Letter: Real ID Act is a Gross and Costly Invasion (Buffalo News)

It is a rare day when civil libertarians and Reps. Peter King, R.-N. Y., and Jim Sensenbrenner, R.-Wisc., agree on anything but on this we do: Congress should not pass the PASS ID Act.

Just like the Real ID Act before it, Congress’ new ID plan subjects Americans to higher license fees, increased privacy violations and greater potential for identity theft. The bipartisan opposition from across the country to the high cost and privacy concerns of the Real ID Act was nearly unprecedented: 24 states passed legislation opposing the expensive and invasive system.

And opposition to PASS ID is growing. King, Sensenbrenner and their colleagues should realize by now that Americans have grown tired of their scare tactics and will not accept their vision for a national identity card system whether in the Real ID Act, the Pass ID Act, an immigration reform package or the next such plan Congress comes up with.

John A. Curr III
Director, Western Regional Office of the New York Civil Liberties Union