HON. RON PAUL
OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, February 25, 1998
1998 Ron Paul 20:1
Mr. PAUL.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce
the Privacy Protection Act of 1998, which
forbids the use of the Social Security number
for any purpose not directly related to the administration
of the Social Security system. The
Social Security number was created solely for
use in administering the Social Security system. However, today the Social Security number
is used as an identifier for numerous federal
programs. Unless the use of the Social
Security number is restricted, it will soon become
a national identification number by
which the federal government can easily keep
track of all vital information regarding American
citizens.
1998 Ron Paul 20:2
Anyone who doubts that we are well on the
way to using the Social Security number as an
universal identifier need only consult 1996’s
welfare reform bill, which forces business to
report the Social Security number of every
new employee to the federal government so it
may be recorded in a national data base.
1998 Ron Paul 20:3
Another example of the abuse of the Social
Security number is a provision in tax law requiring
a spouse paying alimony furnish the
IRS with the Social Security number of the
spouse receiving alimony.
1998 Ron Paul 20:4
There are not isolated incidents; in fact,
since the creation of the Social Security number
in 1934 there have been almost 40 congressionally-authorized
uses of the Social Security
number as an identification number for
non-Social Security programs! Abuse of the
Social Security system also occurs at the state
level. Mr. Speaker, in many states. One cannot
get a driver’s license, apply for a job, or
even receive a birth certificate for one’s child,
without presenting their Social Security number
to a government official, and just X weeks
ago 210 of my colleagues voted to allow
States to require citizens to show their Social
Security number in order to vote. Since the
Social Security number is part of a federal
program created by Congress, it is Congress’
responsibility to ensure it is not used to violate
the privacy of America’s citizens.
1998 Ron Paul 20:5
Perhaps the most disturbing abuses of the
Social Security number is the Congressionally-authorized
rule forcing parents to get a Social
Security number for their newborn children in
order to claim them as a dependent. Mr. Speaker, forcing parents to register their newborn
children with the state is more like something
out of the nightmare of George Orwell
than the dreams of a free Republic that inspired
the nation’s founders.
1998 Ron Paul 20:6
Unless the abuses of the Social Security
number is stopped, Americans will soon have
a de facto national identification number,
which would provide the federal government
the ability to track all citizens from cradle to
grave. The drafters of the Constitution would
be horrified if they knew that the federal government
would have the ability to set up a universal
identifier and every newborn baby had
to be assigned a number by the federal government. I therefore urge my colleagues to
protect America’s freedom by cosponsoring
the Privacy Protection Act of 1998.
Notes:
1998 Ron Paul Chapter 20
The text of this chapter was inserted in the section of CongressionalRecord entitled “Extensions of Remarks” and was not spoken on the House floor.
Ron Paul speaks of privacy and Social Security numbers in many of his speeches.
1998 Ron Paul 20:4 There are not isolated incidents probably should have been These are not isolated incidents.
congressionally-authorized probably should have been Congressionally authorized.
Mr. Speaker, in many states. One cannot get a driver’s license,... probaby should be,
Mr. Speaker, in many states, one cannot get a driver’s license,....
and just X weeks ago 210 of my colleagues voted... Here Dr. Ron Paul and perhaps his staff are caught
preparing a pseudo-speech, submitting it for inclusion in the Congressional Record, forgetting to fill in the
variable as intended.
1998 Ron Paul 20:5 Congressionally-authorized probably should be Congressionally authorized. No hyphen
is necessary for adverbs ending in -ly.
as a dependent probably should have been as dependents.
1998 Ron Paul 20:6
The ungrammatical Unless the abuses of the Social Security number is stopped probably should have been Unless the abuse of the Social Security number is stopped or Unless the abuses of the Social Security number are stopped.
