One Little Problem with W's Speech Tonight
The President admitted that it is easy for illegal immigrants to obtain fake ID, so that they can be hired, etc. What is the use of a fancy biometric temporary worker ID? It just gives the person more time to establish those fake IDs that will allow to stay after their temporary visa expires!
I’m sorry to say this to all the libertarians out there, but in this day and age, we probably need a really good national ID card that can be verified by any government worker, police officer, or employer. I’m not happy about it either, folks. On the other hand I understand that this is the year 2006 – not 1776. No one in the year 1776 could sneak into the country with the capability to kill thousands of people at once. In 1776, the continent seemed to be a vast empty region that couldn’t possibly be filled by wall-to-wall people. Two hundred and thirty years ago, there did not exist a technology that would allow someone to travel from Boston to Charleston in a few hours in order to avoid arrest. The founding fathers did not anticipate that two centuries later, ordinary criminals would have access to personal information that the Bill of Rights prohibits law enforcement from obtaining.
The illegal immigration problem won’t be solved by proving who isn’t a permanent resident. We need to prove who IS a permanent resident. People need to stop moaning about lost liberties, Big Brother, and 1984, and get busy crafting a plan that will provide an ID card that will mean something. At the same time, we need to work out just what information is private, and develop a method of holding that information in some sort of escrow, so that it doesn’t get into the wrong hands.
I’m sorry to say this to all the libertarians out there, but in this day and age, we probably need a really good national ID card that can be verified by any government worker, police officer, or employer. I’m not happy about it either, folks. On the other hand I understand that this is the year 2006 – not 1776. No one in the year 1776 could sneak into the country with the capability to kill thousands of people at once. In 1776, the continent seemed to be a vast empty region that couldn’t possibly be filled by wall-to-wall people. Two hundred and thirty years ago, there did not exist a technology that would allow someone to travel from Boston to Charleston in a few hours in order to avoid arrest. The founding fathers did not anticipate that two centuries later, ordinary criminals would have access to personal information that the Bill of Rights prohibits law enforcement from obtaining.
The illegal immigration problem won’t be solved by proving who isn’t a permanent resident. We need to prove who IS a permanent resident. People need to stop moaning about lost liberties, Big Brother, and 1984, and get busy crafting a plan that will provide an ID card that will mean something. At the same time, we need to work out just what information is private, and develop a method of holding that information in some sort of escrow, so that it doesn’t get into the wrong hands.
posted by 74 (William Powell) at
6:31 PM
