Should id’s be required? dutch agonize

Previewing the Article

Do you sometimes feel that you are just a number? Many people object to the idea of being thought of as a number instead of a person. But more important to some is the fear of having their actions monitored by means of their “number.” Nonetheless, does the society have the legitimate need to keep track of its citizens for the good of the whole? And does a national identity card meet the need?

These are issues that the Dutch are currently “agonizing” over - that is, worrying about and debating. The article describes this debate.

Before You Read

Before you read the article, discuss these questions.

1. Does your native country have a national identity card? If so, do you object to carrying one, or do you find it useful?

2. What kinds of identification do you carry? What purposes do they serve?

As You Read

As you read, find reasons for and against the national ID card in the Netherlands.

Should id’s be required? dutch agonize

by Jeffrey Stalk

Special for the Herald Tribune

Amsterdam - The French have one. So do the Germans and the Belgians. And for years the Dutch have wrestled with the question whether they, too, should issue a national identity card.

The idea of making it compulsory for adults to carry such a document has been rejected in the Netherlands as incompatible with the country’s traditional democratic values.

But a growing number of legislators, citing economic, judicial and political reasons, see a need to adopt some sort of plan for a compulsory identity document.

One reason, officials say, centers on making a “borderless Europe” viable. If the European Community goes ahead with the plans to abolish border controls and obviate the need for passports to travel within the member nations, other means have to be found to learn who is in the Netherlands legally.

5 The Dutch center-left coalition government has ruled out proposals for a national identity card.

“We don’t want a situation here that has happened elsewhere in Europe where the police arbitrarily stop people in the street and ask to see their identity card,” said a spokesman for the Justice Ministry. “It leads to discrimination”.

Britain, Denmark and Ireland are the only other EC member states that do not have identity cards.

The Dutch government is working on a plan for a limited form of obligatory identification. Under a law being prepared, identification would have to be carried in certain situations, such as when applying for a job.

The law would give the police the power to detain suspects briefly if they failed to identify themselves.

10 The absence of any mandatory identification has created a headache for law enforcement agencies. One major nuisance has been people who use public transportation without paying the fare. In Amsterdam alone, it is estimated that the annual loss from this was 10 million guilders (about $5.8 million).

Under present law, someone caught riding a bus or subway without a ticket can be taken to the police station. But if the violator refuses to produce identification, officers have little choice but to release him or her. The same happens to people arrested on a variety of misdemeanor charges, including disturbing the peace at sports events.

A more serious problem has been the people who “work black”, that is, who do not report earnings to the tax authorities. The figure is believed to be considerable, both for legal and illegal residents.

Between 20,000 and 100,000 people are believed to be living and, in many cases, working illegally in the Netherlands. With the fall of communism in the Soviet bloc and the outbreak of warfare in the republics that made up Yugoslavia, the number of illegal residents has swelled. Officials estimate that the sum of 6 billion guilders was lost in tax revenue 2 years ago through unreported income.

The government briefly considered a proposal making it compulsory for all employees to buy a special identity card. The Labor Party, the minority coalition partner, objected to the cost.

15 Nearly everybody in the work force has a driver’s license, said Danielle Cordozo, the Labor spokeswoman, so the government decided a driver’s license was sufficient.

The plan for compulsory identification suffered a setback this week when the Council of State, an advisory body, judged that such a law would discriminate against foreigners and citizens of foreign origin.

But Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin said the law would establish tight controls on when a person must show identification.

I. Getting the Message

After reading the article, choose the best answer for each item.

1. In the past, the Netherlands rejected an ID card because

a. the cost was too high for the government

b. it was against people’s individual freedoms

c. a European card was in use

2. All European Community (EC) countries have ID cards

a. except for the Netherlands

b. except for the Netherlands and three other countries

c. except for the Netherlands and Britain

3. One major use for the ID card in the Netherlands would be to

a. check people selling on the street

b. keep statistics on people who use public transportation

c. check people applying for jobs

4. Some argue that one positive effect of a national ID card could be

a. more money collected in taxes

b. less crime

c. more respect for the law

5. One negative effect could be

a. high costs

b. fewer jobs

c. discrimination against foreigners

II. Expanding Your Vocabulary

A. Getting Meaning from Context

Use context meanings to determine the meaning of each word, found in the paragraph indicated in parentheses. Choose the correct definition.

1. wrestled (1):	fought intensely tried to decide on a difficult issue
2. citing (3):	giving as an explanation for deciding on a place for
3. adopt (3):	approve officially change to suit one’s needs
4. viable (4):	workable competitive
5. obviate (4):	establish eliminate
6. discrimination (6):	good judgement difference in treatment of a group of people in society
7. mandatory (10):	organized required
8. swelled (13):	greatly increased in size slightly increased in size

B. Reading for Suggested Meanings

Answer the questions.

1. In paragraph 2, a national ID is said to be incompatible with the country’s democratic tradition.

a. Does that mean that it fits in with the tradition or that it doesn’t?

b. How can an ID be incompatible with democracy?

2. In paragraph 6, a spokesman says that the country wants to avoid situations where police can arbitrarily stop people in the street. What does arbitrarily suggest about how the police could select people to stop and question?

3. In paragraph 17, what kind of controls are tight controls? Would people who are concerned with individual rights want tight controls?

III. Working with Idioms

Study the meanings of these idioms and expressions

go ahead with (4) = continue with

rule out (5) = eliminate, end

create a headache (10) = create a problem

suffer a setback (16) = have something happen to stop one’s progress

Complete the sentences with the idioms and expressions.

1. The current Dutch government has ___ proposals for a national ID card, although some people in politics see the need for one.

2. The supporters of the national ID card ___ in their efforts when a court ruled against a law making work identification cards necessary.

3. The European Community wants to ___ plan to eliminate “borders” between its members.

4. Not being able to identify people can ___ for police.

IV. Analyzing Paragraphs

The news article describes an issue, presenting both sides. Several of the paragraphs in the article are used to describe the various positions in the debate.

1. One argument against the national ID card is presented in paragraph 6. What is the argument?

2. One argument for the national ID card is presented in paragraph 12. What is the argument?

3. Do paragraphs 10 and 11 present a positive or negative argument? What is it?

V. Talking and Writing

Discuss the following topics. Then choose one of them to write about.

1. What negative effects can a national ID card have? What are its possible positive effects? What is your own personal position?

2. Is there any law being proposed in the country where you live that has caused debate? What is it? What are the positions in debate? What side do you take?

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