every time you had any run in with the law, even a speeding ticket.

 

[What if...?]

yup, that sort of thing could be used in an orwelian way, or another way like say a country trying to provide identification to it's citizens when it has the ability to do so,

Historically, just about every time a power CAN be abused, it IS.

 

[What if...?]

I totally support a universal I.D. funded by the government.

I want a state-of-the-art identification card. It needs to have a photo. It needs to have non-reproducible holographic layers. It needs to have a smart-chip that may include vital medical information for paramedics (blood type, allergies, etc). They need to be color-coded. Green for citizens, red for non-citizens. They need to be replaced every 10 years (to update the chip, photo, address, etc.).

Look...no one whines about having to get drivers licenses, or having to update the stickers on your plates every 1-2 years. Why are they whining about an I.D. card? Why not incorporate license information in the I.D. card? Why not incorporate employee medical plans in the card? One single card for everything.


...and then we need new voting booths that are only activated by the green cards. The red cards won't turn them on.

Can't I just tattoo 666 on my forehead?

 

[Slyhunter]

A State ID should be issued free of charge to bypass the Democrats argument about a poll tax. That doesn't mean driver licenses are free.
And I have no problem providing proof that you are a citizen before getting that ID. Only citizens should be allowed to vote and how else do we control this. Illegal aliens don't need id. They need deporting. No ID, proving you are a citizen, and no passport, proving you are here legally, should mean immediate expulsion, no trial, no wasting tax payers money.

As far a a right to a trial, that's for citizens. The constitution is for US citizens and US citizens only.

 

[specklebang]

True.

But there was a time not too long ago when America took pride in being a "paperless democracy".

"Your papers please" was a meme we trolled the soviets with and the Nazis before them.

Now your credit score can keep you from getting a job and employers demand access to facebook pages.

Exactly. That time has already ended. So far, abuse has been minimal although it's worrisome. Having read dystopian sci-fi all my life I'm completely prepared. Once they actually inventend the ability to be intrusive, was there any chance it wouldn't be used?

National ID would spell the end for all illegal aliens. But free Federal (or State) ID, which you are under no obligation to get unless you want it. If you have other ID, you don't need to bother.

 

[Velvet Elvis]

Can't I just tattoo 666 on my forehead?

I guess....just for laughs.

 

[tererun]

Mark of the beast would be an issue although having the NSA and such makes it sort of redundent.

I do agree the reality is it does make it easier to track everyone given modern technology and things they would use for scanning IDs. Still, if that is your concern we are already there. The ID is not what is going to do it, it will be digitization which is taking over everything. Many people already carry a smart device which can be used to purchase and track things in a growing number of places, and it is just getting worse. An ID is not nearly as mark of the beast as a smartphone. If you are actually going down that road, and it was truly a sign of evil, the best way to get everyone to comply is not by force, but rather by desire. Most people will carry a digital device that will be required for every purchase and all their communications, and will be able to track their movements and shopping patterns not because they are told to, but because it is cool. What will come next is that everyone will end up with a digital identifyer which will link all of their devices to them to organize and consolidate their lives. That will be a number assigned to you like a SSN and it will control your access to the digital world and you will need to keep that clean and comply or be shut out. Stopping this sort of ID is not going to stop the digital age. If there is a mark of the beast, you are reading this post through one of it's vessels.

 

[tererun]

Here is just one example for a free Voter ID in Georgia.

Georgia Photo ID

Well, my post goes a bit further than just the voting issue, but that is the sort of thing I am talking about. I do not know if that can be used as an ID for getting a job, bank account, or things like buying beer but if it can then that is the way to do it. It seems perfectly acceptable to me, and it is given out to anyone who needs the ID. No discrimination, plenty of time to get one, and you cannot even complain that the person cannot get together the few dollars to get one.

 

[tererun]

Historically, just about every time a power CAN be abused, it IS.

yet when things are useful, like this would be, we often reap the benefits while trying to mitigate and prevent the damage. I don't see you tossing out your digital devices now that you know the NSA is pretty much monitoring all of them.

 

[PeteEU]

Problem has never been the ID itself, but those that are accepted as "legal".. it varies so much and is often designed to disenfranchise groups of certain people.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

It's decentralized and allows states to not have ID.

We have individual seats of government within each state. We are United States, our circles of governance overlap. The Feds have their duties and the states have theirs. If you take this key duty away from the states then it alters how our country functions top to bottom and we become more top-heavy, rather than balanced. The one form of ID given by the US government: Social Security Numbers - is how they decided to keep up with us, and that in itself has posed quite enough problems.

