"A national identification card, in whatever form it may take, will allow the federal government to inappropriately monitor the movements and transactions of every American. History shows that governments inevitably use the power to monitor the actions of people in harmful ways." Ron Paul
In 1935 Sinclair Lewis published "It Can't Happen Here" a novel that reminds us how easy it would be for a totalitarian state to come about.
And while I do not think that's the intention of politico's and other well meaning Bahamians that are suggesting we need a National ID Card, we seem to have lost sight of that fact that Government came about as a means of protecting individuals from mob rule.
As we submit more and more to government making it easier to track every move we make, we make it easier for them to become the mob that actually takes our rights rather than ensuring they are maintained.
Take Christopher Lowe in Freeport challenging the Government's belief that they can use one department to ensure another is able to collect taxes for example. This man deserves an award, not ridicule.
Take Leandra Esfakis and Maurice Glinton challenging government when they chose to revoke the centuries old legal precedent of lawyer client privilege. Here again, they deserve our support.
Yes, there are bad people who avoid taxes or break the law in other ways, assuming the law has merit in the first place – like over taxing for example – but that's why we have the Police and Courts.
We give Government the authority to nibble away at these basic tenants at our peril, bad people not withstanding.
Making the branches of government work as they should is the correct approach. Creating ever more fiefdoms has inevitably led to unintended consequences as history teaches us.
So let's say no to a National ID card.
This is police state.
Are you saying that the Bahamas want to implement this National ID card
There are too few Bahamians who seem to realize the ramifications that many of these “Government” directions/directives are taking us.
EU-EPA trade agreement, WTO, and internally many of the new legislations poorly written all point to more government control and certainly by recent government actions, strangulation of human initiative.
Police state actions are all too common these days.
Most countries in the so called free world are headed in the same direction, but our concern is ours.
Our loss will not be felt it seems until it is lost.
It will be sorely missed though.
The dysfunction of the courts plays well into “Government” hands I might add.
Most of us today often forget to carry our driver’s license, National Insurance and ACE Rx Cards.. Another card, what the hell, I wouldn’t carry it anyway..
Haven’t we already lost our freedom and fundamental rights to a system of government that has no idea how to govern?? How sad that we have become a broken society where corruption and crime are the order of the day.. Our traditional family structures are broken, our churches are broken and our schools are failures.. No wonder our young people have little if any self-esteem and are failing with no meaningful direction to their lives.. To issue them ID cards is not a meaningful solution for any of us..
It is about time that all our political leaders take a hard look at themselves and realize that the failure of Bahamian society is their failure as well.. Today politics is nothing more than the same old policies of failure that has brought us to where we are today.. We talk about hope, we want meaningful change but nothing is ever forthcoming.. A government issued ID card is certainly not the answer to account for our country’s failings..