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headhunter (not verified) says:
Spitzer should fight back against driver's licenses for illegal immigrants and Real ID being intertwined in the public debate. They should not be combined as an all-or-nothing proposition.
Spitzer is dropping the unpopular, dumb and perhaps unconstitutional three-tiered licensing scheme with good reason. That battle is over for now.
Real ID, however, is another matter, and it must be debated on its own merits (and demerits, of which there are many). First, there is no such thing as a secure license. Passports and U.S. currency, with all of their embedded chips and other anti-fraud technologies, can be forged. Yes, it's extremely hard to do it, but it can still be accomplished. Real ID will be no different.
In addition (and with all respect due the 9/11 Commission), Real ID has not been properly vetted with the American public, and there is no guarantee that the public consensus will be favorable. Real ID has a number of privacy and security deficiencies that could make it unpalatable. And how about the cost of its implementation, which the States will have to pick up (can anyone say unfunded mandate)?
The battle over Real ID is just begininng, and Spitzer is right to think twice about allowing NYS to be a guinea pig for the federal government.
Spitzer should fight back against driver's licenses for illegal immigrants and Real ID being intertwined in the public debate. They should not be combined as an all-or-nothing proposition.
Spitzer is dropping the unpopular, dumb and perhaps unconstitutional three-tiered licensing scheme with good reason. That battle is over for now.
Real ID, however, is another matter, and it must be debated on its own merits (and demerits, of which there are many). First, there is no such thing as a secure license. Passports and U.S. currency, with all of their embedded chips and other anti-fraud technologies, can be forged. Yes, it's extremely hard to do it, but it can still be accomplished. Real ID will be no different.
In addition (and with all respect due the 9/11 Commission), Real ID has not been properly vetted with the American public, and there is no guarantee that the public consensus will be favorable. Real ID has a number of privacy and security deficiencies that could make it unpalatable. And how about the cost of its implementation, which the States will have to pick up (can anyone say unfunded mandate)?
The battle over Real ID is just begininng, and Spitzer is right to think twice about allowing NYS to be a guinea pig for the federal government.