Senators Schumer and Graham propose mandatory biometric ID card for all legal workers

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Lawmakers working to craft a new comprehensive immigration bill have settled on a way to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants: a national biometric identification card all American workers would eventually be required to obtain.

...

The uphill effort to pass a bill is being led by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), who plan to meet with President Barack Obama as soon as this week to update him on their work. An administration official said the White House had no position on the biometric card.

...

"It is fundamentally a massive invasion of people's privacy," said Chris Calabrese, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "We're not only talking about fingerprinting every American, treating ordinary Americans like criminals in order to work. We're also talking about a card that would quickly spread from work to voting to travel to pretty much every aspect of American life that requires identification."

Mr. Graham says he respects those concerns but disagrees. "We've all got Social Security cards," he said. "They're just easily tampered with. Make them tamper-proof. That's all I'm saying."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...oWhatsNewsThird

[Obama 2012 1,714]

So if you refuse to be a part of the new enhanced 'system' - you can't find work.

BS.

See: Gattaca (that's where we're heading...)

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

So if you refuse to be a part of the new enhanced 'system' - you can't find work.

BS.

See: Gattaca (that's where we're heading...)

You like the current system of having easily tampered social security cards?

[TBoneTX 45,305]

"Your papers, Comrade!"

[Obama 2012 1,714]

You like the current system of having easily tampered social security cards?

The current system works fine if people actually legitimately 'check' to see who people are.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The current system works fine if people actually legitimately 'check' to see who people are.

Social Security cards are easily forged.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Social Security cards are easily forged.

Not in databanks they aren't though.

You can change the physical look of a card, but you can't hide who it's linked to.

[SMR 368]

Not in databanks they aren't though.

You can change the physical look of a card, but you can't hide who it's linked to.

Exactly, we don't need a new law and a new system. We just need to enforce the law and system that we presently have.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I wonder why we have to go from one extreme (17th century paper documents) to the other (full biometric ID's). Surely, there must be something workable in the middle. But this is the story of America where the middle and center is rapidly vacated in seemingly all aspects of life.

[Kevin and 10]

The chief principle of a well-regulated police state is this: That each citizen shall be at all times and places ... recognized as this or that particular person. No one must remain unknown to the police. This can be attained with certainty only in the following manner: Each one must always carry a pass with him, signed by his immediate government official, in which his person is accurately described. There must be no exception to this rule.

- Johann G. Fichte, THE SCIENCE OF RIGHTS. Originally published 1796. Translated from the German by A. E. Kroeger. London: Trubner and Co., 1889, pp. 378-379.

We need to create an atmosphere such that each citizen feels that without [his government papers] he will be unable to travel anywhere, that the single document confirming his identity is [his government paperwork]. The first question you must ask a detained citizen is - show me your [government id].

- Genrikh Yagoda, the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs, in a top-secret speech of April 16, 1935 at a conference convened by the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD) .

[Nagishkaw 510]

Biometric ID card for all legal workers? Should be the other way around.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Biometric ID card for all legal workers? Should be the other way around.

you want to issue ID to illegals? you realize what you'll say if this was actually proposed, don't you....

[Nagishkaw 510]

you want to issue ID to illegals? you realize what you'll say if this was actually proposed, don't you....

yup.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Are they going to include the GPS chip in the current DHS cards? That would be an interesting way to to track everybody that crosses the international border.

ETA: Or elsewhere.

Edited March 9, 2010 by Lone Ranger