Cato Daily Dispatch for September 24, 2001
National ID Card A Solution To Terrorism?Report: Giuliani Wants To Repeal Term Limits Laws
Competitors, Attorneys General Renew Attack On Microsoft
National ID Card A Solution To Terrorism?
The Boston Globe reports today that a national identity card system doesn't seem so far-fetched anymore.
An idea that had relatively little support before the Sept. 11 terror attacks now may be gaining some momentum. With government agencies looking for new ways to track suspects, and companies responding with new technology, the issue is now on the agenda of a congressional subcommittee.
Privacy objections have been raised against such proposals in the past. But in recent years state motor-vehicle bureaucrats have quietly laid the technical groundwork to allow authorities to instantly check any driver's license against official databases.
The system encourages states to standardize the bar codes and magnetic stripes on the millions of driver's licenses they issue each year. This means data such as a person's name and address can be quickly scanned in any jurisdiction.
In the study "A National ID System: Big Brother's Solution to Illegal Immigration," John J. Miller and Stephen Moore warn that an "identification system could be easily expanded to include other purposes beyond deterring illegal immigration, such as implementation of a Clinton-style health security card, conducting background checks on individuals, and enforcing affirmative-action laws and other government regulations."
Moore also testified before Congress on the issue. His testimony is available online.
Report: Giuliani Wants To Repeal Term Limits Laws
New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, reconsidering his position that the mayoral election should go on without him, believes that New Yorkers should be able to decide who leads the city out of these troubled times, even if it includes an extension of his term, according to The New York Times.
While Giuliani is barred from serving another consecutive term under the city's term limits law, he has rebuffed questions about his view of the matter in recent days. He is expected to address the issue directly as early as today, less than 24 hours before voters are to go to the polls in the rescheduled mayoral primary.
A move to overturn term limits, which have been approved by voters twice, would require an extensive political effort that the mayor's office would have a hard time pulling off. Giuliani was a strong supporter of the law when it was first floated in the early 90's.
In "The Political Revolution That Wasn't: Why Term Limits Are Needed Now More Than Ever," Senior Fellow Doug Bandow makes the case for term limits, noting that "for years there was greater turnover on the Soviet Communist Party Central Committee and in Britain's House of Lords than in Congress." Earlier this year, the Cato Institute hosted the policy forum "Term Limits and American Government," featuring Cato President Edward H. Crane and Rep. Ric Keller (R-Fla.), among others. Video of the forum can be viewed online.
Competitors, Attorneys General Renew Attack On Microsoft
According to the Associated Press, six state attorneys general not involved in the Microsoft antitrust case sent a letter to Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer this week expressing concern about the upcoming Windows XP operating system. The letter was originally drafted by a lobbyist for Microsoft's competitors.
Vermont Attorney General William H. Sorrell wrote that the operating system, which will reach consumers soon, "may involve additional unlawful attempts by Microsoft to maintain its operating system monopoly."
The Justice Department and the 18 states suing Microsoft have said they want any penalty stemming from the four-year case to cover Windows XP.
An electronic copy of the letter reveals that the original author is Jeffrey Modisett, a former Indiana attorney general who is currently a lawyer for Manatt Phelps & Phillips. The firm represents Microsoft rivals Oracle and AOL Time Warner, and Mike Pettit, who heads anti-Microsoft group ProComp, confirmed that Modisett has worked as an advocate against Microsoft as well.
In "Bush-League Antitrust," Senior Fellow and Microsoft expert Robert A. Levy explains why Windows XP is not "off the hook."
In "The Theft of Microsoft," Executive Vice President David Boaz writes, "When our antitrust laws are used by competitors to harm successful companies, when our most innovative companies are under assault from the federal government, when lawyers and politicians decide to restructure the software, credit-card and airline industries, it's time to repeal the antitrust laws and let firms compete in a free marketplace."
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