Seriously thoughtful How do you plan to prove you are a citizen?

[dsvick]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Funny... I, and most of the people I know, wouldn't dream of leaving the house without our wallets, with our ID cards, on us at all times. Even when we travel light, it's a small billfold of ID and cash.

I try not to leave the house without my wallet. Even in the summer when I've got shorts on I do what you said and carry I slimmed down version with just my license, and some money in it.

I agree with the national ID card, although it would be nice if they coordinate it with the states to figure out a way to let them incorporate state driving info into it as well so you only need to carry one card around.

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Washington, D.C. issues wallet-sized birth certificate cards, which can be handy identifiers. When I used to do government work, I carried mine with me for clearance ID at all times.



Funny... I, and most of the people I know, wouldn't dream of leaving the house without our wallets, with our ID cards, on us at all times. Even when we travel light, it's a small billfold of ID and cash. About the only place where I might not take my license with me would be to go swimming... and if I go to a public pool, I need an ID to get in.

Maybe it's a male/female thing, Steve. I don't carry a purse. I don't know where that puts me in minority or majority of females, but if I'm not driving, and I dont' have pockets in whatever I'm wearing, the ID stays home. This happens pretty frequently with me, but come to think of it, I probably AM in a pretty small percentage. Also, I'm used to Chris...who has had to turn around and go back to the house more times than I can count because he didn't have his wallet (with his license in it) with him. He got out of the habit of carrying it and now can't get back INTO the habit, LOL.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

As to those who complain about the mere concept of a "national ID card"... I mostly discount their concerns, on the basis that most of them don't complain about having to carry a driver's license, because it provides them a benefit... so a similar ID card, that provides the benefits implied by verifiable citizenship, should be no big deal.

DISCLAIMER: I know the OP is about the States, but it's a hot issue in the UK, too.

A lot of people I know only carry a drivers licence when they know in advance they will need prove their identity (picking up parcels, reporting to the police within 7 days of being stopped for a traffic offence, that sort of thing...). I don't know anyone who carries their passport around when they're not going abroad, and most people I know don't carry the NI card around, either. An ID card here would be just one more thing to leave at home and forget where you've put it until you need it.

There are quite a lot of reasons many people in the UK don't want national ID cards - one extra thing to (not) carry around doesn't usually feature on the list

[KarenH]

Washington state (along with a few others, but I'm not sure which) has instituted an optional "enhanced" driver's license. It requires the same proof of citizenship as a passport to obtain it, but costs a lot less. It qualifies as proof of citizenship, and can be used in place of a passport for crossing the Canadian (and I think Mexican) border by land. I live only about 50 miles or so from the Canadian border, so quick trips across the border for a day or even a few hours are common in this area, and I know very few people who have passports, but a lot who have the enhanced driver's license

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

A lot of people I know only carry a drivers licence when they know in advance they will need prove their identity (picking up parcels, reporting to the police within 7 days of being stopped for a traffic offence, that sort of thing...).

Maybe the reason it is a bit more common in the U.S. to carry a license is: Most U.S. citizens drive, most places are reached by driving, and it is illegal to drive without carrying your license; many places require IDs to enter (like schools, office buildings, etc); IDs are often needed to pay for things with credit, and many things are bought with credit. IOW, most U.S. citizens will need an ID for something, any time they leave their house.

In areas where driving is not as ubiquitous, buildings are not as secure, and cash is still commonly used, IDs aren't as needed. But as I indicated, that state is increasingly uncommon here.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Maybe it's a male/female thing, Steve. I don't carry a purse. I don't know where that puts me in minority or majority of females, but if I'm not driving, and I dont' have pockets in whatever I'm wearing, the ID stays home. This happens pretty frequently with me, but come to think of it, I probably AM in a pretty small percentage. Also, I'm used to Chris...who has had to turn around and go back to the house more times than I can count because he didn't have his wallet (with his license in it) with him. He got out of the habit of carrying it and now can't get back INTO the habit, LOL.

I can't even fathom it! I give my wife weird looks when she leaves the house with me, and doesn't bring her own keys... "What if something happened to me?" I ask, and she just says, "I'll deal."

But no pockets... no purse... no ID, keys, money, nothing? Inconceivable!

[wodin]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Drivers' licenses have been in the process of being updated, security-wise, in many states... they serve as in-country universal IDs now, and they could continue to do so with heightened security measures.

There has been a concerted and re-occurring effort in California to pass legislation to issue driver’s licenses to everyone regardless of immigration status. Should such a travesty actually pass, would that mean that Arizona could refuse to honor CA driver’s licenses as proof of immigration status?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by wodin

There has been a concerted and re-occurring effort in California to pass legislation to issue driver’s licenses to everyone regardless of immigration status. Should such a travesty actually pass, would that mean that Arizona could refuse to honor CA driver’s licenses as proof of immigration status?

I'd say yes... in that case, Californians would require a separate ID card to satisfy Arizona law. As I indicated before, since some Americans don't drive, I think a separate ID card would be a better idea, anyway.

[dreams]

As my father is Spanish, we have spent our lives carrying papers and are very use to having our vehicles searched every time we cross the border. A CA driver's license was never enough, so my mom always carried our birth certificates when we were younger. Now, they carry passports, especially when they go to Arizona every year and then into Mexico.

My father and younger brother were the only ones who looked "Mexican" (the rest of us were lighter), but we were all checked. I think it was mostly because my father didn't speak English well and now it is because he still has an accent.

It didn't bother us, as we always planned for the extra time needed and always knew we would be searched. It was just normal, as we grew up with it. I guess this is why I am more patient when going though airports and while traveling in other countries.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by dreams

It didn't bother us, as we always planned for the extra time needed and always knew we would be searched. It was just normal, as we grew up with it. I guess this is why I am more patient when going though airports and while traveling in other countries.

As with so many other things, the initial change in our habits and procedures is rarely welcomed... but after awhile, we get so used to it that it's not worth considering anymore. So it would be with IDs... remember, you didn't always need a license to drive in the U.S. Now that the majority of people alive in the U.S. have needed a license to drive as long as they can remember, no one thinks twice about it.

[vivaldirules]

I intend to carry a big misspelled sign that says something like "I'm mad as hell about ______" (fill in the blank), spew obsenities, be obnoxious, chant "U. S. A." at the top of my lungs, and this will prove beyond a doubt that I'm an American citizen. So swear I.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

I intend to carry a big misspelled sign that says something like "I'm mad as hell about ______" (fill in the blank), spew obsenities, be obnoxious, chant "U. S. A." at the top of my lungs, and this will prove beyond a doubt that I'm an American citizen. So swear I.

Don't forget to litter!

[GraceKrispy]

I have a passport (the whole family does, including the three kids), I rarely leave home without my ID (although I always used to leave home without it-- incidentally, I have a state ID from Hawaiʻi and a driverʻs license from Arizona), I donʻt litter, and I can certainly name more than one country on a map.

I guess immigration is coming for me soon....

[dreams]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

I guess immigration is coming for me soon....

Want to share a bus with me?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

I intend to carry a big misspelled sign that says something like "I'm mad as hell about ______" (fill in the blank), spew obsenities, be obnoxious, chant "U. S. A." at the top of my lungs, and this will prove beyond a doubt that I'm an American citizen. So swear I.

Shyeah. The only thing that sets you apart from people in other countries is you don't put "Down with" in front of "U.S.A."