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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Monday, March 06, 2006

Another example of corporations spying for the government.

I got such a response on my post about JC Penny reporting a man to the DHS watchlist because he paid down his credit card bill(no, really,) that I thought I'd post this as well.

Congress is headed toward approving a plan that would require employers to check every worker's Social Security number or immigration work permit against a new federal computer database.

Critics see the move - aimed at stemming illegal immigration - as the beginning of a government information stockpile that could be used to track U.S. residents.


We give up our freedoms to fight terrorists. We give up our freedoms to fight drugs. We give up our freedoms to fight illegal immigrants.....

posted by mikevotes at 8:13 AM

3 Comments:

  • OK Mike, correct me if I am being cranky here. BUT- Social Security is already a government database right? Social Security already compiles information about work in a datebase right? Illegal immigrants do not have Social Security numbers, right? Businesses hiring ANYONE legally would need a social security number to pay payroll requirements, correct still? They either know somebody has one or know they don't, and choose to hire them anyway. If they hire somebody wthout they are violating laws requiring them to hire people 'on the books' with all that entails..

    So- we can conclude that businesses that hire people without having a valid SS number are aware that they are breaking the law and have no number to report to this database with. And would probably continue to break the law by not giving a shit about that.

    We can conclude that the government does not need to create a database of social security numbers because they already have one, its called Social Security.

    We can conclude that therefore the people whose numbers would be reported would not be illegal immigrants and therefore any use for that would be rendered silly.

    What am I missing? :)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:57 AM  

  • Good question. Nothing major I don't think.

    I think what got to me was the construction of this new "work permit" database outside the Social Security System where there are laws to protect the information's use.

    That and the fact that they talk about the "tamper proof" Soc. Security/ID cards which would in effect be a proxy national ID.

    And once the national ID is in, you would have to provide it everywhere. It would be your database link code for all the government and private data companies. I know it already exists to a degree, but it would greatly streamline the process. And as all the terror watchlist mistakes show, right now, they can't be sure about their info.

    You aren't missing anything significant here. I am just gut level opposed to national ID cards because abuse of them would be such a small step, and historically, whenever citizens are issued numbers, it ends up limiting their freedom.

    It's not a rational argument, but it's just how I feel.

    (Oh, and I don't have a solution to immigration.)

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 10:03 AM  

  • Yes- I think it has the potential to lead to the use of the SS card for more than work purposes, seems to be the gist of your concern which is pretty damn valid. Seems inevitable whether we call it national id or something else, thats where big brother is headed.

    I was just thinking aloud. In text. In.. well, I was just picking your brain, which I admire, is all.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:47 AM  

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