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White House Frowns on National ID Card

Posted by Hemos on from the good-move dept.

sonic writes "'One security measure that [Homeland Defense Chief] Clarke didn't put much store in, however, was a proposal by some industry leaders, including Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, to create a national ID card. Clarke said he could not name one official who supports the idea as proposed, though he said the administration does not yet have a formal position on the concept. "Everyone I've talked to doesn't think it's a good idea," Clarke said. "

3 of 251 comments (clear)

  1. Big Brother is coming to get me.... by darrad · · Score: 0, Redundant

    and his name is Larry.... His brothers are Darrel and Darrel

  2. Anyone ever heard of a driver's license? by Uttles · · Score: 0, Redundant

    The idea, raised since the Sept. 11 attacks, has drawn criticism from civil libertarians, who say it would violate individuals' privacy.

    And how would a national ID card be any different than a driver's license?

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    ~ now you know
  3. Re:Insurance by DudeTheMath · · Score: 0, Redundant
    Insurance is a sucker's bet, in the real world as much as in Vegas.

    You've left out one of the basic concepts of insurance: utility. Basically, that means that the "cost" to a decision maker of a sudden, unpredictable loss of wealth is greater than that of a predictable loss of slightly more wealth (especially if the predictable loss, i.e. insurance premium, can be spread out over time).

    Utility theory is discussed in Chapter One of any thorough actuarial textbook, because it's as much a part of the premium calculation as the agent's commission.

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    You save only 59 seconds over 8 miles by going 75 instead of 65. Do you really have to pass that guy? Do the Math!