Real ID, Real Opportunity, and Fear of the Real World
The ACLU is abandoning logic on this one and siding with fear-mongers.
For several years -- probably more like decades a move has been afoot to standardize information sources, data processing, and government regulation throughout the US. This has led to upgrades in computer networks, standardization of Law Enforcement practices, uniform license plates, and several new generations of driver's licenses -- our ad hoc form of official ID in the US and Canada.
Since the terrorist attacks of 2001, this movement has taken a more organized approach with the proposal known as Real ID. Simply put, Real ID would mandate from the federal level that each state use the same format and record the same information for their driver's licenses. It also requires verification of legal residence, and further strengthens proof of identification requirements when applying for a license or replacement. Finally it allows for full integration of individual state's computing systems to allow for full, active sharing of data among agencies.
Besides the fact that most of this is already in place nationwide under state laws, libertarians and fear-mongers are touting this as the final move to a virtual National ID Card. This idea of a national ID is apparently something we are supposed to fear with abject determination. The ACLU and several other organizations who are normally on the side of progress and opportunity avow that providing for a national system of ID is one step off of implanting tracking chips in our foreheads.
This is a preposterous claim and is actually counter to the many other noble motives of these groups. The ACLU normally supports movements which ensure inclusiveness for all, equality of access, and preservation of our idealized notions of equal opportunity, in every person's own life and pursuit of happiness. The argument here is that the advent of a national ID would somehow encroach on the final aspect of this American trifecta - liberty.
Well, unless you're a criminal, there is really nothing to fear in a national ID. Honest, law-abiding people don't care -- or at least shouldn't. That's because the only people the currently faulty system protects are those who don't want to be found for some reason. Even this is an outdated notion - that it's possible to hide in the current mismatched system. One thing the internet has taught us is that any 12-year old can find anything out about anybody they want. Go ahead and try it -- google yourself. It may take a few pages, but chances are you're there.
Local blogger 'WeSawThat" has posted an entry espousing the evils of Real ID. Now, while I don't share WST's far right view of politics, I do have quite a good deal of respect for his willingness to search out issues with special meaning for CenLa. His writing is always well-planned and logical. However on this particular issue I must definitely disagree with him. Instead I relate some of my own personal experiences and provide some what I think are very valid reasons why we need not only RealID, but an even more integrated system that encompasses all of North America.
------------------------
I grew up in Alexandria and as such new only our own Louisiana Driver's licenses. I remember my first one which I got at age 16. By the time I left Louisiana to join the Army I had received my third incarnation of this document. That was 2000, and by then we had removed some information because of identity theft, added a few new codes to the front, and fully incorporated the magnetic strips and barcodes making the Louisiana Driver's license among the most secure in the country. As with Louisiana Law, members of the military who are permanently stationed in another state must obtain a local driver's license. For me this meant a visit to the Kentucky Dept. of Motor Vehicles. There I was introduced to a non-Louisiana way of handling ID. I surrendered my Louisiana license and after filling our a form and paying a fee was given a new license reminiscent of my high school lunch card. My Kentucky license was nothing more than a folded sheet of paper with photo pasted on with the whole thing sealed in plastic lamination. Their mighty identity-theft and counterfeiting protection was to include reflective horses on the plastic. These of course rubbed off usually within a month.
Now the fact that Kentucky's license format was not as advanced as Louisiana's is not in itself a major issue. But, the fact that Kentucky at that time still used an entirely paper-based records system was. A few years into the Army I moved off post and into an apartment. Our post - Fort Campbell straddled the Tennessee / Kentucky boarder. So moving off campus meant I became a resident of Tennessee rather than Kentucky. This of course meant I needed yet another driver's license. I visited the local Tennessee DMV office to exchange my Kentucky license only to get to the front desk and learn that according to their computers I did not have a Kentucky driver's license. WTF???!?
Apparently Kentucky, although issuing me a card on the spot had never actually fully processed my application for a license. They had however surrendered my Louisiana license back to the Louisiana OMV. So, after 3 years I had the joy of learning that I had in fact been driving without a legal driving license. Had I been stopped by the police or been in an accident during this time this would have most likely meant jail time. Lovely.
It just so happens at this very time someone stole my wallet. This now left me living in Tennessee with no driving license, no picture ID, and feeling quite uneasy with the entire situation. Tennessee did issue me a state ID card, and the Army issued me a temporary driving license until I could make it back to Louisiana to get my old license reinstated. This should have been the end of the affair as a month later I did in fact get my Louisiana license back and simply washed my hands of the whole affair. However, years later as I was renewing my Louisiana license I had a problem. Apparently I still had a Tennessee driver's license. i was informed that it is illegal to hold a driver's license for more than one state, and that I would have to cancel my Tennessee license and request a letter of clearance showing I had no outstanding violations in dear old Rocky Top.
