I was driving on Rt 417 last night with my wife. As we cruised up the road I was happy to see the State had installed several automatic toll collectors above the road. People like me who have pre-paid tolls and the sensor in our car can keep right on cruising, knowng that the toll will automatically be debited from our account. We got to our destination and I charged my dinner on my credit card. (I get sky miles with that baby) Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I had to put gas in the car before we left, and I put that on the debit card. I haven’t talked to a gas station attendant in about 14 years now, as I was one of the first at my bank to get the debit card. Anyway, getting back to the story, three purchases last night and you can track our exact whereabouts, and exactly what time we were in each location. Am I worried that the government knows exactly where I am at any given moment? No. In fact, we went to Super Target this afternoon to get some household stuff and some groceries. I put it on the debit card. The government knows exactly where we were at 2:49p.m. with that purchase. So.

So, what’s the beef about a National ID card?

A proposal to stop potential terrorists from getting a U.S. driver’s license may turn the licenses into a national ID card or help the government track gun purchases, opponents fear.

These opponents say the measure, passed by a 261-161 vote last month and supported by the White House, even could make it possible for the government to monitor people’s movements in the country through a chip in a license.

If you’re going to worry about something so impossible to manage, worry about the government monitoring everyone who has a national id card.

Several years ago a co-worker told me, on the sly of course, with a promise of secrecy, that our department chief was recording every conversation that took place each day on all the phones in the department. I immediately did the math and here’s what it looked like. 178 people in the department, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, with each person spending an average of about 3 hours on the phone each day. (178 x 3 x 5) That’s 2,670 hours of phone conversations each week that could potentially be monitored. I laughed. Though we did have recorders on the phones in the brokerage division, they were only played when there was a dispute with a client about order placement and price. (read: rarely)

Now, consider the national id card and the potential to track my every movement. Oh, wait, they already have that capability. The government, if they were watching me, could know after about five minutes worth of work where I was last night, today, and with about 99% accuracy could probably tell which Publix I’m going to use next week and the time of day I’m most likely to go grocery shopping. Scared yet? Right. Me either. I don’t mean to sound paranoid, but how do they know its’ coming to a theatre near me?!

Speaking of theatres, I’m not watching the academy awards tonight. I’ve seen enough liberal whining for one year and I need a break.

Have a stellar day.

Said Uncle Jack @ 5:06 pm | Permalink   

1. A national identification card will allow the federal government to inappropriately monitor the movements and transactions of every American. History shows that governments use the power to monitor the actions of people in harmful ways.

   Claims that the government will protect the privacy of Americans when implementing a national identification card ring hollow. The social security number, if you recall, was introduced with solemn restrictions on how it could be used, but it has become a de facto national identifier.

   A Soviet-style internal passport system because it will make us safer? Subjecting every citizen to surveillance and “screening points” will actually make us less safe, because it will divert resources away from tracking and apprehending terrorists and deploy them against innocent Americans.

   I’m particularly worried about the system they’re implementing in Mexico. The UNDER THE SKIN identifier, a microchip.

   Comment by Cao — 2/27/2005 @ 5:36 pm

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2. I don’t think it would be 5 minutes of work for the government to get ahold of your debit card purchases. It would probably take months and a court order to require your bank to release that info.

   But that access isn’t the only reason that this is a bad idea:

   1. The expense
   2. The inconvience to citizens combined with the almost complete lack of effect on the illegals it is supposed to stop.
   3. (This is the biggie) The provision in HR 418 that allows the secretary of Homeland Security to waive any law he deems necessary “to ensure expeditious construction of the barriers and roads under this section” with no judicial review allowed of the consequences of his being above the law. Why did that get written into the bill? That they already have something in mind that is going to violate our laws is the logical explanation. Right now it may be something like stealing land from those who live in border states. But, as with so much gov’t creep that could easily change. It would not take more than 5 minutes of work down the line for them to quietly amend that in the future to make him above the law and judicial review in alot of other areas too.

   Comment by Ashley — 2/27/2005 @ 7:10 pm

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3. Congratulations on your math! I worked with 3 people that were told “one way or the other” they’d be fired. So, using the “all calls were monitored” scheme and a couple of their calls weren’t purely ‘business’ (one’s wife was in a car accident and thought to be injured) therefore that was the reason used for their termination.

