Higher prices coming for driver's licenses in wake of terrorism concerns (moved from ATSNN), page 1

The REAL ID Act, passed in June as part of an $82 billion military spending bill, may as much as triple the cost of obtaining a driver's license. Among other concerns with the act are the rising time frames of obtaining a new license and the biometric information being stored therein.

www.msnbc.msn.com
“It has become a national ID card. It’s a terrible idea for the states to do it,” said Republican Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, chairman of the governors association. “They have created a national nightmare and they’ll probably be driving up the cost of the driver’s licenses by three- or four-fold.”

[...]

The latest law — and an earlier version that had passed last year — have brought complaints from civil liberties advocates that the new cards’ reliance on biometric identifiers such as fingerprints or retinal scans would threaten privacy.
They have warned that the documents can be stolen or altered, making identity theft easier, and that the cards could let government track people’s travels.

But governors were more concerned about the bottom line, for their budgets and for their citizens. Huckabee’s prediction: “Lines longer, price higher, frustration certainly greater.”

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This is yet another example of the cost we are forced to pay for terrorism. It angers me to think I have to pay out more money so the government can keep better tabs on me. I also felt the article made an important point about identity theft. If these forms of ID come to be more trusted than our current form, they won't be under as much scrutiny. Anyone who does manage to forge them may reap even greater benefits than before.

One more consideration in the article involves the individual state licensing procedures. In New Mexico, illegal immigrants can actually obtain drivers licenses. According to the article, this makes the roads safer since "licensed immigrants can get insured and give the state data about where they live." It is currently a success and may be dismantled with no regard due to this new federal mandate.