southeastexas

I’m troubled on Constitutional grounds by this move to a national ID card, called a National Worker card, but I don’t know how else you sort the sheep from the goats.

Maybe just a secured Social Security card?

But it is such a short step from any of this to the ability of a future Federal Stasi stopping people going “Your papers please”, or Sheriff Billy Joe Bob, or any number of people who will justify trampling on the Constitution based on some higher calling wrapped in national security excuses.

Troubling…confused….but don’t have any answers.

There are many, many things that the ACLU is wrong on but this one is not one of them..

If America becomes a nation that cannot enforce its laws (which it has become in many respects–especially regarding immigration), why give the government more power over the individual?[...Especially when it's coming from a government that has no respect for the individual already.]

This is a dangerous path to go down for many reasons.

but I still have not yet decided if this is a really BAD idea, or just a lesser of two evils.

On the one hand, SOMETHING needs to be done on the ‘identifying illegal aliens’ front. Besides the jobs issue, (which affects me personally, being out of work for 32 months), we DO need a way to identify foriegn terrorists entering and within this country. An ‘evil’ I might be able to live with if it controlled terrorism.

On the other side, hearing the phrase, “Your papers please” in this country might just convince me that we lost the battle against oppression that the folks here at RedState have fought for so consistantly.

Thanks for the thought food.

I agree with much that has been said, but also see that something is going to have to be done to stem this tide of people entering into this country illegally. It would be one thing were we able to determine who will become an asset to the nation, and who poses a threat against not only the nation, but the safety and well-being of the people within it. But that isn’t possible when so many are entering into the country by crawling under a fence, swimming or wading across a river, or driving through an unmanned border crossing out in the middle of nowhere. There has to be a way of identifying these people here illegally, but I sure don’t know what it is.

My biggest concern about an American Identification System isn’t so much that it infringes upon my right to privacy as much as it would be something that someone couldn’t find a way to counterfeit. Passports are already being issued, but even they can be bought on the Black Market. Inasmuch as we have the technology to develop the biometric card system, isn’t it also possible that those who would seek to abuse the system for illegal purposes can just as easily find a way to abuse it, copy it, or penetrate it?

Profiling regardless whether racial, religious, ethnic or whatever simply isn’t feasible or viable. We have too many citizens of too many origins and beliefs to ever make it an effective means of identification. And, we already have plenty of subversive organizations and groups in this country who pose threats against the safety and well-being of our citizens.

I think I would worry less about what ol’ “Sheriff Billy Bob” MIGHT do than I would whether some clown just crossed one of our borders with the intent of blowing something up, killing hundreds of Americans, or acting to bring about the demise of this nation as a whole.

And to those who are going to object to whatever system might be created or suggested, I have to ask how they would resolve this matter? I’m not sure anyone will listen, but you never know …..

much better, and “catch” more than 46% of illegal immigrants, if the government was serious about the program. They are not. Employers are not required to use the system. The penalties for employers are not enough to encourage them to use the system, or to verify that new hires are legal. The system has no teeth. Many employers, especially in construction and agriculture, want the benefit of employees that work for low wages. It increases their bottom lines.

With the McCain/Kennedy amnesty bill, that had the support of Bush, I believe that both parties want to be the ones to gain more voters for their party. They are not serious about stopping the flow of illegals. The Congress already passed legislation to tackle the problem, unfortunately it was never enforced or funded. Until the will is there to tackle the problem in some serious manner, no ID’s or any other program will be successful.

The idea that “something must be done” is exactly what has eroded the freedom of Americans for a very long time. To just do something, for the sake of doing something, usually has more unintended consequences than accomplishing anything good.

I am totally opposed to a national ID card. I want the government out of my life and freedom, not to give them even more power over me. Do you really believe that the Progressives are proposing the idea because of the illegal issue? And, do you really think that Grahamnesty is supporting the idea because of the job issue? He was all in for McCain’s amnesty plan.

As much as I hate to admit to this, I have a brother-in-law who owns and runs a landscape maintenance business just outside of Houston, TX. Rather than hire workers, he routinely “takes on” several illegal immigrants every day he has large projects to complete. These days routinely run as long as 12 to 16 hours each. At the end of the day, each of the illegals he “took on” gets an average of $350.00. That’s not bad if you take into consideration not a single penny of it is withheld, and no taxes are paid in relationship to it. Heck, that’s more than I make some days!

Why not just end the entitlements that bring them here and watch them all self deport.

if no one will enforce the labor laws.

Not to mention, if they do make such an ID there will be some sort of generous exemption for our “guest workers” you can bet on that.

… if the government would step up to the plate and do what they have to in order to bring a stop to the tide of illegal immigrants coming into this country, and make those already here go home. But that will never happen because, first off, too many of our elected officials employ illegal immigrants for household tasks and aren’t about to give up on the cheap labor. Secondly, the best example of our officials succumbing to the wills of the lobbyists working on behalf of the illegal immigrants to bring them amnesty and instant citizenship is their apparent inability and unwillingness to lawfully designate English as the “official” language of America! It may only be a small accomplishment for our nation, but be assured it would satisfy the needs of many true Americans who are sick and tired of a gutless administration.