Why The United States Should Have National ID Cards

Imagine a world without fear. Would there be peace among nations? One would hope. However, this is a world full of fear, which generates mass hysteria. For example, there has been periods of mass hysteria in the United States with the latest caused by the 9/11 attacks. In response to these attacks, Americans have debated whether they should have national identification (ID) cards. Some American citizens support the idea of everyone carrying a national ID card, but this can be a dangerous slippery slope. With a national ID system, the power of the United States government would increase; and this will lead to the misuse of their power through the invasion of privacy and the harassment of certain groups of people. Ultimately, these actions will cause state terrorism in the United States. …show more content…
This kind of act can be seen throughout the United States’ history with other laws and acts that were made for the safety of civilians. One example, made by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), is the Social Security Act. The ACLU states, “ the original Social Security Act contained strict prohibitions against use of Social Security cards for unrelated purposes, but those strictures have been routinely ignored and steadily abandoned,” (ACLU 84). This demonstrates how the government would increase their power, even by disregarding restrictions they established years ago. With the expansion of the system, a person would use his national ID everywhere he goes. The ACLU says, “citizens movement within the country could be monitored and recorded,” (85). This would deprive people of their freedom of