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Essay on Attempts to Establish a National Identification System

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Although some countries have national identity cards, there has been an extensive debate about their use here in the United States. According to Eliot (2009), the first driver’s license went into effect in New York in 1910 (p. 11). Other states followed suit. The Social Security Act passed in the 1930's required all citizens to have a unique nine digit number in order to receive social security benefits. (SocialSecurity.gov, para 1) Today, it is common knowledge that all employers are required to request and verify a social security number at the start of employment. According to Rotenberg, federal discussions related to the national ID card took place several times before the attempt in 2005. Citing government …show more content…

(CRS, 2008, p.1) According to Irwin (2005, February 10), what started as "H.R. 418” would pass Congress and become law as a part of The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, The Global War on Terror and Tsunami Relief (para.1- 5) The date was May 2005, and there were” no hearings.... even though Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the Senate urged” hearings be held. (Rotenberg, 2008, p.3) The Act along with its implementing legislation addressed: 1. Minimum standards including a social security number 2. Evidence of legal status 3. Standards for issuing temporary licenses or identity cards 4. Standards for using techology for identification 5. Standards for "storing paper copies of source documents" 6. Requirement of a social security number 7. Set standards for the length of license validity 8. Mandated conformance to the federal standard to participate in any federally based activity including interstate travel (CSR, 2008, pp.3-8) These provisions may seem innocuous, and they may even seem reasonable as "war" measures. But, when a consular officer in Saudi Arabia issued a visa he was providing a key legal document that would justify all other documents, and it was shown the processes in place did not assure the official “whether the person he issued he was issuing a visa to had

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