AFTER ALL THE FLAG WAVING, “REAL ID ACT” PUT OFF TO 2009

Talking about a state of chaos, that’s where this country would have been, had they implemented the much heralded “Real ID Act.” The deadline has now been pushed back to December of 2009, according to Gina M. Scott from Government Technology, as reported on the Website InformationLiberation.com. Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee commented it was a must vote since it was tied to legislation for Hurricane Katrina and the troops in Iraq. “But we had no chance to amend it—no debate, no hearing, and no consideration of other alternatives…an $11 billion unfunded mandate…” And here’s what must be included in this massive nationwide database: legal name; date of birth; sex; driver’s license or ID number; person’s photograph; residence address; person’s signature; person’s physical features; and anything else the Dept. of Homeland Security deems necessary at a later date. Considering the level of incompetence we have learned to expect from government agencies, the Real ID Act should be a cornucopia for ID thieves.