All-purpose national ID card?

[Boat1]

If we have RealID, then why not a national ID card?

How many ID cards do you have and why do you want more? Don't you know who you are?

IMHO, I have too many.... I have 10 that I can think of right off the top of my head and I'm sure there's more.

 

[Politruk]

How many ID cards do you have and why do you want more? Don't you know who you are?

IMHO, I have too many.... I have 10 that I can think of right off the top of my head and I'm sure there's more.

That's the point. You would only need one ID card, for all purposes -- it would serve as your driver's license, your voter ID, your Social Security card, your passport, your library card, etc.

 

[Rightguide]

In the information age, it would be technically possible for the USG to issue every person in the country, free of charge, an ID card keyed to SSN, and to a central database. In that database would be a file containing every interaction with government you have ever had, federal, state or local -- scanned pdf copy of your birth certificate, school records, driving record, arrest records, tax returns -- all immediately available and visible to the cop who pulls you over.

"I hope you know this will go down in your permanent record."

It will!

The card would substitute for your DL -- that is, the database file would reflect your status as a licensed or unlicensed driver.

It would also say whether you are a citizen -- if not, it would show any applicable visa or green card.

And the card would substitute for voter registration -- if you have the card and it says you are a citizen, you can vote, in whatever jurisdiction your database file says is your current address.

This system would make things in general more efficient. It would be a boon to all law enforcement including ICE. It would put an end once and for all to bullshit about "voter fraud."

Any downside?

In the 19th and 20th centuries, several European countries issued "conduct booklets" or similar documents to track and regulate the behavior and employment of workers, especially those in the working class, domestic service, and apprenticeships. These were sometimes referred to as:

France: "Livret ouvrier" (Worker's Booklet)
Introduced in 1803 under Napoleon.

Required of all laborers and journeymen.

Included details on employment history, wages, conduct, and permission to travel.

Employers could write remarks about the worker’s behavior.

Police could inspect it at any time, making it both a labor record and surveillance tool.

Germany: "Arbeitsbuch" (Work Book)
Used extensively in the 19th century and formalized under the Nazi regime in the 1930s.

Tracked employment and personal conduct.

Required for job applications and to receive state services.

Emphasized discipline, loyalty, and national service.

Austria: "Dienstbotenbuch" (Servant’s Book)
Carried by domestic workers and servants.

Contained entries from employers rating the servant’s performance and moral character.

It's no wonder a committed totalitarian such as yourself would be floating this old idea of social control.

 

[Boat1]

That's the point. You would only need one ID card, for all purposes -- it would serve as your driver's license, your voter ID, your Social Security card, your passport, your library card, etc.

Sounds great on paper, but 59 years of living have proven to me, when Govt is involved, NOTHING is "instead of"... it's "in addition to."