Libertarians tend to get hives at the very mention of a national ID. But here's something to think about:

What if a heavy-duty universal ID card was voluntary? And not really a government function?

Airlines have been making noises about creating a class of passengers with special photo IDs that would bypass a lot of the crap required to fly. The IDs would require you to submit to various indignities on one's privacy like a background check, fingerprints, and who knows what else. Retinal prints? Once all this was done, you could swipe the ID at the inspector station, and keep your shoes on.

I had to go through a lot of this a long time ago to get a security clearance. Also had to get fingerprinted to work at the Post Office. So no doubt all my prints and such are still on file several places.

No doubt these IDs could see use by other outfits. Getting into events, maybe.

The point is, if the law did not make you get such an ID, is the libertarian hostility still justified?

Oh, I know. The "slippery slope." Social Security numbers weren't used as an ID years ago either, and look what happened.

Could such an ID be made fraud-proof? Biometric data? Lord knows obtaining one would be a top terrorist priority.

Comments?