I'm fairly new to this forum and don't know if this has ever been discussed here.
The RealID Act is something that is going to have an impact on all of us. Whether you're for it or against it, you need to know what it is and how it will affect you. It was signed into law on 5/11/05 and must be implemented by 5/11/2008. It takes many of the states rights and puts them under federal juridiction. Here are some of the basics -
It started out as a 'stand alone' bill - H.R.418, but was voted down. It came up again as H.R. 1268 when it was attached to a military spending bill. This time it passed.
The requirements for getting a drivers license, or renewing one, are much stricter. You must have a birth certificate which is difficult for many older citizens who were born in places that didn't require birth certificates or who were not born in hospitals. I've already heard of a few instances in states that are implementing the new standards, where some seniors have been unable to provide a birth certificate.
The drivers licenses will also be tied to your SS card and number, which I thought it already was but now, if you do not get the card, you will not be able to collect SS payments or any other form of gov't assistance, basically because you won't exist in the federal gov't data base (but somehow I doubt they will not know where we are, what we're doing and who we're doing it with even without the card).
The card will also be required for any kind of travel. Planes, busses, trains, etc.... it will be similar to a passport for travel within the US.
Again, whether you're for or against it, it's worth knowing about. CNet has a good article on it, Wikipedia has good information - do a web search and read what everyone has to say about it and start gathering allllll your documents if you plan on getting the card.
Yeah...and It will go into effect just in time for the 2008 presidential election...and if you don't have it, you won't be able to vote (in some states...ahem...Ohio). That should really help out the elderly and minority vote, eh?
If you ask me...this is quite possibly the biggest waste of taxpayer dollars...well, besides Duh-bya's war.