At least since 9/11, the Democrats have, if anything, been even worse than the Republicans in their push for a national ID. I recall the Bush administration, very early on, dismissing this totalitarian idea, although Bush soon enough signed the Real ID Act into law, with the support of hawkish and anti-immigration conservatives. But the establishment left is also a major threat on this front, and Democrats traditionally get a pass on civil liberties issues, whereas under Republicans there is more populist criticism of surveillance, police powers and the like.
Consider the Orwellian program being proposed by the Democratic leadership as part of “immigration reform.” Alexander Bolton writes:
Democratic leaders have proposed requiring every worker in the nation to carry a national identification card with biometric information, such as a fingerprint, within the next six years, according to a draft of the measure. The proposal is one of the biggest differences between the newest immigration reform proposal and legislation crafted by late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). The national ID program would be titled the Believe System, an acronym for Biometric Enrollment, Locally stored Information and Electronic Verification of Employment. It would require all workers across the nation to carry a card with a digital encryption key that would have to match work authorization databases.
Whereas the Kennedy/McCain bill was bad enough, containing both positive elements and nasty ones, this new monstrosity would force leviathan’s way even further into every employment relationship. And this actually speaks to the false dichotomy between civil and economic liberties. Both incorrectly bifurcated forms of freedom are rooted in the same set of property rights, first and foremost in one’s own person and, by extension, in the tangible property one acquires justly through homesteading, gifts and honest market transactions. If Big Brother tries to comprehensively regulate immigration, he can smash economic freedom of association. And if the state has the power to oversee our economic lives, our personal freedom will always suffer in the process.
Tags: Illegal Immigration, Law, National ID, News, Politics
Conservative Libertarian Outpost 
May 9, 2010 at 09:37
Thank you thank you thank you for posting this. I left a comment like an hour ago on this in regards to all the Lefties getting their “Show me your papers”! bs on.
LikeLike
May 9, 2010 at 09:38
Forget to mention. Its my understanding this card would be in addition to ones ObamaCare cards although I concede those will look like private insurance cards,at least initially.
LikeLike
May 9, 2010 at 11:37
For years I have been opposed to the concept of a “national ID”, but I am beginning to wonder of such a requirement might not be a positive part of the battle against illegal immigration.
Most of us already carry a driver’s license, health insurance (if we have it) ID, NRA Membership card, often times a work ID, and (in my case) a military ID. Could some sort of compromise be reached regarding national identification?
LikeLike
May 9, 2010 at 11:52
Possibly Maine, however, at this time I am staunchly against it. The devils are always in the details, and the details and interpretations thereof.
As is, I’m down to my CDL, National CC, DoD Security Clearence, DOT Physical, and hunting / fishing licenses.
LikeLike
May 9, 2010 at 11:54
Got a link Alfie? I checked your blog and was unable to locate it.
LikeLike