Real Concerns about REAL ID

“Passed by Congress in 2005 and recommended by the 9/11 Commission, the REAL ID Act requires states to create tamper- and fraud-proof driver's licenses. Each would contain a digital photograph, a digital signature, and a machine-readable bar code. Before issuing a license, a state would have to verify that an individual is a US citizen or has a valid foreign passport and visa. That information would have to be cross-checked against other states', Social Security, immigration, and State Department databases. The intent is to make it much more difficult for a terrorist to get access to a driver's license that could be used to board a plane, as most of the 9/11 hijackers did.

Under the original proposal, the citizens of states who fail to meet the REAL ID standards would not be able to use their state driver's licenses to board planes or enter federal buildings.

Homeland security experts say such a standardized identification system would be helpful in maintaining security. ”

The above appeared in today’s on-line version of the Christian Science Monitor. My first reaction is how can this expense be justified? The cost of implementing REAL ID which, according to the article, is going to be $14 billion! The price tag is just the federal government side of implementation, this figure does not include the cost to the state governments that will have to provide data to for REAL ID to be effective. The cost to the thousands of businesses having to purchase the proper hardware and software to read REAL ID cards isn’t know but will be very high (especially for smaller businesses). All of this cost to prevent people from using false identification to board airliners under false pretenses. I want our airliners to be a safe as possible, yet the economist in me balks at the exorbitant price tag for a dubious increase to our safety and security.

The amount of data bases that would have to be cross-referenced to properly implement REAL ID is dizzying. Federal, state, county and local systems would all have to be coordinated to provide the necessary compilation for a national ID (at least if you want to do it the right way). One data error in the stream could result in someone being unable to get a driver’s license or fly home to see their families during the holidays. My experience in these things makes me leery about how quickly errors could be detected or corrected. Again, we may be setting up additional disincentives to fly without even realizing it.

The biggest hurdle to implementation, and the reason 38 states so far have introduced legislation opposing REAL ID, is the cost to the states. Ohio’s unemployment rate was 5.9% back in September compared to the US average of 4.7% for the same time period. This means Ohio is not exactly resplendent with tax revenues to pay for the costs associated with REAL ID. States are required by the REAL ID Act (and recommend by the 9/11 Commission) to create tamper- and fraud-proof driver's licenses. The state budget has been stagnant for the last few years and the emphasis has been to revitalize education. I don’t see how Ohio is in a position financially to pursue such a costly retrofit to the state driver’s licenses. Before issuing the license, the person’s information would have to be cross-checked not only with other Ohio agencies but also other states databases. Citizens of states that do not meet REAL ID standards will not be allowed to use their driver’s license to board aircraft (the backlash from this initiative has in part caused DHS to extended the implementation date to 2013).


All of this to prevent one type of terrorist attack. Anyone who has studied military actions or the martial arts knows that the enemy responds to your actions. Since 9/11, a majority of national efforts seemed only to focus on a similar used of a passenger jet. Most likely, the next terrorist attack will take advantage of some other gap in our security. Focusing $14 billion to assure only one type of attack is adverted just doesn’t make sense.

Cargo carriers could be used instead of passengers for instance. These are the same type of jets used to attack the World Trade Centers and Pentagon yet they normally only have a two man crew on-board. A potential terrorist would have to deal with less contingencies is hijacking one of these jets. Cargo carriers tend to operate from less populated airports so security may not be as robust as at a passenger airport. (I’m very cognizant of this as DHL has a major hub not that far away from my house.) Security has not been emphasized with cargo carriers to the degree it has been with passenger jets yet these aircraft are just as lethal.

We seem to be fighting the same scenario over again with REAL ID, namely the attack of a major metropolitan area with a commercial passenger jet. No one seems to consider the real possibility the next attack won’t resemble 9/11 at all. For instance, Cincinnati has two professional ball teams (the Bengals football team and the Reds baseball team) both with large outdoor stadiums. It would not take much for a would-be terrorist to ram a small Cessna into the crowd. Small aircraft are all over the Tri-State area mostly at small airports with little or no security. They can fly below radar and be upon the stadium with little warning. Granted the destructive power may not be the same as a commercial airliner but for sheer terror this is a real possibility due availability and the openness of professional outdoor stadiums.

I’d rather funding be identified and spent on regional assessments with recommendations for preventative measures than on a national ID with little hope of preventing the next attack.