S.C. gets pass on driver's licenses
Sanford letter says state already meets 90 percent of REAL ID Act
By Yvonne Wenger
COLUMBIA — In keeping with his maverick reputation, Gov. Mark Sanford guided South Carolina past a deadline Monday that he believed would have set the state on the path for compliance with a national ID card.
The Post and Courier/File
Gov. Mark Sanford
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff gave the state a pass that will allow South Carolina residents to continue business as usual in airports and federal buildings.
In the middle is legal wording concerning an extension for the REAL ID Act, developed by Congress in 2005 to help the country become more secure by setting standards for state driver's licenses and identification cards.
The Americans Civil Liberties Union Technology and Liberty Program praised Sanford for his actions.
"It was courageous and principled," said Chris Calabrese, council for the ACLU program. "He is trying to force Washington to make a change."
South Carolina and six other states have refused to comply with REAL ID and, in all, more than 30 states have opposed it. Maine is the only state not to get an extension.
Reader poll
Is Gov. Sanford doing the right thing in refusing to request an extension for REAL ID?
- Yes, requesting an extension would indicate eventual compliance. 48% 340 votes
- No, his decision will have a negative impact on South Carolina residents. 51% 361 votes
701 total votes.
In a five-page letter Sanford wrote early Monday to Chertoff, he said South Carolina licenses are already more secure than most, and noted that Homeland
Security has acknowledged that the state already meets 90 percent of the REAL ID Act requirements.
Sanford said he was bothered by the fact that Congress gave the act less consideration than the issue of steroids in baseball, and he spent about half the letter blasting the federal law for its shortcomings. Chief among them is what Sanford considers a privacy violation.
"Our greatest homeland security is liberty," Sanford said in the Statehouse on Monday to about two dozen supporters, pumping handmade signs.
Ilona Blakeley of Pauline, who helped rally the supporters, said she was thrilled with Sanford's actions.
Sanford letter
Sanford press release
Chertoff response
"REAL ID compromises personal liberty, personal rights," she said. "We don't have to show our papers, please."
A. Thomas Hood, who flies frequently in his position as president and chief executive officer for the Charleston-based First Financial Holdings Inc., said by refusing to ask for an extension, the governor put individuals and businesses in a precarious position.
"It's disappointing," Hood said. As a practical matter, Sanford's position could have put South Carolina travelers through an extra hassle, he said.
Without an extension, Homeland Security had said showing up at the airport with a South Carolina license would have been the same as showing up with none at all. Residents would have needed a passport to travel, or they would have needed to go through a secondary screening.
Sanford said that because the state has a law on the books rejecting REAL ID, he could not ask for an extension, because he said Homeland Security made it clear that such a request was a form of compliance.
Still, in a letter to Sanford sent late Monday, Chertoff said he could grant the state the relief it sought by treating the letter as a request for an extension.
What it all means is that South Carolina driver's licenses will still be valid identification for boarding an airplane or entering a federal building while the state continues to move toward more secure identification. The extension lasts through at least 2009.
"The federal government should be interested in results, not words, and your letter offers results that will greatly improve South Carolina's driver's license security," Chertoff wrote to Sanford.
REAL IDs are a key finding by the commission that studied the 2001 terrorist attacks, and are not considered by Homeland Security to be a national identification card, as states will continue to issue their own driver's licenses.
Reach Yvonne Wenger at (803) 799-9051 or ywenger@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
Ron_Godzilla (anonymous) says...
Like it's already hard enough traveling in and out of Chas airport. Let's look at this scenario. I run a big multi national corporation and I am looking to relocate to SC and bring jobs and boost the economy. My company has a large sales force who travels nationwide and is based out of SC. Do you think with these new restrictions I am going to bring my business to SC. I think not. Way to go South Carolina, reluctant to change as always.
March 31, 2008 at 11:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scrisn (anonymous) says...
About time SC grows a set.
I have recently moved to another state and now I cannot get a drivers license because my parents had a divorce 30 years ago, changed my name and cannot find the lawyer or court that did it. I have to go again to court, $1800, plead my case and ask for a name change to what I have been using for the past 30 years. Ohh yeah 12 years of military service, college degree, Hs diploma, social security card, SC driver license, numerous credit cards, and a passport and I have to have a court paper and birth certificate to apply for new state drivers license.
I applaud this move by Sanford.
