Double whammy at the DMV

There is no doubt the nation needed to toughen the process of issuing drivers' licenses and identification cards. Consider: 18 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 obtained drivers' licenses or ID cards in the United States to "establish" identifies in this country. Several of them came to Florida for flight training and obtained drivers' licenses.

But in trying to protect residents against murdering zealots, state and federal officials have gone overboard in requiring all applicants for drivers' licenses and ID cards to dig deep into their past to prove who they are.

The new paperwork requirements, which took effect New Year's Day, are mandated by Florida law and "Real ID," a federal law adopted in 2005. States were given time to comply.

The rules are so burdensome for longtime residents that anyone who needs to renew their licenses and identification cards better start the footwork several weeks in advance.

To prove your identity you will need your original birth certificate or a certified copy - even if you were born in one of the nation's territories. If one can't be found, a valid U.S. passport will do.

You'll also need proof you have a Social Security number. That can be accomplished either through presenting your Social Security card, a W-2 form or pay check stub - again, either the original or a certified copy. If you don't have one, that must be disclosed.

In addition, you're required to have two types of documents to prove you live where you say you live. A Florida voter registration card, property deed or mortgage, or vehicle registration or title are just some of the paperwork that will meet the burden of proof.

And in some cases, divorce decrees and marriage licenses will be required if your last name has changed - even if those events occurred 50 years ago. That likely will pose a hardship to many.

Imagine the difficulties senior citizens will encounter trying to get certified copies of their birth certificates.

It would make sense if these requirements applied to new residents of states or new American citizens, but the blanket application is foolish. There is no need to impose such a burden on citizens who have lived in a state their entire lives or on those who have established longtime residency.

It's no consolation that people with Internet access get one shot at renewing their licenses and cards online, or by mail, before having to go to the DMV with papers detailing their personal histories. Too many people are being treated as foreign to their homeland - which is insulting.

We do need a more secure nation. Getting a driver's license or ID card should not be a snap. But let's be realistic. Longtime residents are not the primary terrorist threat. To treat everyone - whether a retiree or recent immigrant - as equally suspicious may be politically correct, but it is unnecessary.

The requirement is significant because it is nearly impossible to function legally in today's society without identification.

It's bad enough that people in Florida who have to renew their cards and licenses this year will discover the Legislature has substantially increased fees - to $48 for a standard driver's license, up from $27 last year, for example.

With the new paperwork requirements, Floridians are being hit with a double whammy, one that will likely result in more costs for people needing copies of documents.

Congress and officials in Florida and other states need to revisit this law to establish a reasonable coverage period or, better yet, have it apply only to new residents or those who have lived in a state for five years or less.

The across-the-board approach defies common sense.