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From: wjm@whuxl.UUCP (MITCHELL)
Newsgroups: net.consumers,net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: ID
Message-ID: <151@whuxl.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-Aug-84 08:37:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: whuxl.151
Posted: Thu Aug  9 08:37:09 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 10-Aug-84 01:06:40 EDT
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Inc.
Lines: 24


In re Dave Peak's query about Europeans requiring national ID's"
1)  Most Scandanavian countries (Sweden, definitely - and I think the same is
true of Denmark and Norway) have gov't issued ID numbers and cards.
2)  I believe the same is true in the Netherlands
3)  The French have a requirement that all travelers register with the police
upon arrival in a city (actually your hotel does this for you by taking your
passport to the police station when you check in) and I believe the Germans may
have a similar rule.

However, Dave, you missed my whole point.  If the Europeans DON'T have national
ID cards thats ALL the more reason NOT to have them in the USA.  

My point is quite simple - I strenuously object to a driver's license (or
anything else) becoming a unique national ID.   ID is necessary in some
circumstances, but I don't want one UNIVERSAL ID that Big Brother can use to
keep track of everyone easily.

In answer to Dave's question about state troopers, since I don't drive the
answer is no.  Besides, I'd like to see the police watch the highways more
closely for drunk drivers, since the DWI's kill 25K people each year in the USA
(but that's material for another net.politics article).
Frankly, I suspect the state police won't bother you if you're obeying the law.
Bill Mitchell (whuxl!wjm)