REAL ID: Congress is cutting the appropriation for the REAL ID national ID card -- by $40 million. That's good! But they're still planning to spend $60 million on it in 2010. That's bad!

Please send Congress a letter objecting to any further funding for REAL ID.

You can copy what I said in my letter to Congress . . .

I'm upset that Congress just appropriated $60 million for the REAL ID national identification scheme. I've asked you repeatedly to repeal REAL ID, and replace it with nothing. I'm repeating my request today.

I do not want a centralized national ID system. It lays the foundation for a police state, and will do little or nothing to improve security. Instead, it will subject me to increased risk of identity theft, and eventually entangle me in new Congressional schemes to do things like control my health care decisions.

I also object because the REAL ID Act was passed under false pretenses. It was rejected three times by the U.S. Senate, and was only enacted because it was added to a larger bill containing funding for disaster relief and Iraq. REAL ID never could have passed on its own merits, but now that we have it, we can't seem to get rid of it. But you, as my representative, can do something about this . . .

Please introduce legislation to repeal REAL ID and replace it with nothing. I'm paying close attention to how you represent me.

END OF SAMPLE LETTER

You can send your letter to Congress here.

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Jim Babka, President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

Check out these recent posts on our blog:

President Obama keeps a promise http://www.downsizedc.org/blog/a-downsize-dc-victory
Congress responds to Constitutional questions http://www.downsizedc.org/blog/how-they-responded
Chatter about the "Read the Bills" idea http://www.downsizedc.org/blog/read-the-bills-roundup