Letter: Real ID Act a waste of time and money

Monday, Feb. 5, 2007 | 7:15 a.m.

Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley's recent criticism of the Real ID Act hits the nail squarely on the head. Unfortunately, for this matter she can't help us: The Real ID requirement is in federal law and seeks to create a national ID card at state expense through the medium of the state driver's license. Not only is this an unfunded mandate, but it is also duplicated effort: The federal government long ago developed a national ID card that is recognized in all states of the union and in every nation around the world: It is called a passport.

To have to spend extra time getting more documents for the DMV for yet another ID document in the form of a standardized driver's license is a waste of time, taxpayer money and a further dilution of state autonomy. Let the state DMVs continue to certify driving ability without having to put more employees on every state's payroll, and let the Federal Passport Agency continue producing a portable document to prove US citizenship.

Hopefully our elected representatives in Washington will change the Real ID law to require a passport ID for all - possibly tax-rebated - good for 10 years, and avoid the imminent DMV train wreck that will permanently add to state taxpayers' annoyance and tax burden.

Lee R. Bishop, Las Vegas