# What exactly would be the issue with a national ID card in the USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 22, 2012, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486 "2012-09-22T08:51:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486/21 "2012-09-24T21:04:18Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > If it was optional and other forms of ID continued to exist, nobody would know what a federal ID card looked like because nobody would waste their time and money getting one. I think you underestimate people’s desire for an uniform and easy all-in-one card. I would waste my time. Because if it works well, I would save time by not having to get several local state IDs. And it would be free, because it would double as a lot of free government ID cards that are normally issued with little or no charge > [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > The only way to make a federal ID card (for people who won’t get a passport or passport card) worth anybody’s while is to forcibly abolish state ID cards and make them use the federal ID for all purposes (including drivers licenses). Or, how about this? As in your suggestion, the card will double as a driver’s license and passport. I’d get one for that alone so I don’t have to have things to keep track of > [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > But do any states _actually have_ laws banning the use of other states’ IDs? Now they won’t need to! Besides, we’re talking about ease here. It would be great if I could have 1 license in CA, then move to AZ and use the same card instead of having to get another one. And if AZ decides to keep that crazy law about having your papers to prove citizenship, why I already have this national ID card that I always carry around handy! Who carries their passport or birth certificate, seriously? > [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Nope. It sounds like a huge waste to me, at least if it exists without getting rid of other, better forms of ID. (My drivers license and passport actually do things other than just identify me, so IMO they’re objectively better and less of a waste of my time than such a card.) Other cards can be phased out slowly if the national ID is popular enough. Put enough information on the card and I think it would be. Nobody wants to carry around multiple forms of identification. You could have your national ID card instead of both the license and passport ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486/22 "2012-09-24T21:47:38Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > And if AZ decides to keep that crazy law about having your papers to prove citizenship, why I already have this national ID card that I always carry around handy! Who carries their passport or birth certificate, seriously? I thought a national ID _wouldn’t_ equal being forced to carry it: > [@YogSosoth](#): > > And don’t Godwinize the thread please, there’s no reason why having a national ID system automatically equals being forced to carry it. Now, it’s “a national ID card sure will be handy when we’re forced to carry ‘papers’!” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486/23 "2012-09-24T21:58:26Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > See Post 12. They are called Passport cards. Except you can’t use them as a passport for air travel, so there are some key functions of a national ID that they lack. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486/24 "2012-09-24T23:34:10Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > I thought a national ID _wouldn’t_ equal being forced to carry it: It won’t. I didn’t say we’ll ever need to be forced to carry one. However, most of us carry some form of ID. If that ID is coincidentally accepted in all states, and you never know what kind of crazy laws states will make, it covers you ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486/25 "2012-09-24T23:47:06Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Except you can’t use them as a passport for air travel, so there are some key functions of a national ID that they lack. Countries with national ID cards can’t use them in place of a passport either. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486/26 "2012-09-24T23:48:49Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > Countries with national ID cards can’t use them in place of a passport either. Well, that seems dumb. Why have the national passport be separate from the national ID card? Is there a compelling reason to have separate national identity documents? ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486/27 "2012-09-24T23:57:08Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Well, that seems dumb. Why have the national passport be separate from the national ID card? Is there a compelling reason to have separate national identity documents? Not much room to stamp visa’s on a card? People not wanting to travel internationally don’t want to carry a bulky passport with room for said stamps. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486/28 "2012-09-25T01:31:51Z")
Not as a snark but I do have a national ID card. It’s called my passport. My state ID is used all of the time except that one time I lost my license and had to wait for a new one. Hell even temporary (on paper) state IDs are considered valid ID. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486/29 "2012-09-26T02:05:04Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > Not much room to stamp visa’s on a card? > People not wanting to travel internationally don’t want to carry a bulky passport with room for said stamps. To me that seems like disagreeing with email because you can’t put a $20 bill in there for your kid’s birthday. Technology changes. Why the need to physically stamp a visa? I agree with the OP. Our current system has all of the big brother scary features of a National ID but with none of the benefits. Why can’t every other government issued card in my wallet simply be encoded in my driver’s license/National ID card instead of every agency issuing their own document? Why do I need a vehicle registration or proof of insurance? Put it right there on my DL/National ID when a cop scans it. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486/30 "2012-09-26T02:51:25Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > To me that seems like disagreeing with email because you can’t put a $20 bill in there for your kid’s birthday. Technology changes. Why the need to physically stamp a visa? We’re at the forefront of technology. There are other that counties aren’t. As a passport is used to travel to other countries, we maintain a system that can be used universally world wide. Telling every other countries they need revamp their systems because Americans think passports are too bulky isn’t going to get much traction. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486/31 "2012-09-26T04:47:46Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > To me that seems like disagreeing with email because you can’t put a $20 bill in there for your kid’s birthday. Technology changes. Why the need to physically stamp a visa? Because lots of countries say so. That’s all that really matters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-would-be-the-issue-with-a-national-id-card-in-the-usa/635486.md?page=1)