Ron Paul on Privacy
David Weigel | November 8, 2007, 2:52pm
Ron Paul's third
New Hampshire TV ad is up at Reason.tv. This one addresses an issue I don't think any candidate has in his/her commercials yet: Privacy and the war on terror.
I'm Ron Paul and I'm the only presidential candidate who'll bring our troops home from Iraq immediately and stop wasteful government spending. But here's something else I care about, and I hope you do too. The war on terror and the growth of big government have had a dangerous side effect: The loss of privacy rights for the American people. Both parties have put their pet schemes ahead of our rights. Not me. As president, I won't stand for it. No national ID card, no invasion of privacy. I'm Ron Paul and I approve this message.
If Paul's going to make a surprise showing in New Hampshire, this is the talk (if not the production quality--this is direct but dark) that'll do it. Let the rest of the field thrash about debating Iraq and making fun of Hillary's ankles while he talks to Free Staters about REAL ID. The Youtube thread has gotten more civil and contented, too.
More
reason on Paul
here.
UPDATE: Pig Mannix points out that Paul's
hit 5 percent in the
tricky Rasmussen tracking poll
(which doesn't mention Paul's name when asking for preference).* That's important, as we're running into the late debate season when candidates will need to hit poll thresholds in order to keep getting invited.
*I made a mistake here: Rasmussen DOES include Paul's name in its survey. I was passing on rumors to the contrary, so my apologies.
J sub D | November 8, 2007, 3:24pm | #
Your papers, please.
Remember, your SSN was never going to be used as a national ID number. Never.
The Social Security Number (SSN) was originally devised in 1935 to keep an accurate record of the earnings of workers covered by the Social Security Act. The use of the SSN has expanded since then as government entities and the private sector use it for record keeping and matching purposes.
Executive Order 9397, issued in 1943, required all Federal components to use the SSN as an individual identifier.
In 1962, the Internal Revenue Service adopted the use of the individual's SSN as his/her Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) when an SSN had been assigned. (26 U.S.C. Section 6109).
The Privacy Act of 1974 (Section 7 of P.L. 93-579) limits governmental use of the SSN. Federal, State and local governments are prohibited from withholding a right, benefit or privilege from a person simply because he/she refuses to provide the SSN, except under certain circumstances (when required by Federal law, or when a system of records that includes SSN as an identifier was maintained by a government entity prior to 1975).
The Tax Reform Act of 1976, (42 USCA 405 (c)(2)(C)(i)) amending the Social Security Act to lessen the impact of the Privacy Act, authorizes states to use the SSN in the administration of any tax, general public assistance, driver's license or motor vehicle registration law.
The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (42 USCA 402 (x)), requires any Federal, State or local government agency to furnish to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (upon written request to enforce the suspension of disability benefits) the name and SSN of any prisoner convicted of a felony.
The Social Security Act, as amended in 1990 (42 USCA 405), requires that SSNs and related records obtained or maintained by authorized persons pursuant to any provision of law enacted on or after October 1, 1990 be confidential and may not be disclosed.
The Welfare Reform Act of 1996 (42 USCA 666 (a)) requires states to require the collection of social security numbers: 1) on any application for a professional license, commercial drivers' license, occupational license, or marriage license; 2) on divorce decrees, support orders, paternity determinations or acknowledgments; and 3) in death records and the death certificate.
I got that info
here.
