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ing enormous negative effects on American

U.S. residents would not be asking too much.

workers and employers. EEV would wrongly

Counting individuals' gun purchases would

screen out lawful American workers. Probable

be easy with this database system, and it

counterattacks on the EEV system mean that

could record the number of guns and quan-

it will plunge law-abiding American citizens

tity of ammunition bought by any one per-

into Kafkaesque bureaucracy, preventing

son. Indeed, statistical analysis could show

them from working until they can negotiate

where an excess of weaponry was sold in any

their way through unwelcoming federal gov-

one area. Authorities might use the system to

ernment offices. Unfathomably, today E-

search for purchasers of too many guns,

Verify has no appeals process. Any national

believing they are feeding the black market or

EEV program would be an intrusive, expensive

perhaps caching weapons in a homegrown

incursion on the American workplace and the

terrorism plot. Never mind that the same

rights of American workers.

analysis would turn up law-abiding gun col-

lectors and avid sportsmen.

Speaking of terrorism, the biometric card

Conclusion

required for EEV would be readily adapted to

the identity-based security programs that

A national EEV

have grown up at airports since the Septem-

Bad policies are like cancer. They metasta-

system would be

ber 11, 2001, attacks. Experienced travelers,

size and occupy other parts of the body politic.

having had time in line to think about it,

Our country's immigration law has held an

an avenue along

know well that showing ID is very weak secu-

unnatural cap on new American workers' com-

which regulatory

rity against committed threats--people will-

ing to the United States for decades now, and

power over

ing to kill themselves bombing an airliner are

attempts to make a success of that bad policy

willing to identify themselves beforehand.

have produced circumlocutions like "internal

American citizens

But identification checks at airports make

enforcement" and "electronic employment eli-

would flow to

uninformed people feel safer, and having peo-

gibility verification." These are additional can-

ple show a nationally uniform biometric card

cerous nodes that threaten American workers

the federal

would augment that exercise in security the-

with Kafkaesque bureaucracy, denied employ-

government.

ater. It might also allow expansion of identity

ment, a national ID system, and broad surveil-

checking to malls, subway stations, office

lance.

buildings, and other publicly accessible infra-

The "problem" most illegal immigrants

structure.58

present is their eagerness to enter our labor

markets, provide goods and services for

A national EEV system would be an avenue

Americans' consumption, and grow the U.S.

along which regulatory power over American

economic pie. Millions of otherwise honest,

citizens would flow to the federal government.

hard-working, and law-abiding people have

It would draw vastly more information about

come to the United States without documen-

Americans' lives into federal government data-

tation. Many want very badly to follow the

bases, and it would expose their sensitive data

same path our forefathers did, and they would

to more security threats. The information-age

be a credit to this country if we made it legal

crime of identity fraud would blossom under

for them to come. In a deep irony, Congress

EEV because the value of breaking the uni-

may soon expand EEV, increasing government

form government identity system it requires

spending and bureaucracy so that our malad-

would grow higher. Building the EEV system

justed immigration law can continue to stifle

would cost billions and billions of taxpayer

U.S. economic growth.

dollars, while saddling American workers and

Proponents of internal enforcement and

employers with regulatory burdens and crimi-

electronic employment verification surely

nal liability.

stand on a sound principle--the rule-of-law

As an administrative tool, an EEV system

ideal that people should enter the country

would have to be nearly perfect to avoid hav-

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