Dick Armey salutes Ron Paul PDF Print E-mail
FOR RELEASE: October 15, 1999

Dick Armey salutes Ron Paul Says "good riddance" to the National ID

WASHINGTON, DC -- House majority leader Dick Armey (R, TX) on Thursday offered his congratulations to US Rep. Ron Paul for his leadership in passing legislation to stop a National ID from taking effect next year.
"This is a classic victory of freedom over "Big Brother." Because we acted quickly, no American will have to carry a National ID Card," Rep. Armey said in a statement Thursday. Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Transportation Appropriation for the fiscal year 2000. The measure included the repeal of a 1996 law which would have created a national ID, requiring that after Oct. 1, 1999, no American without such an ID would be allowed to board an airplane, purchase a handgun, receive federal benefits or get a job.
"A national driver's license with 'biometric identifiers' or social security numbers is more suited to a police state than to a free country. It took three years of hard work, but we finally laid this disturbing idea to rest. I especially want to salute Reps. Frank Wolf (R-VA), Ron Paul (R-TX), and Bob Barr (R-GA.) and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) for their leadership on this issue."
Rep. Paul said he was grateful for the support he had been shown during the process by his colleague, Rep. Armey.
"While this is a great victory, we still have much to do to protect the privacy of Americans," said Rep. Paul. "I look forward to working with Mr. Armey as we continue to defend liberty and the principles of constitutional government."
Rep. Armey said he joined other Americans in saying "good riddance to the National ID Card."