National ID Cards: New Technologies, Same Bad Idea (From 9/28/01)

"The bottom line is that mandatory national ID cards aren't going to help us catch many bad guys. While the first responsibility of government is to protect our lives and property, we shouldn't rush into giving up some of our freedoms unnecessarily. We need things that actually matter, not just symbolic gestures. Instead of providing such a meaningful solution, national ID cards will become, at a minimum, an unnecessary nuisance for most citizens. Worse yet, in extreme cases, it could produce massive breaches of individual privacy."

Read Adam Thierer's article here.

Thierer notes that (at the time) "the Bush Administration has wisely said national ID cards are not an option..." But the President obviously has changed his mind.