[OrsonSmelles]

>RealID requirements

This doesn't invalidate your point, but man it irritates me how many states have chosen to retain a noncompliant ID tier in order to avoid eating costs or raising fees. At least my state offers a full EDL so there's some added value, but it's absurd that the 'default' local ID isn't adequate for domestic air travel.

[ghaff]

There are non-trivial documentation requirements for RealID though. I had to go back in a second time. If someone has no need to fly it’s probably reasonable to offer them a lower bar.

[ahazred8ta]

There's a surprising number of people who do not possess a birth certificate document. Their parents lost it, it got thrown out during an eviction, etc, etc. I've witnessed people at DMV stations who brought in their original birth certificates, but the embossed notary stamp had flattened over the years. It takes time and money to get a replacement. If the non-enhanced IDs didn't exist, these people couldn't get a state id card.

[ghaff]

I have a passport so it's sort of academic, but I'm not sure if I could lay my hands on my birth certificate. I'd certainly have to look through some file cabinets to see if I could find it and who knows if it's an original or not.

For people without a passport, it's extremely easy to have lost a birth certificate at some point over the years. And I honestly have no idea how easy or hard getting a new one issued is from some potentially far away city or town.

[masonic]

>it irritates me how many states have chosen to retain a noncompliant ID tier in order to avoid eating costs or raising fees

That's not why. States like California have dragged their feet for a decade with RealID compliance because they want to keep IDs for people in the US illegally indistinguishable from those for citizens, permanent residents, and others here legally.

[PeterisP]

That's interesting, I can imagine why certain groups would want that but not really why the state itself would want it; and if they would, why can't they just explicitly pass a law granting those people whatever rights they want to grant.

Can you elaborate on this for us non-USA people?