National ID Card

From:          Andrew Miller
To:            <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>

The following needs to be distributed widely and supported from every
corner of America. Congressman Ron Paul is often the lone voice
speaking for our precious liberties and he has taken the lead again.

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Please Read The Following Information Provided by Congressman Paul.
Then take "ALL" of the Following Four Actions:

1. CALL YOUR U.S. CONGRESSMAN
2. FOLLOW UP WITH A FAX
3. NEXT, SEND A REGULAR LETTER AND TELL HIM or HER TO SUPPORT--
     HR-4217 the "Freedom and Privacy Restoration Act of 1998".
4. PLEASE REDISTRIBUTE THIS ALERT TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT
      POSSIBLE AND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

Rev. "Curt" Tomlin
Major USA Ret.
President TCAN Inc.
For more information go to: http://www.vvm.com/~ctomlin
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           TEXAS STRAIGHT TALK

A weekly column by US Representative Ron Paul
July 13, 1998

Paul legislation will STOP National ID Card. Current law requires
National ID before getting job, medical care, in 2000.

Just prior to my election to Congress, a piece of legislation was passed
which was intended to stem the tide of illegal aliens coming into our
nation. While the goals were laudable, even the best of legislative
intentions can produce results which are reprehensible.

Such is the case with an obscure section of the Illegal Immigration
Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. This section authorizes
the federal Department of Transportation to establish national
requirements for birth certificates and drivers' licenses.

The provision, a small part of a major piece of legislation passed at
the end of the 104th Congress, represents an unprecedented power grab by
the federal government and a threat to the liberties of every American,
for it would essentially transform state drivers' licenses into national
ID cards.

Under the current state of the law, the citizens of states which have
drivers' licenses that do not conform to the federal standards by
October 1, 2000, will find themselves essentially stripped of their
ability to participate in life as we know it. On that date, Americans
will not be able to get a job, open a bank account, apply for Social
Security or Medicare, exercise their Second Amendment rights, or even
take an airplane flight, unless they can produce a state-issued ID that
conforms to the federal specifications. Further, under the terms of the
1996 Kennedy-Kassebaum health-care law, Americans may be forced to
present this federally-approved drivers' license before consulting a
physician for medical treatment!

This situation is decidedly un-American, contrary to our heritage of
individual liberty and states' rights. The federal government has no
constitutional authority to require Americans to present any form of
identification before engaging in any private transaction, such as
opening a bank account, seeking employment, or especially seeing a
doctor.

The establishment of a "national" drivers' license and birth certificate
makes a mockery of the 10th amendment and the principles of federalism.
While no state is "forced" to accept the federal standards, is it
unlikely they will refuse to comply when such action would mean none of
their residents could get a job, receive Social
Security, leave the state by plane, or have access to medical care.

So rather than imposing a direct mandate on the states, the federal
government is blackmailing them into complying with federal dictates.

It is for this reason that I am introducing the Freedom and Privacy
Restoration Act, with Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia as a cosponsor. As the
law stands now, the government is in a position to inappropriately
monitor the movements and transactions of every citizen. History shows
that when government gains the power to monitor the actions of the
people, it eventually uses that power to impose totalitarian controls on
the populace.

What would the founders of this country say if they knew the limited
federal government they bequeathed to future generations would have
grown to such a size that it claims power to demand all Americans obtain
a federally-approved ID before getting a job? They would no doubt be
disappointed.

But if the disapproval of the founders is not sufficient to cause
Congress to repeal the requirements, then perhaps the reaction of the
American people when they discover that they must produce a
federally-approved ID in order to open a bank account or see the doctor
will turn the tide. Already congressional offices are being
flooded with complaints about the movement toward a national ID card;
imagine the public's surprise when they realize that not only is a
national ID movement underway, but will be a reality by October 1, 2000.
Despite pleas for federal correction of societal wrongs, a national ID,
followed surely by a national police force, is neither prudent nor
constitutional. While it is easy to give in to the rhetoric of
"protecting" children or some other defenseless group, we must be
cautious that in a rush to provide protection in the short-term, we do
not do permanent damage to our national heritage of liberty.

As Benjamin Franklin once wrote, those who would give up essential
liberty for temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security.
Where our security and liberty is concerned, we must remain constantly
vigilant and uncompromisingly devoted.

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Ron Paul represents the 14th District of Texas in the United States
House. He can be contacted at his Washington office, 203 Cannon HOB,
Washington, DC 20515, or at his web site. http://www.house.gov/paul/

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[ Page 1 ]
105th Congress
2nd Session
HR-4217

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

A BILL

To repeal section 656 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration
Responsibility Act of 1996, and to prohibit Federal agencies from
accepting the same identification document for identification-elated
purposes.

1    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
2 tives of rhe United States of America in Congess assembled,
3 SECTION 1, SHORT TITLE.
4    This Act may be cited as the "Freedom and Privacy
5 Restoration Act of 1998".

[ Page 2 ]
1 SEC. 2, REPEAL OF SECTION 656 OF HRIRA.
2    Section 656 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and
3 Imigration Responsibility Act of 1996 (5 U.S.C. 301 note)
4 is repealed.
5 SEC. 3, PROHIBITION ON DUPLICATION IN ACCEPTANCE OF
6         IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS BY FEDERAL
7         AGENCIES.
8     (a) IN GENERAL, -- A Federal agency may not accept
9   for any identification-related purposes an identification
10 document, if any other Federal agency accepts such docu-
11 ment for any such purpose.
12   (b) Federal Agency Defined, -- For purposes of
13 this section, the term "Federal agency" means any of the
14 following:
15        (1) An Executive agency (as defines in section
16   105 of title 5, United States Code).
17        (2) Amilitary department (as defines in section
18   102 of such title).
19        (3) An agency in the legislative branch of the
20   Government of the United States.
21        (4) An agency in the judicial branch of the Gov-
22   ernment of the United States.
23   (c) Effective date. -- this section shall take effect
24   on January 1, 2000.

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