DALLAS - A national ID card is the subject of this week’s "Uncut" commentary.
Two senators, normally political opponents, seem in agreement over a new plan of immigration reform.
Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Chuck Schumer are pitching their idea to President Barack Obama as a bipartisan approach to reforming immigration.
The current system is broken, we all know that. Millions are here illegally.
But, buried deep in the new proposal is a plan for a mandatory national biometric identification card. It would include the latest technology that scans either your fingerprints or the veins on the top of your hand.
Every worker in America, including teenagers, would have to get a card and be checked by the system. In other words, federal approval of every hire.
Sounds like a great idea, and senators Schumer and Graham call it part of the solution.
I'm not so sure.
National ID card plans have never gone over well in this country. In the past, neither Ronald Reagan nor Bill Clinton liked them. Now, Ron Paul and the ACLU have concerns.
The left worries about the privacy issues raised, the right the more authority it would give to Washington - and they're both right. What
We need a system that will strengthen our rights, not widen the government's authority to watch everything we do.
No matter where you live or your gender or race, we Americans hate people - particularly the government - telling us what to do.
This is not about shielding the guilty, it's about protecting the innocent.
This is a republic, so solutions to problems will not come easily. Real reform would be a dream come true, but the national ID card plan starts us down a path that sounds more like a nightmare.
My thoughts, tell me yours: jmccaa@wfaa.com