   May you have better luck if someone decides they don’t want you employed under them. It doesn’t take much for advantages to be taken. Take it from a former local government employee.

   Comment by MrBob — 2/27/2005 @ 7:49 pm

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4. Actually honey the government can obtain your bank records much easier than you think. Not months but days. In some instances make it “day”. Making sense of it all that that is another story. The FBI and ICE combined cannot track the movement of every person in this country whether through your debit card or through a national ID. However, I am against the ID since you told me about that last provision. Why did they include that?

   Comment by Carol — 2/27/2005 @ 9:03 pm

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5. So what happens when people forget to carry these cards, or lose them, or the cost of replacing damaged chips gets too high? Oh I know, we can insert the chip either in the palm of the hand or the forehead.

   No thanks, just sounds a little too prophecy like for my taste.

   Comment by Morg — 2/27/2005 @ 9:25 pm

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6. I see you read the Left Behind series too.:)

   Comment by Carol — 2/28/2005 @ 12:10 am

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7. As with most things - it is all in the implementation. Being able ‘to track your every step’ would require them to check your ID (or scan a chip, etc.) at every step.

   * Are you required to present any form of ID with your current CC purchases? (almost never)
   * Would Having a Natl ID system change this? (probably not)
   * Even if so - does it matter? (No, they can pull your records as it is) … yes, some people use cash everywhere - still not a problem because how many places actually check ID for entry, etc.?

   IMHO, all a Natl ID does is remove the ‘Proof of Identity’ line of work from the states to the fed. Argue those merits / problems, not the FUD of being tracked …

   /TJ

   Comment by TJ — 2/28/2005 @ 5:31 am

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8. May you have better luck if someone decides they don’t want you employed under them. It doesn’t take much for advantages to be taken. Take it from a former local government employee.

   I’m self-employed.

   So what happens when people forget to carry these cards, or lose them, or the cost of replacing damaged chips gets too high?

   I didn’t say I was in favor of it. I just don’t think the paranoia of monitoring should be the main concern.

   As Cao said, the main concern should be intended use versus future actual use.

   What surprises me is the ineffectual tack the left takes in fighting this idea, (we should all be against it, for the record) in using paranioa of tracking as their main defense against the idea. The primary concern should be cost and effectiveness in stopping terrorism. We run a huge risk here of being put in jail at any stop by authorities for “not carrying your papers!”

   Comment by Uncle Jack — 2/28/2005 @ 6:04 am

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9. More government, thats what it means, therefor I am against it. I already carry a government card with a chip, but when I retire I get rid of it and I do not want another. I concur with the “too close to prophesy” statement above also. If the government wans to stop terrorists from entering or operating in this country they should take border security seriously.

   Comment by Richard Nixon — 2/28/2005 @ 8:13 am

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10. … UJ - exactly; forget the FUD - target the real issue(s) at hand.

    Also - as I mentioned yesterday(at my site ), Visa is considering adding RFID to their CCs. A patently bad idea, IMHO.

    /TJ

    Comment by TJ — 2/28/2005 @ 9:01 am

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11. I think that we are doing a fine job of fighting terrorism by keeping the fight on their soil. We do need to either conquer Canada and Mexico or at least lock down the borders.

    Of course the Canada and Mexico conquering thing was a joke.
    ________________________________________
    I see you read the Left Behind series too.:

    Carol why is it so hard to believe that people read the Bible and take their faith seriously?

    I don’t understand because it takes more faith to not believe in God than it does to believe in God, yet every chance you get you try make wise cracks about religion like we are some thoughtless drones.

    I haven’t said to you “Oh I see that you actually believe that Farenheit 9-11 was well researched documentary.”

    Just curious as to why you are so up in arms about my faith?

    Grace be with you…

    Comment by Morg — 2/28/2005 @ 10:27 am

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12. Morg, you seriously jumped to conclusions- the wrong conclusions. My comment wasn’t meant as a dig. I was merely acknowledging another reader. You know I wouldn’t have known it came from the series if I hadn’t read them. Apparently you didn’t stop to consider that. Gee, I’m sorry but given the way you chose to interpret my comment, I suspect you wish me anything but grace. Why did you take it negatively?

