Text 20047, 79 rader
Skriven 2008-08-24 07:56:00 av TIM RICHARDSON (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av ROBERT BASHE
Ärende: You think the US is bad?
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On 08-24-08, ROBERT BASHE said to ROY WITT:


RW> Swedish surveillance law 'breaks EU rules'...


RB>They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If so, I
RB>suppose we can be happy that Sweden is flattering the USA. I suppose you
RB>know that all phone communication from the US to locations outside the
RB>States, and vice-versa, are and have been monitored for quite some time.


RB>Unfortunately, the erosion of personal freedoms and personaal privacy
RB>since the turn of the century is not something confined to a single


RB>country. Oh, and just to make your day: Germany is now introducing
RB>"personal tax numbers" that are valid for life + 20 years and _naturally_
RB>"only for use in submitting income tax returns" ;-/


RB>Remember what the social security numbers were originally for?


RB>I figure it'll take around 10 years before these so-called "tax numbers"
RB>in Germany will amount to a personal ID number the same as SSNs in the
RB>States - and will be misused to the same extent, if not worse.


This happened about six years ago.


I was renewing my California commercial drivers license, took the written
test, waited my turn at the window, turned my test in, passed it, got my photo
taken, everything was goin' nice and smooth.


Then, the woman asked me for my social security number. I refused to give it.
She insisted, telling me that the DMV was switching over to a social security
number-based identification system for commercial licenses, and I was required
to give my social security number to her. I refused. I told her I'd had a
social security card since about forty years before she was even born, had
never used it for ID purposes, and it says right on the card *Not For
Identification*!


She wouldn't process my renewal, and told me to leave. I refused to leave
until she processed my renewal. She called her supervisor over, who told me I
had to give my number. I refused to give my number, told him the number was
intended for Social Security use only, it says right on the card it isn't to
be used for ID purposes, and the DMV didn't even have any right to ask me what
it was! Other people were now starting to pay attention to what was going on
here.


The supervisor threatened to call the police if I didn't leave, or give up my
Social Security number. I told him to call anyone he wanted, I wasn't leaving
till my renewal was processed, I'd paid my money, passed the test, wasn't
giving up my number, I was in the legal right, and he had no grounds to refuse
to process my license renewal.


By now, a lot of people were watching what was happening, including people
working behind the counter. At this point, some woman came out of one of the
inner offices, walked up behind the clerk I was in front of, and asked what
was going on. The clerk's supervisor told her I was refusing to give my Social
Security number. Without a word the woman took the paper work out of the
clerk's hand, reached over the clerk's shoulder and typed a few things into
the computer, stamped my temporary paper license as validated, handed it to me
and walked away. Ten days later I recieved my new commercial drivers license.


About a month from now, my drivers license needs to be renewed. And I'm not
giving up my Social Security number to the DMV this time around, either.


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*Durango b301 #PE* 
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