(C4L) – Today the DHS extended the deadline for states to ask for an extension in order to comply with the Real ID Act 2005. Prior to today the states had until 11 October 2009 to ask for an extension. States now have until 1 December 2009.

What I find very interesting is the strategy DHS and others are using to persuade states and Congress to agree to support the PASS ID Act, SB261.

DHS is reminding states and Congress that under current federal law (The Real ID Act 2005) DHS will be left with no alternative but to comply with the Real ID Act, 31 December 2009. I was present for Secretary Napolitano’s testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee on 15 July 2009. The Secretary verbally drew an image of long lines at airports and entrances to federal facilities.

According to the Secretary everyone would have to be subject to secondary screening procedures because not one State would be Real ID compliant by 31 December 2009.

I question why it is that we seem to always be told that if we do not do something today the sky will fall. Yes, the PASS ID Act, if passed and signed into law would give the States new timelines to comply with federal legislation (PASS Act) and the old timelines of the Real ID Act would no longer be in effect.

There are other alternatives. Congress may decide to extend the implementation date for the Real ID Act 2005 past 31 December 2009.

If I did not trust DHS I might think that the extension is being given so that the opposition to the Real ID Act would not be apparent on 11 October. If the 11 October date came and States did not ask for extensions there would be “discussion” about why states were not asking for the extensions. By extending the date until 1 December it gives Congress the time to pass the PASS ID Act legislation and have it signed by the President before any discussion takes place.

The best alternative would be if Congress would allow opposing testimony to the PASS Act and consider additional alternatives to the Real ID Act 2005, PASS ID Act (SB1261) and the Real ID Repeal and Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2009 (HR3471). Senator Lieberman did not allow any opposing testimony to the PASS Act when the legislation was in the committee he chairs.

It is noteworthy that Senator Lieberman did not allow opposing testimony and now DHS seems to want to eliminate the “discussion” about why States would not as for extensions to comply with the Real ID Act.

For those of you who do not know, many of those who oppose the Real ID Act oppose the PASS ID legislation for the same reasons.

Why are our elected officials and DHS so afraid of debate/discussion about the Real ID Act 2005, the PASS ID Act and the Real ID Repeal and Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2009? The answer is very simple. DHS and Congress are afraid if there is a discussion about the Real ID Act 2005 and/or other proposed legislation that discussion might turn into a much broader discussion about the power the federal government is seeking over States and citizens.

It is time for a discussion about civil liberties and national security.

We, as a country have gone through this charade before. There was no debate at all in the United States Senate when the Real ID Act 2005 passed and was signed into law.

On a personal note – I fail to understand why all Americans are not asking the President to introduce what we know is coming, his immigration reform legislation. If I asked you to get me paint so I could paint my living room, you would need to know what the dimensions of the living room are. Even if one was to believe the President, that people in our country illegally would not be able to sign up for a heath insurance plan, I would not be able to determine the cost of the legislation. I say that because we all know that a immigration reform legislation is coming. What happens if people that are now in our country illegally are provided any type of pathway to citizenship? These same people would not any longer be considered “illegal” but rather people who are on a path towards citizenship.

We. the American people, should know just what the President and/or Congress is planning to do about immigration. Are the 12 to 20 million who are in this country illegally going to receive a pathway to citizenship? How about their family members that currently live outside of the United States? Just how many people are we talking about? Like I said, you need to know how big my living room is before you can buy the paint. We do need to know just how many people we are talking about before we can determine what the cost of the healthcare reform will be.

When it comes to determining the costs we are not just speaking about healthcare. How would the budgets of school districts change if people in our country illegally are given a pathway to citizenship? There are many areas that would be impacted by a “pathway to citizenship”.

My own personal feeling about how we should deal with people who are in our country illegally is not the issue. The issue is one of having all the pertinent information before being asked to make a decision.

All debate about healthcare should be put on hold until the President provides the pertinent information about what his vision for immigration reform is. We need and deserves details. I believe this should have been what Republicans and others should have been demanding from day 1 of the healthcare debate. This back and forth, name calling and blame game would have been avoided to a large extent. Once all Americans know what all the relevant facts are, including the number of people that would be mandated to have heath insurance, I believe the healthcare debate would have taken on a completely different tone.

If we used 300 million people as being the number of citizens of the United States of America and we suddenly added 30 million people (pathway to citizenship for people in our country illegally and their family members which are now not in our country) we are talking about a 10% increase. States and cities now are having a very hard time with their budgets. They are cutting costs as much as they can. Some would argue needed services are being trimmed or cut out all together. How in the world does any rational person believe that a 10% increase in population could be absorbed without substantial tax increases and/or further reduction in needed services? I do not believe there is enough Kool-Aid to get the majority of American people, Independents, Democrats and Republicans to support substantial tax increases and further reduction in services provided.

Finally, even before we as a country discuss any immigration reform legislation it is imperative that we first discuss our civil liberties, our rights in the context of what the federal government sees as needed national security measures. Discussing aspects of the Patriot Act does not suffice. We need a comprehensive discussion in which questions are allowed to be asked and those same questions are answered.

Source: Campaign for Liberty

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