Making it Simple

I was browsing the news and my eye caught on the article about immigration efforts in issuing a National ID card in 2010 to all working Americans or for anyone who wants to work in the U.S. It is a bipartisan effort, if passed, will require everyone to carry a biometric card with fingerprints and other personal information on it. I think that this idea is a good one to implement. With all the latest technologies we have, we should have implemented this years ago. Instead of complaining about illegal immigrants, how they take our jobs, and having to put more forces on our border security to avoid the illegal immigrants, we can start issuing these biometric cards to all workers. Whenever we seek employment, we do need to provide proof of eligibility to work in the US by showing our drivers license and/or social security card along with other required documents. If this biometric card can replace all the cards and papers that we carry, then why not implement it?


Many would argue that carrying such a card is like being treated as a criminal because we have to register with the Government. But even if it is not implemented, are we still not in a long leash with our Government? If you want to drive, you need to have a drivers license; want to work, you need workers permit; you need SSN card for other issues; if you work and not file your taxes, Uncle Sam comes after you anyways. So, to avoid all the identifying cards and to replace it with one biometric card is not all that bad. Yes, one might have to register if he or she is not registered for anything like drivers’ license or SSN card while companies and businesses have to install scanners to process the bio card to make it to work. Everything has a learning curve and once we are down the curve, we will be able to function smoothly.


With one simple card, our wallet size might go down. This card will change the face of how to identify ourselves while boarding planes, getting jobs and bank account, getting driving license or anything to do with identifying ourselves. We are doing that anyways with different cards that we carry around and if we are able to replace it all with one single intelligent card, then why not? I hope congress is successful in passing this as a law so that everyone can get one to make our lives simple. This will get our foot inside the doors in avoiding identity thefts, frauds, illegal immigrants, people who overstay their visas and much more. Most of all, this biometric card cannot be forged or altered and would be a modern common sense solution to all the problems we face with identifying ourselves.

Less Time at School

When I read the news on how many schools across the nation are curtailing the school week from five to four days a week, giving Friday off, I could not help but smile. The one person who will be happy with such a change would be my son. For that matter, all kids would be happy to get a four-day week in school rather than five days. But many parents and many people around the nation feel that children are left behind and are getting less education and are considered to be of lesser priority when it comes to budget cuts and job losses. The idea behind this four-day week is to cut down on budget gaps, cut down on job losses in the Schooling industry. By having a day off during the week, schools will save on power, heating/cooling, bus services, providing meals for the children, maintenance/cleaning for that one day.


Presently, schools in Fairfax County have half-day on Mondays. Instead of the current timings, if school days from Monday to Thursday are made longer, Fridays can be off. Technically, students will be missing half day of school which can be compensated by having an hour extra on the working days. With the latest technologies we have like Internet and Blackboard, which is used in schools, students can be given homework and materials that they can read and work on, on Fridays. I have seen this at work during the snow storm we had a month ago and when schools were closed for more than a week. My son did not miss any school work during those days when schools were closed. Taking this step and making it bigger to implement on Fridays would not be a bad idea.


Before you start pointing your fingers at me to say that schools and children’s education are considered a lesser priority in these difficult economic times, think about the situation and solution for a minute. Students are not losing anything in terms of the education that they receive and it is accounted for. What they will be missing is a meal and play time on Fridays. When we have a bigger situation of closing budget gaps and staving off layoffs in schooling system, I think we can all pull this individual load of dealing with Fridays off. Many might think that they would have to deal with day cares on the day off. Nowadays many employers allow the option of working from home or working extra hours on other weekdays and taking Fridays off. If the government is making it a rule to have Fridays off for schools, then they can certainly do something about working parents working their situation out with their employers. Most European countries have four day work week and have Fridays off (making it a 3-day weekend), so it is about time that we in the USA start looking at that option.