Will You Need A DNA Sample Also?

Sixteen years in the making.  In the United States, in the state of Illinois, young humanoids can acquire a license for the purposes of driving.  Yes, first comes the permit.  But on the sixteenth birthday a contract goes into effect between the state and the individual who can't vote, join the military, or indulge themselves in some tanning at various salons littered throughout this state - a card verifying that the individual (still a minor) can legally drive a motor vehicle by themselves.  We're not talking bicycles either.  The average weight of a vehicle on the roads today is somewhere close to 4000 lbs.  So basically, someone who cannot legally take medicine by themselves at school is allowed to control a 4000 lb. vehicle at speeds of up to 65 miles per hour on the interstate.  This would sound terrifying to most outsiders but there really is a low amount of accidents considering the number of drivers on the roads today.  Throw in cell phones and texting ...  Anyway, there is a lengthy training process they go through and then they are tested in their abilities so it's not as scary as some would imagine.  In fact, recently (yesterday) I was witness to a young man receiving his license and I have every confidence that he will do fine.  It was a little painful going to my insurance agent afterwards and putting his name on my auto policies but that's just what a parent does.  He will drive a safe vehicle and there are limits to when and where and how much his new freedom can be exercised.  Oh, and he will pay a portion of the insurance and will be allotted a set amount for fuel to get back and forth to school but then he'll have to come up with money for extra fuel for those after school expeditions to the tavern or the club or wherever else he thinks he needs to go.  And I've already given him the lecture on drinking and combining barbiturates and following all posted speed limits.  Fortunately for us he's actually a pretty good driver.  It was fun at the driver's license facility yesterday.  I carried in many forms and had my wallet ready to bribe the facility personnel but I was missing one very important item.  His Social Security Card.  Now, most of you in the United States know what this card is but if any of you outside our borders are wondering, a SSN card is a card with a nine digit number assigned to each US citizen when they are born.  And the last time I checked, this card, if lost or stolen, is not easily replaced.  In fact, for the past 40+ years I have had the same card (made out of paper) that was issued when I was born.  Some people receive family heirlooms when they reach a certain age.  I received my SSN card.  But I digress ... So, after waiting in line to see one of the friendly state workers (they actually are friendly for being employed by the state - not like those wonderful people who work in the social security offices who issue the cards) at the license facility I found out that the birth certificate, the driver's permit he had been using the past year, and the mail/bill addressed to him at our address was just not enough to verify he was who he was.  He needed his SSN card.  Now, the SSN card does not have a picture or address or any other verification for who he is - it basically has your name and the nine digit number - XXX-XX-XXXX.  This very important card, made out of paper, cannot be laminated or protected permanently.  But it must be kept for the remainder of your life.  And hopefully you never go swimming with it or accidentally put it through the clothes washer by accident.  As we drove back to our house to retrieve the card I thought of the future.  A future where we'll get a pin prick in our fingers and give a little blood to verify who we are at these state agencies.  The hoops we jump through for our "state" is beyond belief.  For some reason he was issued a learner's permit and used it for many months.  But now that he wants to get the actual driver's license we need to show multiple forms of identification but none of them, I repeat, none of them has a picture of him.  The birth certificate doesn't.  The bill with his address doesn't.  The SSN card definitely doesn't have a picture.  But he is who he is based upon a little blue card.  Wow!!  Really!!  Some day they'll just prick your finger, run it through a scanner, and verify you are who you are since your first blood sample was taken.  No cards.  No certificate.  Just good old blood.

 As long as the computers don't crash.  We are headed down a deep dark hole and even Alice would crap her pants.  But we do it because we are becoming very programmed in this "free" country.  But it was a pretty good birthday for a young man on the brink of maturity.  And hopefully by his 18th birthday the computers haven't gone down yet.  Because he may want to go down to the county clerk's office and just tell them he is "so and so" and get registered to vote.  Because we wouldn't want too much inconvenience for that.  Voting isn't as big a deal a driving.  Everyone should be able to vote.  And you are who you say you are.  My name is Rueuhy and I approve this blog.