No. One should not give any government (world wide I might add) anymore authority than absolutely necessary. Give them an inch they take a mile. Always have.
New National ID System
- Thread starter cawacko
- Start date
No. One should not give any government (world wide I might add) anymore authority than absolutely necessary. Give them an inch they take a mile. Always have.
Good luck with that, Sailor.
cawacko
Well-known member
90% serious question, why should we have any constraints on the government at all vis a vis how it tracks (or treats) its citizens?
No need for good luck. Thanks though.
We should...AND DO...have considerable constraints on our government...and almost all of the other governments of the world have some constrains. (Our nation probably has more than most, although I may be wrong about that.)
In any case, government is not the only entity "tracking" us (lessening our privacy)...and government should certainly be allowed to use the methods non-governmental entities are able to use.
I, PERSONALLY, do not see things like CCTV as a negative. I see it as a positive. It allowed us to identify and apprehend the Tsarnaev brothers in a short amount of time...and limited their being able to harm others.
If I look up a pair of sneakers on the Internet...and then find that each time I sign on for the next two weeks I get ads for sneakers..
...no big deal. I zip past them.
If someone finds out I occasionally visit a porn site...who cares?
If someone finds out that I occasionally have a shit stain on my underwear (I don't, Balneol is a super product); that I sometimes pick my nose; scratch my balls; piss on a tree on a golf course; throw used gum into a bush; chuck a smoked cigar into a garden...or any of that stuff...WHO CARES?
I don't.
And I do not have the negative opinion of government that seems to pervade the Internet.
On the question of biometric ID authentication, S #41 replied:
BUT !!
The fraud protection thus provided actually protects the citizen rather more than it empowers the government.
With a forged identity, a criminal might attempt to steal your tax refund check. etc
I was w/ you half way, from the start.
BUT !!
The fraud protection thus provided actually protects the citizen rather more than it empowers the government.
With a forged identity, a criminal might attempt to steal your tax refund check. etc
Luddites smashed weaving machines, were they wrong too?
I am specifically talking about national I.D.
Try to stay on topic.
SmarterthanYou
rebel
why do you hate freedom?
Read the thread
I don't think anyone "pushing back" is necessarily wrong.
The topic is one that simply does not matter to me on any level. I do not see anything wrong with the governments issuing a national ID.
As far as the loss of privacy, I don't think it is primarily a function of government. The conditions now exist that result in a significant loss of privacy...and I do not see that reversing.
My bet..we WILL have less personal privacy tomorrow...and less the day after that...and less the day after that...right on.
I do not hate freedom.
SmarterthanYou
rebel
you seem to care about it so little, though. you certainly can't love freedom with that attitude.
I do not hate freedom, Smarter.
I do not like to use the word "love" in this context, so I will say that I TREASURE freedom.
But I do not think the loss of privacy is necessarily a loss of freedom...and in some cases, I consider it to expand and protect my freedom.
I don't think it is necessary to get into a battle over this. We simply think differently about the issue.
I also am not as negative in my attitude toward government (nor politicians) as many. I simply am not.
That does not mean I do not treasure freedom as much as those who disagree with me.
SmarterthanYou
rebel
Very appropriate reply.
SmarterthanYou
rebel
FA #52
Turns out, the government isn't into citizens nearly as much as the private sector is. Meta-data aside,
anyone that uses a credit card, debit card, or etc. is an open book.
They know what brand of mayonnaise you buy, and how much of it you use.
They know what size pants you buy, and how often you replace them.
They know how much gasoline you buy, and what you order at McD's.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said: Google knows what kind of porn you download.
I suspect the private sector knows more about you than government does.
Turns out, the government isn't into citizens nearly as much as the private sector is. Meta-data aside,
anyone that uses a credit card, debit card, or etc. is an open book.
They know what brand of mayonnaise you buy, and how much of it you use.
They know what size pants you buy, and how often you replace them.
They know how much gasoline you buy, and what you order at McD's.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said: Google knows what kind of porn you download.
I suspect the private sector knows more about you than government does.
No...it really isn't.
My thoughts on this issue are not Orwellian.
Quick old joke...everyone has heard it:
A guy says to a young woman..."If I offered you a million dollars cold cash for one romp in the sack, would you say yes?"
The woman considers for a moment...and then replies, "For a million dollars, I guess I would."
So the guy then offers her $20 for the romp...to which she replies, "What do you think I am?"
He retorts, "We've already decided that...now we are haggling over price."
We all expect...even want...government intrusion into our lives...our privacy...our freedom.
I live on a very narrow street...at the end of which is a grammar school. Parking is allowed on both sides.
My FREEDOM to drive down that street at 70 MPH is severely restricted by government. There actually is a stop sign at the one crossing street...further limiting my freedom. I think we can all agree that makes sense.
There is a line that must be drawn about personal freedom.
We are not actually arguing that.
We are merely arguing about where the line must be drawn. We are haggling about where the line should be drawn.