March 31, 2008 at 11:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
PJM (anonymous) says...
The issue is not the Extension. We should all strongly oppose the Real ID Act for reasons of personal privacy, and security of information. As some people know, the REAL ID Act calls for an eventual "harmonization" of our national IDs with those of Canada (and Mexico?). The US has also agreed to create IDs that are compatible with those of the UK's, and since the Europeans are planning to make EU IDs compatible with the UK's, this means we will eventually have a GLOBAL ID, not simply a National ID. The implications of that are enormous. I urge you to OPPOSE the NATIONAL REAL ID.
Ref: http://www.nonationalid.com
March 31, 2008 at 12:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ConcernedinCHS (anonymous) says...
Make sure you have a passport or it's going to be a rough ride. The charleston airport is not the problem. It's all the other airports I have to fly in and out of.
"Your papers are not in order"
March 31, 2008 at 12:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
amylrod (anonymous) says...
Thank you, Governor Sanford for not complying with this state-federal relationship that unconstitutionally forces the states by blackmail to comply with their unlawful demands. WELL DONE!
March 31, 2008 at 12:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Edwin435 (anonymous) says...
I agree with Sanford... If you want to make us do something then you will have to help pay for it. States rights have been trampled on for so long it is not funny. Nothing quite like being strong armed into something that the PEOPLE have not voted on. Stop dictating to the states and start working with them !
March 31, 2008 at 12:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
greener1 (anonymous) says...
f-c-king moron!
March 31, 2008 at 1:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5thGenerationLocal (anonymous) says...
Am I to understand that I will need a passport to fly inside my United States?
March 31, 2008 at 1:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
pompusmaximus (anonymous) says...
Damn, so does that mean EVERY person who flys from SC within the United States needs a passport!?
Good for Sanford for standing up for our State...but I sure hope the question written above isn't true
March 31, 2008 at 1:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JohnS (anonymous) says...
If the ID card is scanned the chip has the about the same info as a Passport. You will have to show a birth valid certificate to get one.
March 31, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RTC (anonymous) says...
Wonderful. I am flying for the second time in 30 yrs.
I leave out on May 15. Anyone know the cost of a passport these days?
March 31, 2008 at 3:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gencon1 (anonymous) says...
Sanford has it right. Real Id is Real stupid.
Profile Arabs.
March 31, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bkeelin (anonymous) says...
At last count it was 30 states not 3.
March 31, 2008 at 3:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Weeeee (anonymous) says...
Nice. Phase one of the NAU plan. REAL IDs. Along with the NAFTA stupidhighway, and the emergence of the "Amero", the plan will be complete. GG voting these turds into office.
I apologize, but it's not my "American Dream" to be one with Mexico and Canada.
March 31, 2008 at 3:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dustym59 (anonymous) says...
Either we hang together...or we hang separate... GO MARK!!!!!!!!
March 31, 2008 at 3:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ForPnC (anonymous) says...
Great move Sanford! Tell the white house what a lot of us have been telling them - UP YOURS!
Stand your ground. South Carolina is finally in the majority!
March 31, 2008 at 3:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
COFC2007 (anonymous) says...
RTC it cost 115 dollar but if you want one in 2 weeks it cost around 197-200 dollars better get it ASAP
March 31, 2008 at 5:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
AMAZING (anonymous) says...
Mark Sanford Video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?doc...
March 31, 2008 at 6 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
amylrod (anonymous) says...
Chertoff gave SC an extension anyway. Just goes to show scare tactics don't pay off. The real battle will begin later in 2009. So, fly the friendly skies without worrying about id; go into Federal Buildings if you have reason to. NO one is going to stop you! The governor made the right decision. He stood his ground and Homeland Security caved in. Keep up the good work Mark!
March 31, 2008 at 6:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
palmettoruckus (anonymous) says...
I believe this REAL ID is a small but crucial step torwards one thing. The mark of the beast. Next thing you know, Uncle Sam is gonna start microchipping everyone 65 and under and implanting R.F.I.D. I say no to any type of universal I.D. system.
March 31, 2008 at 6:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CountryGirl (anonymous) says...
I hate to be so negative, but it seems to me that everything seems to be done in the name of "Homeland Security", which is supposed to be our protection from terrorists. The only problem is that the terrorists ALWAYS have their "papers in order". That's what they do...fake or not. Homegrown terror is the reason for this now though, which is silly anyway because if they are homegrown they have the correct documents. I don't know what the answer is, but we pay people to think of that. The terrorists are doing their job, why can't our Homeland Security do theirs?
