ID CARDS MAY BE NEXT

Big Brother has always sounded sinister. The idea of having a government-imposed identification smacks of human branding or the tattooing of a number on your forearm. But in California, the issue of how to control spending billions of dollars annually on illegal immigrants has brought wide support for ID cards. This is one of the core issues of the Golden State's Proposition 187 on next Tuesday's ballot.

Incumbent Gov. Pete Wilson, a Republican, thinks the ID cards are the only tenable way to control who is entitled to state benefits, if Prop 187 is approved. He supports the proposition, which potentially could cut as much as $3 billion the state spends each year on illegal immigrants. Of California's 33 million population, an estimated 1.7 million are illegal residents.

At issue is whether the illegal residents are entitled to welfare, medical, education and other benefits. Although Wilson's Democratic opponent, Kathleen Brown, opposed Prop 187, she supports the ID cards for Californians.

This is a tough social issue, one which voters in that state will have to give serious consideration. One thing to keep in mind is that all residents of the state, not just illegal residents, would be required to carry the permanent ID cards. And if it happens in California, other states may consider such a move. Is this the brave, new world?