Letter to the Senate about National Identity Card - Essay Example

Further, not only would such an idea be useless, it would be dangerous in political terms as comparisons to Nazi Germany and Jews being forced to wear certain identifying marks and carrying identity papers are far too easy to make with such a step.

As a senator, if you choose to support the idea it would be very close to committing political suicide. It is strongly suggested that you vote against the notion of a national ID card. The supporters of the national ID card may suggest that it would decrease the chances of terrorism and would make official government business easier to conduct. However, it must be understood that terrorism is not prevented by easily falsified documents (no matter how difficult to duplicate they may be). It is stopped by effective security measures and the sacrifices made by hardworking men and women out to stop it with positive intelligence gathering and old-fashioned detective work.

On the issue of making matters easier for the government bureaucracy, identity itself is currently verified in all instances where it needs to be done. Adding another layer or requirement to identity documents would only complicate matters while being a significant expense for the government that tries to issue cards to millions of Americans. Overall, having a national ID card is not only an unworkable idea, but it is also a dangerous one in political as well as social terms as it would create a lot of difficulties for those who demand the simplest of rights to their privacy i.e. the right to be left alone (Garrett, 2001).