But we're all safer now...

Coincident with the ever increasing drive for a national ID, we have more and more evidence that the drive has nothing to do with the whole “anti-terrorism” thing, and everything to do with controlling the law abiding portion of the populous. This little bit courtesy of the Washington Times:

A Virginia man who worked as a manager at a Department of Motor Vehicles office at Springfield Mall and his wife, a former DMV clerk, were arrested yesterday by federal agents on charges of selling valid driver's licenses for as much as $3,500 each -- mostly to illegal aliens. …..
Also arrested was Daniel Jose Guardia Lopez, 25, of Alexandria, a Bolivian national whom law-enforcement authorities identified as being in the United States illegally. "The integrity of state driver's licenses is critical to our commerce, as well as our national security," Mr. McNulty said. "By arresting Frank and Miriam Martinez, we have eliminated a source of fraudulent driver's licenses for criminals who want to conceal their true identity and others who are not qualified to legitimately obtain a Virginia driver's license."

Cool. Now they have eliminated “a” source of fraudulent driver’s licenses. How many more others are there? And the nice man and his wife who ran this illegal business were partners with a Bolivian national. I thought we were supposed to say “illegal immigrant.”

I believe that I’m being generous when I say that driver’s licenses are marginally effecitve at doing “something” with the drivers on roads. As a national ID, their value become so great that it’s no wonder that criminals will break the law to make money on them. This would be comical were it not so insidious. Government makes everyone get a card to drive. Then tells them they need this card to be identified. Then tells them they can’t travel from state to state without this card (witness the air travel rules…). Then gape in wide wonder when the price goes up on the illegal facsimily. $3500 a pop? Just how many of those would you have to sell (without paying taxes on) to replace the income from your job?

Just another typical day of your government making your life harder safer.