Circular

Identity is a funny thing. I know who I am, and my friends and family know who I am. But nothing will really prove that I am the person who doesn't like balloons and studies chemical engineering and likes to bake, and the government and other official organizations don't really care about that. They just want to see "proof" that I am Rachel Bohman/Reddoch (I was going to try to change my name today, but it's kind of snowy. And who wants to go out in the snow? Not me.)

Asking for proof runs into circular reasoning. There are a few types of generally accepted IDs. I have my passport, my driver's license, my social security card, and my birth certificate. Some people have military IDs, government IDs, or naturalization records, but those don't apply here. And I'm sure people who have them run into the same problems I do.

To get my passport, I needed my birth certificate and driver's license. To get my driver's license, I needed my social security card and passport. To get my social security card, which I lose frequently, I needed my driver's license and birth certificate. I suppose the thinking is that if you have any two of the four, you are who you claim to be. If you don't, you have to resort to "secondary documents" (insurance card, school/employee ID, credit cards, etc.).

I understand their concern, but I think at this point I should just be able to show my passport for everything. It proves I have a driver's license and birth certificate, which proves I have a social security card. Think of the bureaucracy we could save. If that doesn't convince you, think of the time waiting in line we could save. And that's something we can all get behind.