Fear the Blog Post, Baker!

by on March 28, 2008 · 4 comments

DHS Assistant Secretary for Policy Stewart Baker has ramped up his blogging about REAL ID on the DHS Leadership blog. Accordingly, I’ve ramped up mine on Cato@Liberty. Here are pointers to the latest, in which I:

Fear the blog post!

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About Jim Harper

Jim Harper is the Director of Information Policy Studies at The Cato Institute, the Editor of Web-based privacy think-tank Privacilla.org, and the Webmaster of WashingtonWatch.com. A Poli Sci major at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Jim served as Editor-in-Chief of the Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly in his final year at Hastings College of the Law. Prior to becoming a policy analyst and advocate, Jim served as counsel to committees in both the U.S. House and Senate. He avoids genuine life experience by watching lots and lots of reality TV.

Read more articles by Jim Harper.

  • Bottom line

    In regards to whether or not REAL ID is a national ID card: if the federal government determines what the card can be used for, what has to be on it, how the information is encoded, and who the data is shared with, what exactly then does the state determine? The answer is nothing, they only administer the driving portion of what is essentially a federal program. The name of the state is relegated to simply being a data field on the card. Its a national ID card with 50 different scenic pictures on it, much like our commenorative quarters. I hope the Texas national ID card has a steer on it!

  • Bottom line

    In regards to whether or not REAL ID is a national ID card: if the federal government determines what the card can be used for, what has to be on it, how the information is encoded, and who the data is shared with, what exactly then does the state determine? The answer is nothing, they only administer the driving portion of what is essentially a federal program. The name of the state is relegated to simply being a data field on the card. Its a national ID card with 50 different scenic pictures on it, much like our commenorative quarters. I hope the Texas national ID card has a steer on it!

  • http://mcgath.blogspot.com Gary McGath

    Well, I was wrong. The feds capitulated to New Hampshire, and it’s a safe bet they’re drafting their surrenders to Maine and South Carolina. I’m still not sure I understand it.

  • http://mcgath.blogspot.com Gary McGath

    Well, I was wrong. The feds capitulated to New Hampshire, and it’s a safe bet they’re drafting their surrenders to Maine and South Carolina. I’m still not sure I understand it.

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