Papers, please

I'm concerned about Real ID, although not quite to the degree of some of the Black Helicopter crowd. But I am one of those people who refused to join the Safeway Club for the longest time--hey, my money ought to be enough to earn a discount, dammit.

However, the Bush drive to get law-abiding citizens into the big database via their driving licenses is something even some state governments are opposing--albeit under the excuse of resisting an unfunded mandate. Maine and Idaho have already opted out, and Washington may join them. In fact, I have what some might consider a radical proposal.

Washington should abolish the Driving License.

Yes, because Real ID will be abused to exert state control over individuals. But also because the ostensible purpose of the Washington Driving License--to ensure a sufficient level of competency among drivers--is clearly an abject failure. I won't turn this into a detailed screed, I'll just ask you, dear reader, to look at your fellow drivers. Should most of them have a license? I rest my case. Clearly, most of the money we spend in testing and licensing is wasted.

My solution is not to license people at all, but rather to deal with unqualified drivers via law enforcement. Insurance would still be required. But, you are asking, what about licensing and registering cars? I'm not suggesting abolishing the entire DMV, just their jurisdiction over people; the DMV would still license and register cars, since those need to be taxed, and for local law enforcement purposes as well.

The beauty of what I am proposing is that it will work whether or not Washington opts out of Real ID, in that the state can fall back on the optional, non-driving State Identification Card. If Washington opts out, everyone who needs identification can still get the SIC. But if Washington is somehow compelled to comply with Real ID, it could pay for it out of savings from abolishing the Driving License; civil liberties groups would be satisfied, as only people who agreed to get an SIC would go into the federal database.

People who decline the SIC can still satisfy needs for proof of identity by using photo credit cards; I'm sure the credit card companies don't misuse cardholder data. Plus, there's the Social Security Card -- face it, don't we all chuckle at the Not For Identification line?