Staff Reports
David O’Connor, a Navy vet and longtime resident of this great country, went to renew his driver’s license in Tennessee and walked away essentially being told he’s not an American. All this thanks to the bureaucratic nightmare called Real ID. The program was dreamt up by Congress in 2005, allegedly to boost security after 9/11. Seventeen years later, it’s still wreaking havoc and complicating lives.
O’Connor, keen to comply with the Real ID requirements, showed up at his local DMV, but instead of a new driver’s license, he got a fast pass to bureaucratic oblivion. Born in Canada to American parents who quickly moved back stateside, O’Connor’s about as American as apple pie. He served in the Navy, held driver’s licenses in multiple states, and has been driving for over six decades. But, because the Real ID folks won’t recognize his Canadian birth certificate — despite it saying his parents are Americans — his citizenship is now in limbo.
Vet Applies for Federal 'Real ID' Card, Ends Up Losing Driver's License and Citizenship via @WestJournalism https://t.co/np6eiH86XY
— Teresa A Polychronis (@ta_polychrobis) July 10, 2024
The Real ID law forces people to present specific documents to prove their citizenship. One might think a birth certificate showing two American parents or decades of military service would suffice, but no. O’Connor’s birth certificate hails from the Great White North, and that’s apparently a deal-breaker for the Tennessee DMV. So after 77 years and a lifetime of service, the state stripped him of his right to drive.
Under Real ID, the government created an unfathomable labyrinth of red tape. Despite O’Connor having voted in every election, held a Social Security card, received retirement benefits, and served in the military, he’s treated like a persona non grata. His story is a classic example of the federal government playing fast and loose with people’s lives under the guise of “security.”
What’s the message here? Real ID has turned into a bureaucratic mess that punishes everyday Americans. It’s trumpeted as a safeguard against terrorism, yet it’s gone 17 years without full implementation. Meanwhile, the very people who have built this nation, fought for it, and contributed to its economy now find themselves at the mercy of government clerks and endless paperwork. O’Connor is left to navigate a byzantine process to reapply for citizenship—a process nobody should have to undergo after seven decades as a recognized American.
If anything, O’Connor’s ordeal is a textbook example of why we should think twice before handing more power to Washington. Politicians may promise security and order, but what we get is another dysfunctional, wasteful, and downright infuriating system that leaves good folks like David O’Connor in the lurch.
