FOR SOCIAL SECURITY AND TAX PURPOSES — NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION
Words such as these used to be on Social Security cards, presumably to reassure people that the government wasn’t instituting national identity cards — a worry after our World War II fight against totalitarian countries.
Now, of course, almost everyone asks us for our Social Security number as part of our identification. How times have changed.
If you have a Social Security card, does yours say it’s not for identification purposes? If you live in another country, do you have national identification numbers/cards? Do you have problems with identity theft?
Times certainly have changed. When I was in the Navy, my serial number was my social security number — stamped right into my dog-tags!
Here in Arkansas, for a long time, we had the option to use our social security numbers as our drivers license number. And, of course, cashing checks was easier if you had your social security number on each one — our had both of our numbers on them.
It sounds as if you haven’t had any trouble with identity theft, thank goodness. The system seems to have worked just fine for you. That’s great.
I have so many identification documents that it is not funny. In my wallet I always carry my driving license, my Income Tax Permanent Account Number card, and my Unique Identification Number card. Apart from this, I have to produce my Ration Card, or my Passport for other purposes. I also carry a Senior Citizens card at need and of course my wallet permanently carries my three club membership cards.
You have rationing? I didn’t expect that. It sounds as if your Unique Identification Number works the way our driver’s licenses do. We have a lot of cards in our wallets too — including the ones for health insurance.
Tom said that I should carry identification when I biked or hiked in case something bad happens. I haven’t done that yet.
Andy and I are conservative — we tend to take at least our health insurance cards with us. How’s that for being cheerful pessimists? 🙂
Thankfully a push for identity cards was defeated here.
There is an attempt at a halfway measure – government data being kept in one place. A definite worry – esp. with the group of the security agencies.
Some people here want National ID Cards. There’s a lot of opposition for obvious reasons.
I hate to sound so trivial. Right now the only card I’m keeping watch on is my Food Lion card: “Spend $75 dollars before Thanksgiving and get 50% off of your Thanksgiving turkey.” I don’t wish to start over this close to the deadline.(smile)
In NC we have a new system for renewing our driver’s license. Everyone gets a “twenty day temporary” license. The state runs a background check, then mails your permanent license within fifteen days. That could cause an increase in identity theft. Background checks are not a welcomed practice but where do you send the complaint? And if you do complain, does the state take that as something to investigate?(Yipes!)
Not trivial at all! Sounds like a fun thing to think about. We get “fuel points” when we use our rewards card at our local store. We get 1 point for every dollar we spend, and for every 100 points we get 10 cents a gallon off on gas (maximum 1000 points = $1.00 a gallon off at a time). We take the time to figure out how to use the points to maximize our savings. (Actually Andy just read this and said, “We?” Yes, it’s true. I’m the one who wastes precious brainpower figuring it out. He asks me before filling up.) Much more fun to think about than the state of the country and world.
About complaining about the government — as you point out, one big effect of the government having more power is people are afraid to criticize, to be noticed. Not a healthy environment.
It depends on “where you are at” here,
if you are a student, you will have an ID card that allows cheaper bus travel, sometimes especially if you tertiary student you will have a sticker on your travel card.
if you are a gov’t allowance, I am you, have a community service card and it has a couple of different numbers on it – not your Tax # though, it probably links through to it. I also have their “green card” which relates only to me…
if you are over 65 you have what is affectionately known as the Goldcard which gets you lots of decent discounts as well as cheaper if not free public transport at various times of the day. I am nearly there, looking for the free p/transport 🙂
I have a Uni of Auckland Student card with mug shot – gives me quite a lot of things included student admission to things…
if you have have a driver licence – I have, but no car now. Your card has your picture on it which is useful for ID for all kinds of things.
Some library cards have your mugshot on…mine is so old, it isn’t even a pretty picture!
Then there are cards for all kinds of things, but they probably won’t get you anything like social security 🙂
Those cards do add up, don’t they! At least a lot of them are useful. 🙂