The No Document Left Behind Act!

"We told you so!" says this editorial in the New Hampshire Keene Sentinel (at SentinelSource.com). They wrote about this act back in May, and now people in NH are realizing what they've gotten into. RealID is called the "No Document Left Behind Act" because of the extensive, onerous paperwork it will require. They point out that in 2008, many people will pay $100 for a passport (in order to get a license) and then much more than the current $50 fee to get the license.

This editorial may also have hit on a serious catch-22 in the RealID law for foreigners. State clerks will have to verify their date of birth, status, etc., but are not allowed to use any foreign documents other than a passport in the process. Some quotes:

Already, N.H. Emergency Services Director Bruce Cheney is recommending that all residents of New Hampshire get passports and birth certificates right away. If you wait until 2008, the delays could be horrendous, and many people would not be able to drive in the interim.

Oh, and the law says the state must make copies of each document presented in support of a driver’s license application and keep those copies filed away digitally for 10 years. That will put all our personal information in one neat database for identity thieves to find. And, if credit-card companies can’t protect such things, how well do you suppose our state government will do? Three times as many people?

Today, the Keene motor-vehicle substation processes licenses only on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It will surely need more hours to deal with all the new requirements. And applicants standing in line will need shelter and rest rooms. There will have to be chairs for elderly and disabled drivers. Four times as many people?

Although the law imposes consequences if a state refuses to adopt these procedures ... those would be less onerous than the law itself. ... One way or another, the Live Free or Die state should join the rebellion.