Police state
A national ID card, in the interest of Homeland Security. Check the proposed bill and its motivations.
Ah, what a magical and inclusive USA it would be, when the PTB have complete access to your records, know to which jobs you are applying, which buildings you are visiting, and which cities you are visiting.
Anyone, remember the Soviet Union? Police state brings something to mind?
Most police states, surprisingly, come about through the democratic process with majority support. During a crisis, the rights of individuals and the minority are more easily trampled, which is more likely to condition a nation to become a police state than a military coup. Promised benefits initially seem to exceed the cost in dollars or lost freedom. When people face terrorism or great fear- from whatever source- the tendency to demand economic and physical security over liberty and self-reliance proves irresistible. The masses are easily led to believe that security and liberty are mutually exclusive, and demand for security far exceeds that for liberty.
Not only that, I can imagine a USA completely devoid of aliens, since we all need a card, it follows that only nationals will be living here. Remember, the purpose of that card is to eliminate the immigration menace, you know, people like Sergei Brin and Andy Grove, and Aaron Contreras.
The USA, along with all the Human Rights non-profits, have traditionally gone against those national IDs, arguing that these become all too easy into a tool with which to control the population, inhibiting travel, limiting mobility, fostering provincial thinking, and isolating opposition groups. Can you imagine an election in which a traditionally Democratic state, say NY or CA, people are not allowed to enter the federal buildings where the booths are? Can you imagine a state in which your children is not allowed to go to school unless he or she is born here? Or Democrat? Or Republican? or Christian? Can you imagine dying outside an hospital just because you are not in the database, or you are not part of the current government?
Monsters never obey their creators.
via monkeyfilter