1998 Ron Paul 10:1
Mr. PAUL.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition
to the Voter Eligibility Verification Act (H.R. 1428). My opposition to this bill is not because
I oppose taking steps to protect the integrity of
the voting process, but because the means
employed in this bill represent yet another
step toward the transmutation of the Social
Security number into a national identification
number by which the federal government can
more easily monitor private information regarding
American citizens.
1998 Ron Paul 10:2
The Social Security number was created
solely for use in administering the Social Security
system. Today, thanks to Congress, parents
must get a Social Security number for
their newborn babies. In addition, because of
Congress, abuse of the Social Security system
also occurs at the state level such 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.
1998 Ron Paul 10:3
Now Congress is preparing to authorize the
use of the Social Security number to verify citizenship
for purposes of voting. Opponents of
this bill are right to point out that, whatever
protections are written in this bill, allowing
states to force citizens to present a Social Security
number before they can vote will require
the augmentation of a national data base —
similar to those created in the Welfare Reform
and the Immigration Bills of 1996.
1998 Ron Paul 10:4
Mr. Speaker, clearly we are heading for the
day when American citizens cannot work, go
to school, have a child, or even exercise their
right to vote without presenting what, in effect,
is quickly becoming a national I.D. card.
1998 Ron Paul 10:5
National I.D. cards are trademarks of totalitarian
governments, not constitutional republics. I’m sure all of us have seen a movie depicting
life in a fascist or communist country
where an official of the central state demands
to see a citizen’s papers. Well the Founders of
the Republic would be horrified if they knew
that the Republic they created had turned into
an overbearing leviathan where citizens had to
present their “papers” containing a valid government
identification number before getting a
job or voting.
1998 Ron Paul 10:6
In order to protect the privacy rights of
America’s citizens, I plan to soon introduce the
Privacy Protection Act, which will forbid the
use of the Social Security number for any purpose
other than for the administration of the
Social Security system. I would urge my colleagues
to support this bill when introduced
and vote against the Voter Eligibility Act. It is
time for Congress to protect the Constitutional
rights of all Americans and stop using the Social
Security number as a de facto national
identification card.
Notes:
1998 Ron Paul Chapter 10
The text of this chapter was inserted in CongressionalRecord as an extension of remarks, and was not spoken on the House floor.
1998 Ron Paul 10:2 such in many states is grammatically incorrect.
Perhaps it should be, sothat in many states.
