i dont really see how this is giving up freedom. the gov already has all our information. this just centralizes it and makes it easier to access for everyone. other countries already have similar systems (although not as extensive).
i'm not exactly thrilled by the amount of information they already have. i'm also fairly anti big government so centralizing information basically goes against what i believe. as for loss of freedom. they're taking your privacy away. being tracked when and where you travel within the country, where you shop, what you buy, what your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are, where you workout at, which bars you frequent, and how many sporting event you've attended this season. why would the government NEED to know all of this information?
You don't think the Man can't already check into our credit reports, financial statements, cell phone logs, and even ISP/Google logs? We're all on the grid. A national ID won't change much. The worst I imagine is that it makes it easier for some government bum to see our info. But if that bum is determined enough, he can already do that. Don't drive a car now!
Well you just made the perfect arguement against a national ID card. No doubt the government can monitor our lives as it is; but the desire to make it easy is sending us another message. There is no need to make easy what you have no intention of doing. The CIA and the FBI can catch all the terrorists if they want to. They don't need any more of our liberty or privacy or information. If they don't catch them there is a reason they don't. I don't think our government operates by accident.
i dont think a national id would replace a credit card. it would just contain your id information. and restating what invisiblefan said. they already have your info. there are already cameras every where. if the gov really wanted to, they could probably tell you what you have been doing all day (visiting clutchfans.net )
I don't see that big a difference from the FBI tapping into California DMV data or even Census data. Sure, the average bear is lazy and won't wait 6+ hours for a background check, but isn't a government worker supposed to be lazy and welcomes the 6+ hour background check? NID makes the system slightly more efficient, but what it doesn't do is make it more invasive than it already is.
I've got a crazy idea. Why don't we make the FBI, NSA, BATF, or any other law enforcement agency get a warrant before accessing any of this kind of information?
Because that will put everyone in America in grave danger. This is a dangerous world, we have to give up some freedom to the enforcers for their protections.
they do (er should). even w/ a NID they would (er should) get a warrant to access the info. i dont think that would change.
You know that statement is not completely correct. Our accident acts by stupidity. The more information and power we give our government, the more stupid it will be.
business already has far too much access to YOUR information as it is I can only imagine what it would be like with this Rocket River
Point is the system is too invasive already as you said, and there is no other motive for making it easier to be invasive than to be even more invasive. The fact that the govt. even would consider an ID card that makes it easier for the govt. to access, monitor and track information on citizens should send shivers up your American spine. You will need to think that over for awhile- If invading your privacy is already illegal what message does it send to pass a law to make it easier to do? Forget about terrorist, the FBI and CIA have all the software and intelligence tools they need to track and monitor their every move. We don't need them to expand anything to take care of terrorists. But you are definately on the right side of the debate because it will happen in one form or another. It is inevitible. Might as well like it.