March 31, 2008 at 6:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
majorjohnson (anonymous) says...
The unfunded mandate issue is a non-issue. If the federal government funded it where do you people think they would get the money? The federal money tree? They'd get it from the same place the state would get it, from peoples paychecks. If the issue is where the money comes from, it's all coming from the same place whether the state or federal government forks it over. Too many people think that money from the federal government is somehow free money.
Our politicians brag about getting $3 for every state $ they spend on health care, but where the heck do they think the federal government got those $3? Our politicians should have stopped the government from taking our money to begin with. By the time everyone has figured what they owed, sent it to Washington, the bureaucracy got funded to handle the money and it got shipped back to us as "matching funds" it probably cost us $4 to get $3 back.
March 31, 2008 at 6:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
buff_o_rilla (anonymous) says...
"Strength is irrelevant. Resistance is futile. We wish to improve ourselves. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service ours." -- The Borg
March 31, 2008 at 7:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blackgoat (anonymous) says...
Way to go Governor! This country was formed based on STATES rights. The sooner we get back to that principle, the better. I hope that states like SC will continue to stand up to the tyranny in Washington.
March 31, 2008 at 7:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RTC (anonymous) says...
Thanks allwoman and CofC, I hope I can afford to get the tickets now.
Damn, if my birth certificate, DL, and SS card are not enough, then this is ridiculous.
Do they want a freaking cheek swab next?
March 31, 2008 at 8:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
majorjohnson (anonymous) says...
For one thing you don't HAVE to have a passport, you just have to go through secondary security. For another this is old news, as the letter stating that we are already 90% compliant was taken as the same as a request for extension, so don't worry about getting on the airplane or in a federal building.
For another thing a passport is a good thing to have. It's the surest form of identification in the United States and is acceptable in other countries as well, so while $115 is a tad steep, it's still probably cheaper than your airplane ticket. I expect that most folk who would cry about the cost of one are paying that much in two to four months of cable bills, a couple months of eating out, a few months of movies, probably one month if you roll em all up at once, and all of which are entertainment.
People who are paying luxury debts and then cry about the inconvenience and price of a freaking passport get as much sympathy from me as a welfare queen who cries because she doesn't get enough in food stamps for her 5 illegitimate kids when she has satellite TV and all 6 of them have cell phones. Cry me a river.
How about you get your priorities straight? Go ahead and tell me how your cable TV is not a luxury, it's a necessity...you can't live without seeing the latest movie, you have to have that high def panel TV hanging on your wall, you can't take your own lunch to work and you need a night at a restaurant to maintain your sanity...this country is so full of pampered crap-heads it's incredible.
March 31, 2008 at 9:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
carolinagirl1 (anonymous) says...
As a 19 yr. old independent voter, I can say that I am very pleased with the way in which Sanford has responded to this debate. The pros and cons of the Real ID act fail to balance each other out. If we spent more time concentrating on border security, there would be less concern about terrorists and illegal immigrants filtering through our borders. The Real IDs will mean more frustration for law abiding citizens and just one more hurdle terrorists will have to get over bring our country down. The terrorist WILL find a way to get through this new system just as they found ways to break through the old system. As you study history, you will see that downfall of each country or empire was the failure to secure the borders. Before the federal government begins to impose its sovereignty over the state's, it should accomplish the job for which it was created and that is protect our precious country not to impose an endless number of useless laws against its citizens.
March 31, 2008 at 10:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
n4dhs (anonymous) says...
This is so asinine - I am a legal resident of the US and I have lived in three states and the hoops I had to jump through to get my drivers license here was stupid - the illegals drive and no one does a thing - I live here for over 20 years work and pay my taxes and get treated like this - and I am a GOPer too
March 31, 2008 at 10:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
majorjohnson (anonymous) says...
I see that mouth thinks supplying his entertainment needs trump all else. And he calls me comrade?
Go back to your cable tv shows and apply for some more food stamps mouth.
March 31, 2008 at 11:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BillMan (anonymous) says...
I like Sanford, too bad we could'nt switch him for McCain, but then I could'nt vote for BARACK, one of the future great presidents in my opinion! But Sanford would be hard to vote against!
March 31, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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