Welfare to kids of illegals in LA County costs $276 million per year

Well, I don't like the idea of national idenity papers, myself, but in effect, we already have them. They're our social security cards and driver's licences. Documents can always be forged, anyway. What ticks me off is the outfits who knowingly hire illegals who don't even have a FORGED green card. If employers would start saying "no tickee, no job", the problem would begin to resolve itself right there.

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by marichiko

Documents can always be forged, anyway.

True...but a good document system would be extremely difficult to forge.

Make green cards really hard to forge. Post big signs at the border in Spanish, "Don't leave home without it," then crack down hard on employers who hire workers who did.

Actually, I don't see what good idenity papers are, anyhow, with the current disregard for who has valid ones or not.

I had a boyfriend once who took his driver's licence and inserted a picture of an otter where his face should have been because he wanted to "look like I ottah" (I know, I sure can pick 'em). Anyway I was with him once when he got pulled over by a cop to be issued a warning for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. My boyfriend handed his licence to the cop and the guy didn't even blink. Just said "Make sure you come to a complete stop next time," and handed him his licence back.

Come to think of it, he DID sort of look like the otter on his licence - big brown eyes and blond whiskers.

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by marichiko

Make green cards really hard to forge...

Make an identity document that's hard to forge; green cards don't cut it.

Notional pre-hire conversation:

"Where's your green card?"
"I don't need one, I'm a citizen. Here's my driver's licence."
"But you 'look hispanic'."
"Racist!"

---------------------------

Better pre-hire converstion, just as notional:

"May I see your ID so I can fill out the I-9 form?"
"Certainly, here you go."
"Thank you...it will just be a miniute while I call it in....OK, it checks as valid."

The magic is in the "checks as valid" part. A Java-based smart card could do it.

[richlevy]

If you guys want ID cards, get ready for pork.

WASHINGTON, May 13 — The Department of Homeland Security has invested tens of millions of dollars and countless hours of labor over the last four years on a seemingly simple task: creating a tamperproof identification card for airport, rail and maritime workers.

Yet nearly two years past a planned deadline, production of the card, known as the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, has yet to begin.

Instead, the road to delivering this critical antiterrorism tool has taken detours to locations, companies and groups often linked to Representative Harold Rogers, a Kentucky Republican who is the powerful chairman of the House subcommittee that controls the Homeland Security budget.

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by richlevy

If you guys want ID cards, get ready for pork.

And what exactly has the government ever done that wasn't? :-)

That's an interesting point though...which exceutive department would be tasked with such a thing? DHS/TSA wouldn't be my first choice. State maybe.

[xoxoxoBruce]

No, no, it would be the Department of Identity Cards. Too big to fit in another group, because they'll build a bureaucracy that would put the IRS to shame. Every politician's, brother's, nephew's, baby-sitter's, Aunt will have a job.