The REAL ID Act

[Guest Tsukuyomi]

So I was surfing Facebook as nerds like me are wont to do, and I found a group petitioning against the REAL ID Act. Now, I hadn't heard of this before, but apparently it's being instituted at the end of 2009 and I'm interested in what people think about it. Here's a link for those who need them.

 

To me, it seems pretty straightforwards. I've always been on board for a Federal ID replacing Drivers Licenses (If only for ease of use and recognition by police and such), as well as just streamlining things in general. The people in this group were worried about the Government tracking people (Which is a slight worry, though a lot of it seems overstated. Their picture had "Occupation" and "Religion", which aren't actually things on the ID...) and an odd few were talking about the dangers to illegal immigrants, who obviously wouldn't be able to get them.

 

So what do people here think?

[snuffbox 0]

I'd rather we all just be branded on some bodypart of everyday prominence.

[Guest Tsukuyomi]

So does someone here want to have intelligent discussion, or...?

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

I'd rather we all just be branded on some bodypart of everyday prominence.

[snuffbox 0]

Not Mexican at least.

[dubq 0]

I'm all for some sort of ID that replaces drivers licenses as the "main ID". For someone who lives in a metropolis that is full of public transit, and walks to work, etc. it makes no sense for me to have a drivers license anymore.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I don't see why we need a replacement for drivers licenses. I also don't see why you shouldn't have to show a photo ID in order to vote.

[Jingus 0]

I think it's a good idea for everyone to be required to have some sort of government ID. You're not required to have a driver's license, obviously not everyone can qualify for one. But everyone needs a photo ID.

[snuffbox 0]

Don't non-driver's-license-holding people still need a state-issued photo id for various things such certain movies, cigarettes, bars, clubs, etc?

 

How much tax cash are we looking at for this proposal anyway? More or less than our own Great Wall?

[MrRant 0]

I'm more in favor of the Great Wall.

[hyperchord24 0]

Don't non-driver's-license-holding people still need a state-issued photo id for various things such certain movies, cigarettes, bars, clubs, etc?

 

How much tax cash are we looking at for this proposal anyway? More or less than our own Great Wall?

Why wouldn't the federal ID work for those things? It helps out-of-staters get beer and get into bars because lots of bouncers/cashiers have trouble with out of state licenses.

[Steviekick 0]

One time I was with my Canadian friend going to a concert that was 18 and up. He showed his Ontario driver's license and the bouncer wouldn't let him in, saying that it is fake and there is no state of Ontario. When my friend corrected him and said it was Canadian, you could literally see the bouncer's brain freeze over.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

The interesting thing is if its a government issued ID, I dont think you'll see many kids faking IDS for beer and whatnot since it would probably carry a pretty stiff penalty.

 

 

[snuffbox 0]

Couldn't be any less interesting.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

I'm more in favor of the Great Wall.

 

... between myself and the Bible Belt.

[JJMc 0]

Just another step towards the homogenization of the World. And people go right along with it.

[Jingus 0]

OMG standardized ID, it's the Mark of the Beast I tell ya, everyone into the bomb shelter, 1984 is coming!1!

[Dobbs 3K 0]

OMG standardized ID, it's the Mark of the Beast I tell ya, everyone into the bomb shelter, 1984 is coming!1!

 

Yeah, really. Illuminati-Freemasons-skull&bones-latestbestsellerplot for real. "don't taze me, bro" guy was right, and the government got him!

[snuffbox 0]

It'll only cost several billion dollars. What's the big deal, right?

 

American Moneytree, ya'll.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Don't non-driver's-license-holding people still need a state-issued photo id for various things such certain movies, cigarettes, bars, clubs, etc?

Yeah. My grandmother never learned to drive, so she doesn't have a license, but she has an ID that looks exactly like a license. I see nothing wrong with this. Why should I pay to get a federal identification card when I have a driver's license that works fine already? This is stupid.

 

As for showing ID when voting, I don't see anything wrong with that at first glance.

 

The interesting thing is if its a government issued ID, I dont think you'll see many kids faking IDS for beer and whatnot since it would probably carry a pretty stiff penalty.

Yeah, especially if the Indians play the Rockies in the World Series.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

It'll only cost several billion dollars. What's the big deal, right?

 

American Moneytree, ya'll.

 

Well, like I said, I don't think it's needed. I think everyone should have a DL or some form of government ID, not necessarily some national ID card.

 

Basically the whole ploy with people not wanting states to require IDs when voting, is that they want to allow illegal aliens to vote, who most certainly would vote for the Democrats.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

I have nothing against ascertaining that I, the voter, am a citizen with the right to vote (for now, until I commit a felony, as I surely will) by showing my driver's license. I wouldn't feel inconvenienced. Showing ID to sign up for a card at Blockbuster does make me feel inconvenienced!

[Ravenbomb 0]

I had a State ID before I got a driver's liscense. I don't really see what's wrong with just getting one of those if you don't/can't have a driver's liscense.

[snuffbox 0]

If you don't have a driver's license you will presumably have a state id card or a student id card if you aren't living like a total hermit. Spending billions of tax dollars on a new system and then, I'm willing to guess, requiring people to pay another $10-30 dollars for the new card is just dumb.

 

[Dobbs 3K 0]

If you don't have a driver's license you will presumably have a state id card or a student id card if you aren't living like a total hermit. Spending billions of tax dollars on a new system and then, I'm willing to guess, requiring people to pay another $10-30 dollars for the new card is just dumb.

 

Agreed.

[Perfxion 0]

Wouldn't a faster and cheaper, yet working idea for the government to come up with a ID law that states all new ID(Driver/CDL/Motor/Non driver) all have a standard format for where ID number, address, sig, and picture so that they all have a federal standard. Hell, add the feature CT uses by making all people over 21 have their ID horizontal and all minors are vertical so at first glance someone knows who is what age without math.

[Ripper 0]

It'll only cost several billion dollars. What's the big deal, right?

 

American Moneytree, ya'll.

Basically the whole ploy with people not wanting states to require IDs when voting, is that they want to allow illegal aliens to vote, who most certainly would vote for the Democrats.

 

 

LOL. Stop it. You know full well illegals wouldn't be voting. And if they did, they would vote Republican.

 

Its more about old people. Old people vote more than any other demographic, and those on fixed incomes don't usually see renewing a ID at 20-30 bucks a pop to be a requirement or want to go through the chore of going to the DMV or where ever you get your state ID locally.

 

The old people vote is very important, expecially now with the population of the elderly getting higher and higher.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

And if they did, they would vote Republican.

 

Were you high when you typed this?

[Ripper 0]

Seeing as Republicans have been carrying the hispanic vote for a while now, where are you getting that they would vote democrat? Do you think that Bush is not just saying "get rid of the immigrants NOW" just for the heck of it? He knows what the hispanic vote means to the party.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Republicans haven't been carrying the Hispanic vote.

 

Latinos went 53-44 for Kerry in 2004.

 

In the 2006 Congressional elections Latinos voted 69-30 Democratic.

 

Bush, however, has done better than most Republicans among Latinos (Latinos went 72-21 for Clinton in '96, for example), probably because he isn't as blatantly anti-immigrant as many other conservative Republicans. This goes all the way back to his days as governor of Texas.

 

(Exit poll results from CNN)