National ID card would show we've given in to fear

Paul Krissel of Salem, Oregon wrote a good editorial on the REAL ID Act:

Let's think before we give in to our fears and allow the creation of a national identity card.

Our founders created strong individual freedoms in the Bill of Rights. As national laws were passed such as Social Security and the creation of the Internal Revenue Service, strict walls were established between government agencies to prohibit the creation of a national identity card invading the freedom of individuals and our privacy. We are being driven to hysteria by many fears (terrorism, immigration) and are asked to give up freedoms that define the U.S.A.

Driver's licenses were never supposed to be anything other than documentation that a driver learned the rules of the road to safely operate a motor vehicle. Police officials have historically favored licensing, regardless of immigration status, to assure safety on our roads.

This paper has reported that more documented residents and citizens would have difficulty qualifying for a license than undocumented workers, due to many cross-governmental data errors.

Let us resist the urge to give up our privacy and freedoms in response to our fears about immigration. The Bill of Rights must not be so easily compromised.

-- Paul Krissel, Salem