Problem number X: I've never had a Tennessee License - EVER! The problem (this time) was that in processing my ID for Tennessee, someone misclassed it as a license. This was apparently because Tennessee's computer system used a code for ID's that was common in other states for licenses. This and the Kentucky problems have plagued me repeatedly for the past 7 years. As far as I know (after as recently as last year spending hour upon hour in various Motor Vehicle offices) all is resolved. We'll see what happens when I renew m license next year.
The fact is though that had we had a national system in use in all states, this entire situation would have never happened. I know for a fact that I am not the only person this sort of thing has happened to. I also know this is not the least of problems caused by these disparate systems.
-----------------
In Louisiana we have a requirement that drivers maintain a minimum level of liability insurance on their cars. This is verified by a system of yearly inspections, insurance checks, and is also needed to renew vehicle registrations and driver's licenses.
Those who don't wish to do their part in protecting other drivers have found a unique and easy way around this. They simply buy a vehicle and register it in Texas. Many also obtain Texas driver's licenses because the Lone Star State's DMV does not require proof of insurance for renewals, nor do they require regular renewal of vehicle registrations. So, next time you are driving through town and you find yourself near a Texas-registered F-150, Ram, or Silverado (seem to be the norm there) you may want to remember that the current laws may mean that that driver is uninsured and if they hit you, you're SOL.
---------------------
In addition to my Louisiana License I also have a European Union driver's License. It was issued by Germany and is valid throughout the EU. It looks just like licenses issued by other EU countries except has a D for Deutschland and is under the purview of the German Dept of Transportation and Licensing. This means that I can legally drive anywhere in Europe without worrying about someone being unable to read my license. And, amazingly it has not led to any increased big brother action.
It streamlines things, improves access to roadways and promotes trade.
---------------------
Finally, NAFTA and various other free trade initiatives have opened US roads to foreign drivers and vice versa. However, under the current system not all licenses are allowed in all areas. Mexicans must obtain a special permit for driving in the US and we must do the same for driving outside the Boarder Zone of Mexico. This is not so difficult, it's a little pricey, but otherwise not too much trouble.
But what is troubling is that we must accept these licenses whether they be issued in Mexico, Alberta, Alaska, California or anywhere else as valid forms of ID and driving privileges for Louisiana roads. And, we must do this with no guarantee that who we see is what we see on the license, that they are a safe and qualified driver, or that they even have a real ID.
---------------
RealID, as it's name implies addresses a very real and serious issue. It's a step that needs to be taken, and a process that deserves support. The world is integrating whether we like it or not. Reality does not stop at the doorstep of Louisiana. What happens beyond the Mississippi and Sabine does affect us, and we should be moving toward systems that unify, integrate and ease us and our neighbours into a system that can support and deal with the world of the 21st Century, not that of the last century.
Since the terrorist attacks of 2001, this movement has taken a more organized approach with the proposal known as Real ID. Simply put, Real ID would mandate from the federal level that each state use the same format and record the same information for their driver's licenses. It also requires verification of legal residence, and further strengthens proof of identification requirements when applying for a license or replacement. Finally it allows for full integration of individual state's computing systems to allow for full, active sharing of data among agencies.
Besides the fact that most of this is already in place nationwide under state laws, libertarians and fear-mongers are touting this as the final move to a virtual National ID Card. This idea of a national ID is apparently something we are supposed to fear with abject determination. The ACLU and several other organizations who are normally on the side of progress and opportunity avow that providing for a national system of ID is one step off of implanting tracking chips in our foreheads.
This is a preposterous claim and is actually counter to the many other noble motives of these groups. The ACLU normally supports movements which ensure inclusiveness for all, equality of access, and preservation of our idealized notions of equal opportunity, in every person's own life and pursuit of happiness. The argument here is that the advent of a national ID would somehow encroach on the final aspect of this American trifecta - liberty.
Well, unless you're a criminal, there is really nothing to fear in a national ID. Honest, law-abiding people don't care -- or at least shouldn't. That's because the only people the currently faulty system protects are those who don't want to be found for some reason. Even this is an outdated notion - that it's possible to hide in the current mismatched system. One thing the internet has taught us is that any 12-year old can find anything out about anybody they want. Go ahead and try it -- google yourself. It may take a few pages, but chances are you're there.
Local blogger 'WeSawThat" has posted an entry espousing the evils of Real ID. Now, while I don't share WST's far right view of politics, I do have quite a good deal of respect for his willingness to search out issues with special meaning for CenLa. His writing is always well-planned and logical. However on this particular issue I must definitely disagree with him. Instead I relate some of my own personal experiences and provide some what I think are very valid reasons why we need not only RealID, but an even more integrated system that encompasses all of North America.
