Letters to the Editor

‘Spitzer Poised To Ease Access To Licenses'

As one of the first assistant secretaries of homeland security after September 11 2001, I strongly believe that our country needs to build strong identification credentials to minimize the chance that terrorists and criminals can forge false identities or use our own government documents to facilitate their planning ["Spitzer Poised To Ease Access To Licenses, January 19, 2007]. Thus I've been supportive of the goals of the REAL ID Act, which Congress passed in 2005 to strengthen the security of driver's licenses.

The driver's license is already the key identity document for air travel, banking, retail, and health care transactions, access to government buildings, and numerous other important activities. The REAL ID Act will enhance the security of the issuance of driver's licenses and of the cards themselves and will bring the entire country up to a minimum level of identification security, lessening the need for us to develop a separate national identification card.

Many states have realized the importance of this goal and have moved forward with implementation, while making the legitimate request that the federal government help fund the effort. Yet other states and interest groups are calling for a repeal of the act — threatening to reverse one of the most significant programs Congress enacted to fulfill the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

Why would we want to move backward on homeland security? Instead, states should aggressively move to secure their identification documents and work with the federal government on funding questions. The American public deserves no less.

STEWART VERDERY Jr.
Arlington, Va.

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