Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Government shouldn’t ID for anything

Government shouldn’t ID for anything

(My Clovis News Journal column for May 16, 2014)

The arguments in favor of requiring a photo ID to vote- specifically, I assume, a photo ID issued from some governmental "authority"- center around the assertion that you don't want people voting who aren't entitled to vote.

However, if voting is to have any legitimacy, which is highly debatable, it must be available to anyone and everyone who would be affected by the results. An ID showing the citizenship status of the pictured individual has no bearing on whether a person will be affected by a "law" or the election-winning politician's actions.

You might justify a "your papers, please" law by pointing out in the current society a person is expected to produce government-issue photo ID to do business with a bank, buy alcoholic beverages, buy a gun, or drive a car. Some enforcers even seem to be under the impression ID is required before you are allowed to walk or merely take up space in the USA in the year 2014.

Sure, that is the case, but government shouldn't be allowed to require ID for any of those things.

If a bank wants photo ID before letting you open an account or cash a check, without any prodding by, or data sharing with, any branch of government, that's fine.

If an alcohol retailer or bar wants to see your ID before selling you what you wish to buy, all on their own without any "laws" forcing them to ask, that's their business.

If a gun store clerk insists on seeing your ID before selling you a gun, as long as it's the owner's idea alone, and he isn't being pressured to collect any data on his customers, and isn't informing anyone of who bought what, the burden is on him alone.

Until roads are privately owned there is absolutely no excuse for photo IDs being required for driving. This is a blatant violation of the fundamental human right to travel unmolested, and violates the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution.

On the other hand, elections are strictly a government dog and pony show, so I suppose they can make up whatever restrictive rules they want to. Those rules might include picture IDs, poll taxes, or a loyalty test before being allowed to vote.

I'm not in favor of voting in any case. Liberty can never be subject to a vote. Numbers or majorities can't make wrong right. Nor can "common good", "social contracts", "safety", or overwhelming "need".

Do I want enemies of liberty electing their politicians who'll impose anti-liberty laws? No, but it's been happening that way since long before I was born. I don't expect photo ID requirements to change anything there.
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3 comments:

  1. Sure they should. That's what governments do. That's one reason governments need to go. The need for compelled ID's will go with them. Ihre papieren bitte?

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  2. American elections should be available to anyone who shows up? Would that include convicted murderers, foreign citizens, and Islamic terrorists? Also, should people be allowed to vote more than once? Easy to do without requiring I.D. Look at the crisis at the border, of foreign children coming to the U.S. and the taxpayers providing care for them instead of their parents (that's another topic, I suppose, but people could come to the U.S. to vote in order to secure foreign aid). A lot of foreign nations envy the U.S. and resent the fact that, for all our problems, we are more successful than they are, and wish our destruction. Do you really want them deciding who represents is in Congress and the state legislatures?. There are already a number of foreign nationals who are here illegally and have no loyalty to the host country. They should vote in American elections? You need to rethink your position on this.

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    1. My position is that voting is not a legitimate thing to do. There should be no welfare for "foreign children" to be supported by. There should be no "taxes" being paid by anyone. No one can ever "represent" another person in Congress (or anywhere else) except on a one-to-one basis- and then it's still a sketchy proposition. Congress should have no power to infringe on my liberty in any way. There is no such thing as an "illegal immigrant" since the Constitution doesn't allow immigration control.

      There is almost nothing that should be subject to a vote- and NEVER should any rights or liberty be subject to a vote. Remove that and what does it matter who votes or how many times? It's only a problem because of The State and the illegitimate "authority" given to it by statists. Abstain from beans.

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