    Comment by Carol — 2/28/2005 @ 4:46 pm

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13. Even though I know she is more than capable of defending herself my filial instinct just keeps popping up

    Morg, back in the comments on your public ed post I said that parents would teach kids their faith and that I believed in God and that he created the universe. Carol is my Mom - where do you think I learned that stuff from? Her making me go to church every Sunday.

    Comment by Ashley — 2/28/2005 @ 7:20 pm

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14. The provision for road and barrier building was supposedly to close the three mile hole in the mexican border. That last piece of fence has been held up by environmentalists for years.

    When I first saw that part of that bill I thought it would be used for building roads into areas that are currently covered under Clintons “no road rule” thereby making access into natural resource areas easier. (this was before I found out it was already overturned…or is it?)

    As to national IDs, I consider it a bad idea, much like GPS units in cars to monitor mileage. The cost of starting up and keeping a system such as this must be enormous, not to mention what happens if the system gets hacked.

    Worse yet, (this is my paranoid side), what if the someone in the government that is out to get you on a personal level has access to that data and alters it to make you look guilty of a crime? Far fetched? Maybe. Movie of the week idea? You betcha’.

    Comment by Kender — 2/28/2005 @ 9:24 pm

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15. Carol and Ashley,
    I see that we find ourselves a crossroad in our short time together so let me clear some things up.

    First off I was not going on the attack. I honestly thought that your post was a direct response to my post. I thought that you were implying that I have simply regurgitated a theory that someone else derived without researching it for myself. My defense for myself was that I take my Faith very seriously and I thought that making wise cracks was inappropriate. I see now that I was mistaken so I apologize if I came across too strongly and took what you said out of context (which is easy to do in a running blog).

    Secondly I do wish Grace for you, that is not the first time I have used that phrase here. I actually picked the phrase up from the bible. In several of Pauls letters to various Churches Paul would give the church a slew of information, some of it was instruction some of it was critical. At the end of most of those letters he would end with “Grace be with you” or “May Grace be with you”. It was used a signing off in friendship so that the churches would understand that Paul was not reprimanding them but that he actually cared for them and their well being. Plus I think it is a very elegant sounding way of ending a letter.

    But now that I reflect it is probably best that I refrain from using the phrase in this context because, people may think that I am using a biblical phrase as a form of a sarcastic attack.

    Carol, also I thought that I had seen other posts from you that seemed to be less faith driven which was also a big part of my response. Again if I have mistaken someone else’s post for yours I apologize.

    Funny thing this 3 party communication. You can never tell sarcasm from straight talking.

    So now that we have that cleared up let me start back from post 7.

    ________________________________________

    No Carol I have not read the left behind series, why do you ask? I have seen TV program from the 60’s called Left Behind…is that the same?

    Comment by Morg — 3/1/2005 @ 12:15 am

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16. No. The Left Behind series tells of the end of days, from the rapture until judgement day. I’m sorry I do not now nor have I ever watched very much TV, South Park being the exception. I was not aware of a TV program of the same name. Morg when you see a that is computer language for a smile. I suppose a person might include a smile when they make a remark tongue in cheek to show they mean no offense but you can also use it to show pleasure.

    In the The Left Behind series the followers of the antiChrist had chips isntalled under their skin. Without a chip yo couldn’t buy food etc.

    None of my post have attacked religion. On the contrary. I have taken the position that I am not in fear of being restricted in my ability to practice my faith. The secularist nature of government does not concern me. I approve of the separation of church and state. There are things that our government permits taht I beleive make it harder for parents to raise their children but the theory of evolution is not one of them. Try the acceptance of open pornography, the proliferation of ads that use sex to sell products and soap operas. You will find that I can be quite conservative on some issues.

    Comment by Carol — 3/1/2005 @ 4:58 am

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17. So that is where we disagree, IMO the theory of evolution is a foot in the door. Secularism in government…fine. My concern is when the morality of the government takes the same exit that the religion in the government took.
    Cheers!

    Comment by Morg — 3/1/2005 @ 8:16 am

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