We're one of the few nations in this regard worldwide. We are not France, we are not Switzerland, we are not Canada. We are the United States of America with three main branches of government and individual spheres of smaller state governments. The state governments are limited and the federal government is limited. This is why we are United States.

Alter that, and we're not longer The United States . . . we would revert back to being The Confederate States of America as we were in 1861 - and that hosted a large number of problems that many, today, don't grasp.

No thank you.

 

[Carjosse]

We have individual seats of government within each state. We are United States, our circles of governance overlap. The Feds have their duties and the states have theirs. If you take this key duty away from the states then it alters how our country functions top to bottom and we become more top-heavy, rather than balanced. The one form of ID given by the US government: Social Security Numbers - is how they decided to keep up with us, and that in itself has posed quite enough problems.

We're one of the few nations in this regard worldwide. We are not France, we are not Switzerland, we are not Canada. We are the United States of America with three main branches of government and individual spheres of smaller state governments. The state governments are limited and the federal government is limited. This is why we are United States.

Alter that, and we're not longer The United States . . . we would revert back to being The Confederate States of America as we were in 1861 - and that hosted a large number of problems that many, today, don't grasp.

No thank you.

Since you have that it breeds bureaucracy and inefficiency you have to get 50 different governments with different objectives to agree on many different things. Voting is one thing that needs to be consistent, you are choosing the leader and government of your country there should be no difference between states it's a big deal that needs to be the same everywhere.

 

[Heebie Jeebie]

There are many situations where you need ID and it becomes an issue with things as necessary as getting a job, getting a bank account and using money payment systems, and for getting things like prescriptions. Now some states want you to show ID to vote. So why don't we just give them out and establish them? We already have the infrastructure to do it because we have a system of computer scannable state identifications. Why don't we just make it something we all do like getting a social security number, joining the selective service (yes i know ladies do not), or paying taxes. Of course we make the regulations to keep the system as secure as possible to avoid identity theft, but we just give everyone the ID they need to verify who they are for their normal citizen activities.

If it is required to vote then yes the State should supply a free ID card.

 

[TiredOfLife]

If it is required to vote then yes the State should supply a free ID card.

That's usually not the hard part, although the locations can be an issue, it's getting and paying for the necessary documentation, assuming that it even exists that is, and for a surprising number of American citizens it doesn't.

 

[jonny5]

There are many situations where you need ID and it becomes an issue with things as necessary as getting a job, getting a bank account and using money payment systems, and for getting things like prescriptions. Now some states want you to show ID to vote. So why don't we just give them out and establish them? We already have the infrastructure to do it because we have a system of computer scannable state identifications. Why don't we just make it something we all do like getting a social security number, joining the selective service (yes i know ladies do not), or paying taxes. Of course we make the regulations to keep the system as secure as possible to avoid identity theft, but we just give everyone the ID they need to verify who they are for their normal citizen activities.

We already have voter registration cards. Just add a photo and security measures. And I have no problem with tax dollars paying for the service (nothing is free).

 

[Aunt Spiker]

Since you have that it breeds bureaucracy and inefficiency you have to get 50 different governments with different objectives to agree on many different things. Voting is one thing that needs to be consistent, you are choosing the leader and government of your country there should be no difference between states it's a big deal that needs to be the same everywhere.

Look, it's obvious you feel a larger, more centralized government is more efficient because you see your government as BEING more efficient.

Our government is large enough, and even with it's limited powers, it struggles. It makes no sense to trust them more and more when they are incapable of handling the 'less' that they already have.

You worry about your government, and I'll worry about mine.

We're different countries for a reason. I don't know about you, but I grew tired of the 'but they do it!' a long time ago.

 

[Carjosse]

Look, it's obvious you feel a larger, more centralized government is more efficient because you see your government as BEING more efficient.

Our government is large enough, and even with it's limited powers, it struggles. It makes no sense to trust them more and more when they are incapable of handling the 'less' that they already have.

You worry about your government, and I'll worry about mine.

We're different countries for a reason. I don't know about you, but I grew tired of the 'but they do it!' a long time ago.

Most of these things are independent organizations that only report to the legislative bodies. America is the capital of bureaucracy and inefficient government because you have so many different levels of government that get to decide their own policy. We don't have cities going bankrupt in Canada because we have more oversight. Having a strong efficient federal government would solve a lot of your issues.

