Quote Originally Posted by andyt
I can name a country that tried to self correct, The Soviet Union. Or maybe they just imploded.
Maybe a national identification card and microchips are a little 1984ish. But I don't think that a tamper proof (or very hard to duplicate) Social Security card is too much to ask for.
The Soviet Union imploded with help from the US. There was no conscious will of the people to change the political structure (at least not in Russia). The Union simply went broke and was unable to continue to maintain its satellite states. It had to restructure before people started starving and revolted.

As for a secure SSN, what good does it do if you can have one for the asking?