Senate Passes Real-ID act [Bills Pt. 1]
Since the main body of the bill was for emergency war funds, the damn thing passed 100-0. Anyone know the history of tacking stupid bills onto larger ones so they go through congress? This rider bill had nothing to do with war spending. Why allow non-pertinent bills to be attached?
For those who aren’t aware, Real-ID is a bill mandating a national driver’s license and centralized database.
Along the same vein, weren’t SS #’s supposed to be temporary? I don’t want no stinking numbers to keep track of me.
I see this as another threat to our liberty. More government 
discussion on slashdot
Here are some cogent tidbits:
On riders and getting rid of them:
bq. You know what I would like to see come out of this is a Constitutional Amendment making such attempts illegal — make it so a spending bill can only be that, a spending bill. Something along the lines of: “All appropriation bills passed by Congress shall be void of new programs, laws, or regulations. New laws which require appropriation may be passed, provided that the scope of the bill is limited to the law, program or regulation therein.” This would have a chilling effect on Congress and their attempts to pass laws which otherwise wouldn’t be passed. The argument against this would be that Congress wouldn’t be able to pass things as efficently as they do now and that immediate needs could not be met quite as fast. I think if there was even talk of such a move it would really chill people using riders. Of course Congress would have to really flub up in order to get people ticked off enough to want to do something like an amendment. It would send a strong message that federalism needs to stay federalism and the concentration of central power needs to stop.
Another recapitulation of the rider bills and their possible consequences:
bq. But I heard that the RealID Act, included as a rider on the bill, creates a national drivers license standard and requires a database containing information on every single person in the United States with such a license.
bq. But I heard that the bill states that “no court shall have jurisdiction to hear any cause or claim arising from any action undertaken, or any decision made, by the Secretary of Homeland Security, or order compensatory, declaratory, injunctive, equitable, or any other relief for damage alleged to arise from any such action or decision.”
bq. …
bq. Wasn’t one of the reasons the United States disliked the Soviet Union too much because the USSR placed horrible restrictions on free travel, and “Papers, please” was a phrase heard at every local border? Well, I imagine you must be thrilled that, under the legislation you just sent to the President’s desk, the United States Government will have the power to do the same thing very shortly.
bq. I can picture it now: I’m on my way to visit my brother in Colorado, but because my RealID drivers license has my political history on it, I’m deemed a “security risk” due to anti-war protests I attended leading up to the invasion of Iran in 2007.
bq. “That can’t happen here! It won’t happen here!”
bq. How naive. When has any government, in the history of the world, willingly given up power after the populace was foolish enough to hand that power over? I’m sure in Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia requiring papers to travel within the country was first announced as a ‘temporary security procedure,’ and would only be in place ‘until things quieted down.
bq. You must be so excited that the same thing can be happening soon, at state border near you.
bq. And this gem: “No court shall have jurisdiction to hear any cause or claim arising from any action undertaken, or any decision made, by the Secretary of Homeland Security, or order compensatory, declaratory, injunctive, equitable, or any other relief for damage alleged to arise from any such action or decision.”
bq. Have you even read the Constitution? I am so angry right now, I can’t begin to explain why the above passage is un-Constitutional, a horrible infringement on the liberties of individuals and states’ rights, and a mind-numbingly dumb thing to have put your seal of approval on.