Tell Congress "No National ID Card!"

For political reasons, Congress is rushing to enact the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission before it adjourns for the November elections. Unfortunately, some in Congress who have long wished to impose a national identification system on all Americans see this as their opportunity. Even the apolitical National Research Council has recognized that standardized driver's licenses -- as has been proposed -- would be a "nationwide identity system." The costs to taxpayers of a national ID system have been pegged at a minimum of $4 billion, with one estimate of $25 to $30 billion to establish the program, and another $3 billion to $6 billion per year to run it.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Do NOT Support a National ID Card

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I urge you to oppose any attempt to create the framework for a national ID system, especially current plans based on the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission that would do so through the bureaucratic back door of state drivers' licenses. Any system of national ID cards will be both extremely costly for taxpayers and ineffective in fighting terrorism.

Rather than rushing to complete slipshod reform measures right before a closely contested election, Congress would be doing us all a favor by returning to debate these important matters of national security and personal freedom either after the election or when the 109th Congress convenes.

I urge you to consider other methods of improving national security that will not cost billions of dollars annually to manage and that will not infringe on the individual liberties Americans desire.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
September 29, 2004

Background Information

Congress is in an election-year rush to adopt a national ID system as outlined in S. 2774 and H.R. 10, both of which would implement several of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. The move to of a national ID would be a mistake not only due to the privacy implications of giving government bureaucrats unfettered access to all of our personal information, but also because the system would be quite costly to set up and maintain.

The costs of a national ID system have been estimated at a minimum of $4 billion. One estimate puts the tab much higher -- $25 to $30 billion to establish the program, and another $3 billion to $6 billion per year to run it. Even more troubling, a national ID system would impose a burdensome mandated on states, which may have more effective ways to fight terrorism and strengthen ID systems. Neither the 9/11 Commission nor any hearings on the recommendations have thoroughly studied the costs and ramifications of a national identification program.

Worse still, the national ID system will not improve security for Americans. Instead, a national ID would allow for "one stop shopping" for perpetrators of identity theft who typically use Social Security numbers and birth certificates for false IDs (not drivers' licenses). Even with a biometric identifier, such as a fingerprint, on each and every ID, there is no guarantee that dangerous individuals will be correctly identified -- or identified at all.