National ID Headed for your Wallet, Purse

Just  as you were wrapping your mind around the idea that under Obamacare and the accompanying changes in the health-care system, your medical records will be floating around in some online repository, available to far too many people, you’re being told you’ll soon have a National
Identity Card and a Western Hemisphere-compliant travel document whether you want it or not, if you plan to drive in the United States.

The federal government says it soon will be enforcing its demands
that state-issued driver’s licenses and ID cards comply with Department
of Homeland Security standards.

DHS announced  just before Christmas a final schedule for the full enforcement of the REAL ID Act of 2005.

That was set for a phased implementation beginning in January 2014
and full-scale enforcement planned no later than May 2017, at which time
 the federal government will no longer accept state-issued driver’s
licenses and ID cards that do not meet the minimum security standards
set by DHS.

For many Americans, the full implementation of the REAL ID act is
certain to trigger unfortunate memories of World War II and the modus
operandi of fascist, totalitarian states, where travelers and ordinary
citizens on the street are stopped by authorities and demanded, “Your
papers, please!”

In the U.S., the justification for the REAL ID Act of 2005 was the
concern for enhanced travel security after the 9/11 Commission
documented several of the 9/11 terrorists had valid state-issued
driver’s licenses and were able to freely board airplanes even though
they were terrorists who had entered the U.S. illegally.

Among the DHS requirements for a state-issued driver’s license to be
DHS-compliant will be the presentation by the applicant of a valid birth
 certificate, verification of the applicant’s Social Security Number or
documentation the person is not eligible for Social Security, and proof
the applicant is either a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted to the U.S.
as a permanent or temporary resident.

Further, driver’s license and IDs issued by the states will have to
meet stringent requirements as set by the federal government.

To qualify as DHS-compliant, state-issued driver’s licenses and ID cards must have built-in security features to prevent tampering, counterfeiting, and duplication of the documents for a fraudulent
purpose.

They also must have features that establish the individual’s
identity, including but not limited to full facial digital photographs,
plus machine readable coded information in the form of a bar code that
captures the key printed information on the card, such as name of the
applicant, address, gender, unique driver’s license or
card-identification number, state of issuance, date of application, and
date of expiration.

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