------------------------
I grew up in Alexandria and as such new only our own Louisiana Driver's licenses. I remember my first one which I got at age 16. By the time I left Louisiana to join the Army I had received my third incarnation of this document. That was 2000, and by then we had removed some information because of identity theft, added a few new codes to the front, and fully incorporated the magnetic strips and barcodes making the Louisiana Driver's license among the most secure in the country. As with Louisiana Law, members of the military who are permanently stationed in another state must obtain a local driver's license. For me this meant a visit to the Kentucky Dept. of Motor Vehicles. There I was introduced to a non-Louisiana way of handling ID. I surrendered my Louisiana license and after filling our a form and paying a fee was given a new license reminiscent of my high school lunch card. My Kentucky license was nothing more than a folded sheet of paper with photo pasted on with the whole thing sealed in plastic lamination. Their mighty identity-theft and counterfeiting protection was to include reflective horses on the plastic. These of course rubbed off usually within a month.
Now the fact that Kentucky's license format was not as advanced as Louisiana's is not in itself a major issue. But, the fact that Kentucky at that time still used an entirely paper-based records system was. A few years into the Army I moved off post and into an apartment. Our post - Fort Campbell straddled the Tennessee / Kentucky boarder. So moving off campus meant I became a resident of Tennessee rather than Kentucky. This of course meant I needed yet another driver's license. I visited the local Tennessee DMV office to exchange my Kentucky license only to get to the front desk and learn that according to their computers I did not have a Kentucky driver's license. WTF???!?
Apparently Kentucky, although issuing me a card on the spot had never actually fully processed my application for a license. They had however surrendered my Louisiana license back to the Louisiana OMV. So, after 3 years I had the joy of learning that I had in fact been driving without a legal driving license. Had I been stopped by the police or been in an accident during this time this would have most likely meant jail time. Lovely.
It just so happens at this very time someone stole my wallet. This now left me living in Tennessee with no driving license, no picture ID, and feeling quite uneasy with the entire situation. Tennessee did issue me a state ID card, and the Army issued me a temporary driving license until I could make it back to Louisiana to get my old license reinstated. This should have been the end of the affair as a month later I did in fact get my Louisiana license back and simply washed my hands of the whole affair. However, years later as I was renewing my Louisiana license I had a problem. Apparently I still had a Tennessee driver's license. i was informed that it is illegal to hold a driver's license for more than one state, and that I would have to cancel my Tennessee license and request a letter of clearance showing I had no outstanding violations in dear old Rocky Top.
Problem number X: I've never had a Tennessee License - EVER! The problem (this time) was that in processing my ID for Tennessee, someone misclassed it as a license. This was apparently because Tennessee's computer system used a code for ID's that was common in other states for licenses. This and the Kentucky problems have plagued me repeatedly for the past 7 years. As far as I know (after as recently as last year spending hour upon hour in various Motor Vehicle offices) all is resolved. We'll see what happens when I renew m license next year.
The fact is though that had we had a national system in use in all states, this entire situation would have never happened. I know for a fact that I am not the only person this sort of thing has happened to. I also know this is not the least of problems caused by these disparate systems.
-----------------
In Louisiana we have a requirement that drivers maintain a minimum level of liability insurance on their cars. This is verified by a system of yearly inspections, insurance checks, and is also needed to renew vehicle registrations and driver's licenses.
Those who don't wish to do their part in protecting other drivers have found a unique and easy way around this. They simply buy a vehicle and register it in Texas. Many also obtain Texas driver's licenses because the Lone Star State's DMV does not require proof of insurance for renewals, nor do they require regular renewal of vehicle registrations. So, next time you are driving through town and you find yourself near a Texas-registered F-150, Ram, or Silverado (seem to be the norm there) you may want to remember that the current laws may mean that that driver is uninsured and if they hit you, you're SOL.
---------------------
In addition to my Louisiana License I also have a European Union driver's License. It was issued by Germany and is valid throughout the EU. It looks just like licenses issued by other EU countries except has a D for Deutschland and is under the purview of the German Dept of Transportation and Licensing. This means that I can legally drive anywhere in Europe without worrying about someone being unable to read my license. And, amazingly it has not led to any increased big brother action.
It streamlines things, improves access to roadways and promotes trade.
---------------------
Finally, NAFTA and various other free trade initiatives have opened US roads to foreign drivers and vice versa. However, under the current system not all licenses are allowed in all areas. Mexicans must obtain a special permit for driving in the US and we must do the same for driving outside the Boarder Zone of Mexico. This is not so difficult, it's a little pricey, but otherwise not too much trouble.
But what is troubling is that we must accept these licenses whether they be issued in Mexico, Alberta, Alaska, California or anywhere else as valid forms of ID and driving privileges for Louisiana roads. And, we must do this with no guarantee that who we see is what we see on the license, that they are a safe and qualified driver, or that they even have a real ID.
---------------
RealID, as it's name implies addresses a very real and serious issue. It's a step that needs to be taken, and a process that deserves support. The world is integrating whether we like it or not. Reality does not stop at the doorstep of Louisiana. What happens beyond the Mississippi and Sabine does affect us, and we should be moving toward systems that unify, integrate and ease us and our neighbours into a system that can support and deal with the world of the 21st Century, not that of the last century.
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