 

[VanceMack]

Sure...give everyone a free state ID. Simple process. Take a birth certificate to any DMV and have one issued (most states you can already do that, but if the $5 charge is too much...make it free). If someone doesnt HAVE a social security number or birth certificate that would be a great time to have them file for one and get one. Those are all ESSENTIAL documents people NEED. Having a legit government issued ID is not a TAX nor is it a means of discrimination. It is a NECESSITY.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

Most of these things are independent organizations that only report to the legislative bodies. America is the capital of bureaucracy and inefficient government because you have so many different levels of government that get to decide their own policy. We don't have cities going bankrupt in Canada because we have more oversight. Having a strong efficient federal government would solve a lot of your issues.

Strong and efficient federal government concepts aren't the same as "the government dictating who votes"

I'm all for streamlining, improving, and redefining roles so long as they don't undo the major format of our government itself.

Our current voting system has the occasional problem, but overall, it's rather efficient considering how frequently it's used and how many people use it.

 

[Carjosse]

Strong and efficient federal government concepts aren't the same as "the government dictating who votes"

I'm all for streamlining, improving, and redefining roles so long as they don't undo the major format of our government itself.

Our current voting system has the occasional problem, but overall, it's rather efficient considering how frequently it's used and how many people use it.

There is one gaping hole in that voting scheme, ID requirements.

 

[AGENT J]

There are many situations where you need ID and it becomes an issue with things as necessary as getting a job, getting a bank account and using money payment systems, and for getting things like prescriptions. Now some states want you to show ID to vote. So why don't we just give them out and establish them? We already have the infrastructure to do it because we have a system of computer scannable state identifications. Why don't we just make it something we all do like getting a social security number, joining the selective service (yes i know ladies do not), or paying taxes. Of course we make the regulations to keep the system as secure as possible to avoid identity theft, but we just give everyone the ID they need to verify who they are for their normal citizen activities.

In general i dont think it is needed, there are many ways to get an ID and many states have ways to get them free already

that being said i still think your ID is a good one and has traction. In today's age a national ID card that joined all the other cards would make sense IMO. Major state and federal ids all in one. if you drive, it shows that, if you are military it shows that, if you have a concealed weapons permit it shows that etc etc

as far as "voter ID" and the complete waste of time and money and discriminatory process it CAN/COULD (not always) free ids are the ONLY way i support voter IDs.

free and easily accessible like at schools, post offices, where the voting polls are, SS offices, libraries etc
and as long as other IDs are also accepted, drivers licenses, pass ports, weapon permits, photo school IDs, military IDs etc."

otherwise its a crock

 

[Aunt Spiker]

There is one gaping hole in that voting scheme, ID requirements.

What? There are no holes. Some states require them, thus, it's up to them to implement them. Most do not.

No holes.

States are different for a reason - you don't get why we're like this, but that's okay, you don't have to.

 

[tererun]

That's usually not the hard part, although the locations can be an issue, it's getting and paying for the necessary documentation, assuming that it even exists that is, and for a surprising number of American citizens it doesn't.

First off, what are these problems, and how many people in this modern day are still effected by it? I could understand a homeless person or some sort of person who moves around a lot and doesn't have a definitive residence having some trouble here, but it is not impossible. There were a number of things that allow you to get a state ID. You have things like SS cards, mail like bills or subscriptions, school ID, birth certificates, and a whole list of things which you can use for getting a state ID showing residence and being a citizen. It is just not hard to get some of these things.

Seriously, I walk into the local place where I can get a driver's license (the same place they put out non-driver IDs) and talk to the people there and they gave always been able to give me a place to start to get any problems fixed. Yes, these people may have to do some legwork to fix some odd thing that makes it hard for them to get an ID, but there are ways to do it. Maybe we need to fix things like birth certificates and re3cords to make it cheaper and more centralized to get that information, but then let us fix that problem. This is not just about voting, if you cannot get valid ID it will hinder many other areas of your life. I know there may be some hangups which go back to our past lack of technology and not being able to make records as easily accessible, but we can fix that today and help those people. This is a quality of life issue that is not just about voting. The jobs you can take are limited without proper ID. You will have trouble traveling without ID. You will have trouble setting up bank accounts without ID. It might be hard, but go out and get it done so you can do all these things instead of being lazy about them.

 

[cpwill]

I'm down. Free government ID's for those who are citizens. And then require them for voting - and no one can complain. We could even tie them to your social security number.... call them... "cards for social security" or "social security cards", or some such thing.

 

[Carleen]

The only ID I am aware of the social security office issuing is the social security card. I do not think that is free. It might be free for the first one.

I'm pretty sure that if you need to get a new card it is free. But the interesting thing is you cannot use a SS card for ID.