Slashdot Mirror
Are National ID Cards a Good Idea?
Dracophile asks: "The Sydney Morning Herald recently ran a front-page article about a 'smart card' to access government services and that it would double as a national identity card. The article points out that the current Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, who fiercely opposed from opposition the Australia Card idea in 1985, is now a supporter. The article goes on to say that about 100 nations have some form of ID card. Is your country one of them? What concerns were raised? How were they addressed? Have welfare fraud and other identity-related crimes decreased? Have National ID cards improved or deteriorated conditions where you live?"
No.
Do I really need to say anything else? If you have to ask, we disagree so fundamentally on the definition of "freedom" that I'd accomplish nothing more than waste wear-and-tear on my keyboard to continue further.
What kind of rights, exactly, to ID cards facilitate the "trampling of?" Do those rights include the "right" to get welfare, healthcare, and other entitlements despite being an illegal alien and/or a wanted criminal?
everything in moderation
Perhaps. But if you *are* carrying a form of identification, a police officer in the US is allowed to ask you to present it with no justification whatsoever, and failing to do so is a jailable offense. If you're not carrying one, you are still required to identify yourself by name to a police officer if requested. And the US is in the process of instituting a national ID card, by proxy, by requiring "rider" information to be added to drivers licenses and state ids by the federal government. Things are getting a might bit scary under the Republicans in the US right now.
E pluribus unum
Wait a minute, you have FAKE ID that you show to cops (and your fugitive friends to do) and you are FOR the National ID?
So, criminals are FOR National ID.
I obey the law and I'm AGAINST National ID. That speaks volumes, don't it?
Authority questions you. Return the favor.
It's population control, everything governments do is all about population control. And money/power also, which is the reason for population control anyway.
There are plenty of people who trust the government about everything they do, or just flat out don't care about anything, and just go on about life not giving a fuck as long as they're making money.
I could go on, but this is my question:
WTF is in the water these days?
And yes smartass, I know there is H20 in it.
I don't know why this was modded funny.
Can any of you cite me one single crime that took place anywhere on the face of the earth, at any time in history, that was solved because a gun was registered?