Congress Debating "No-Work" Database

grag writes "Cnet is reporting that the US Congress, in their quest for immigration reform, seeks to force employers to utilize a database to determine a person's eligibility for employment. The Department of Homeland Security would operate the database and would be given access to IRS records for this purpose. The article mentions similarities between this proposal and the no-fly list — and the expectation of similar difficulties the proposed database could pose to valid people seeking employment."

The last box to vote with ...

[Ihlosi]

If that ever happened, it would be time to start voting with the rope and lamppost rather than with the ballot box.

... is the ammo box. Rope isn't anywhere in the list of boxes to vote with (soap, ballot, jury, ammo - no rope).

Re:Does anyone see the parallels?

[pi_rules]

What is the US National Debt now? $3 Trillion?

$8,808,953,574,476.61 and counting.

Use of social security numbers as identifiers

[grandpa-geek]

Social security numbers were designed in an era before modern concepts of error control had been developed. Shannon didn't do his work on information theory until World War II, and social security was set up before that.

Social security numbers have no check digits. Any common error on a social security number (such as changing a digit or transposing digits) can result in another valid social security number.

The system was set up to handle accounts for old-age retirement and for support of children after the death of the breadwinner ("survivors insurance"). It was never intended to serve as a national personal identifier, and does that job very poorly.

This proposal will only compound the problems of using 70-year-old technology, originally designed for a limited purpose, for uses far beyond its originally intended use.

The use of social security numbers as personal identifiers is an Achilles' heel of this proposal.

This isn't about "no-work"

[geekoid]

The real issue is Homeland Security getting their grubby, dirty, little hands onto the IRS database.

As it works right now, Only the IRS has access to income records.
So, if the FBI wanted to catch someone, they oculd go to the IRS and ask "Has this person paid taxes." The IRS can say Yes or NO. Or the IRS can go to the FBI and say person X hasn't paid taxes, please go get them."

That is how it works and should work.
SO you could right down 50,000 income - Bank robbery. No investigation will happen.

I know, some people will be like "No Way" but I dealt with this for years, and I am sure there are plenty of online sources that will coroberate.

Homeland security needs to be done away with, now.

Re:A good thing!

[geekoid]

If you have copies of there ID, then you are protected. Even if itnturns out to be false, you did your due dilegence.

Re:Across the border...

[ronadams]

Free health care? Guess what happens when an illegal immigrant goes to the emergency room. They don't let them die. Guess what happens when they go to the "free clinics" intended for the economically depressed American citizens? No, my logic states all illegal immigrants are criminals, and should be treated thusly.

Re:FairTax? Explained

[mrchaotica]

The difference between the FairTax and income tax is that income tax is highly progressive (higher-income people pay a larger percentage of their income) while the FairTax is highly regressive (lower-income people spend a higher percentage of their income, which would be taxed, while higher-income people would invest instead, which would not be taxed).

Personally, I like the FairTax anyway, despite the fact that it would be harmful to me in the short run (as I'm a low-income college student), because it would encourage people to invest their money instead of drowning themselves in debt. The current savings rate is something like negative 3%, and that'll destroy the entire economy unless something is done about it.

Plus, eliminating the IRS (and associated paperwork that every company and individual in the country has to fill out) would save a bunch of money by itself.

Re:Get mo' Gitmo!

[shaitand]

I'm giving up moderation but it has to be pointed out. You can get court appointed representation for ANY criminal offense, not just felonies.

The quality of the attorney varies depending on where you are. In many locations they are regular defense attorneys that you would pay outrageous rates and they take turns or have a lottery for short terms as public defender. They will always try to get you to plea bargain because they don't want to invest the time but as an adult you can refuse (I know from experience that if you are a minor they can wrestle control from you and your guardian if you choose not to follow their recommendations).