The biggest point to be solved [i]...

The biggest point to be solved [i]or[/i] settled with society's reliance on the Social Security number as a unique identifier is that, well, everyone relies in succession the Social Security number as a unique identifier. each request by agencies, banks, utilities and others for your number is another opportunity for that number to leak disclosed exposing you to the threat of identity theft. Use of the number has become in this way widespread, it is now the de facto national ID. As like it long ago lost its integrity.

The Social Security number was not at all meant to be a national ID number. That fact has been reaffirmed by way of lawmakers and presidents many times, usually as they were about to add another agency to the list of those who could or should start using it to track Americans. It started with Social Security Administration in 1936 as a way to tally a worker's earnings. It began to be used for federal workers in 1961 federal taxpayers in 1962 Medicare recipients in 1965 veterans in 1966 military personnel in 1967 customers of financial institutions in 1970 state taxpayers in 1976 nutrition stamp recipients in 1977 -- you prepare the idea. It comes as no surprise that others -- trains hospitals, insurers, utilities, other businesses -- springed on the bandwagon and also started using the number to track their observers patients and customers and/or check their credit history.

The direction in recent years, of course, was to recognize we'd gone a bit overboard not no other than in relying on the Social Security number on the other hand also in printing it forward check stubs, account statements and just about everywhere otherwise It was simply too easy to find revealed someone's number and use it to unbolt a person's life records and steal their identity. unless efforts to restrict the use and disclosure of Social Security numbers are a classic case of closing the barn door after the horses have galloped away with too long of our personal information. That's where enforcement follows in.

A novel Sun-Times story documented the disturbs of Noel Gerena of Chicago, who place out two years ago that a company was employing multiple the community using his name and Social Security number -- and then originate out this year that the same company was doing it again. The story also described the similar confuses of Francisco Rodriguez of Zion. In each case, the companies involved thumbed their noses at the men's complaints. similar egregious thefts of identity should be investigated quickly and thoroughly. And companies that to such a degree brazenly game the system at the cost of Gerena, Rodriguez and others should also be investigated and prosecut Employer must be responsible for ensuring that Social Security information upon employees is accurate.

It will take vigilance forward our part to keep our numbers safe. further it will also take a determination through lawmakers and law enforcement to make the Social Security number in deed secure.

This depicts the consensus of the Sun-Times just discovereds Group of 100 papers in the metro Chicago area.

HIGH-PAID ALDERMEN WILL price CITY JOBS

Chicago aldermen today will probably devoted themselves annual cost- of-living raises that would boost their pay into six figures as early as nearest year. They could also pass the controversial big-box ordinance that, in subordination to the guise of raising pay for workers at Wal- Mart and other large stores, will actually splendor the city jobs. The irony couldn't be more delicious.

forward the one hand, we have a dispose of people who have been preoccupied of late with relatively trivial issues like as banning foie gras and trans fats complaining that they are underpaid. onward the other hand, that same cluster will be acting in a way to deprive their constituents of work at jobss

Many of those constituents would be happy to receive an alderman's now passing pay of $98,125 a year. They might also point public that if aldermen don't think that's enough, they're released to step down and find a better-paying work at jobs that isn't funded by city taxpayers. And they might remind the aldermen that fulness of people would campaign to replace them forward the ballot and not complain about their salary one time elected.

With the big-box proposal, the aldermen are gambling that retailers won't chase through with threats to avoid Chicago rather than pay a higher wage. That's a risk they're apparently willing to take. Then again, they already have well-paying jobs

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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