The Irony of Voter ID

While arguments and pending lawsuits filter through our justice system, it's worthwhile to ponder the precise inanity of the arguments bandied about.

The push in favor of voter ID laws is unarguably coming from the right. The left seems to be doing everything in its power to stop it.

Republicans use the prevention of fraud as the main reason to enact legislation.

Democrats sight suppression as the main reason to enjoin.

Yet, is it terribly wrong to require citizens to carry identification. After all, all around the world this idea is commonplace.

State enforced mandates to own state-recognized ID is nothing new. All across Europe and in most, if not all, developed countries, state issued ID is required in order to vote, access health care, to drive a vehicle, or purchase cigarettes and alcohol. Asking Americans to obtain state-recognized ID leads us closer to nationalized systems of governance.

From Iran

to Israel,

states require their citizens to carry proof of citizenship or for the requisite paperwork that demonstrates sufficient authorization for admission and a legal stay in the country, such as a visa.

Interestingly, and here is where irony rears its wonderful Janus head(s), Republicans have argued against the Democratic backed Affordable Health Care Act (affectionately known as Obamacare) as infringement of individual rights. As if Republicans have never passed any personal-rights-infringing legislation. The Patriot Act is for our own protection, evidently, even though it specifies that the government may search and seize Americans' papers and effects without probable cause to assist terror investigation.

But to the matter at hand, it isn't as though IDs are hard to come by.

And one person might have many.

There are websites that make IDs readily available (http://www.buyfakeidonline.com/, http://www.noveltyidsite.com/, http://www.theidshop.com/). So the argument cannot be made that they are too difficult to obtain.

So let's get on the same boat and sail toward the future. It isn't as though the government isn't monitoring us already.

The move toward a socialized system is driven by Republicans as much as by Democrats.  Let's stop bickering about it and accept it as inevitable.  If it's inevitable, let's at least get something in return.  Let's all get the same health insurance our public employees get, that includes our elected officials, by the way.

Voter ID is leading us toward a centralized database.  The information stored in a centralized database can be used by a variety of governmental departments such as law enforcement or a centralized health care system - much like the one in use in Taiwan.

Very little is private information nowadays anyway.