Quote:
Originally posted by lisa
Hypothetically, if I could prove that the government was planning on using such a device to track people who oppose whatever party is in power, I think most would agree that that would be a valid argument against such a system.
Again, like anything else, it's a question of the weighing of the benefits vs. the liabilities.
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The government has everything it needs to track your movements. Your phone bills. You credit cards. You tax deductions and your checks to your preferred poltical party official. The same government can only track you when you use your ID to prove who you are at a given location.
I see no liabilities here. Access to information in all those other databases (including IRS) requires a court order. This is a limitation that rightly should be applied to an NID database. But if you fear government will violate that database without a search warrant, then we better burn down the Treasury, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, and the Veteran's Administration (as was attempted in St Louis) to protect everyone's liberties. They all would be a greater threat to liberties.
The fear of infrigment of liberty is reasonable IFF one can demonstrate how an NID would infrige on liberty. If you fear that the government will track your movements, then keep that license plate off your car, etc. IOW this fear is really a strawman. For if a NID threatened such a liberty, welll then, that liberty was long gone many decades ago. IOW that fear is not justified.
Hypothetically I can prove that I will attempt to destroy your life. All I need is some basic information such as on your phone bills. A little dumpster diving or basic knowledge of where you were born is all I need. That is a legitatite threat to your liberty. If government is using credit cards, etc to track you, then you are probably a risk to my liberties anyway. Why are you not concerned about this threat to your liberty that is, by far, a greater threat than any western government?
The hypothetical threat that is clear - ID theft will increase tremendously if we have no NID or equivalent. Threats to liberties will increase if we do nothing. That is a given as even proven by the pizza shop example. If not an NID, then what? Today's security measures will not be acceptable within a decade as everyone builds databases on individuals. Will you instead ban databases? What is the alternative? The only alternative to no National ID system is less liberties for all.