Not Enough Takers on "Real ID"?

A few years ago, the FedGov rolled out "Real ID".  The program was controversial from the get-go.

...Real ID driver’s licenses have stars on them, but otherwise look like the license you already have. The difference is the privacy you must surrender; to get one, you have to produce original birth certificates, Social Security cards, proofs of residence, and information confirming your lawful status in the U.S.

Such requirements may sound like they boost security, but the opposite is true. New security risks are created when people submit more identification into databases searchable by a government already surveilling our calls and digital communications. Real ID provides new ways for hackers and terrorists to steal our identities, and for governments to discriminate against us....

That's from the San Fran Chronicle, not a right-wing/racist/homophobe outfit.  That didn't matter to Jim Sensenbrenner who loves the program, along with his love for more Government Spying in the "Patriot Act."  But we digress.

As it turns out, a lot of people don't want "Real ID."

The Department of Homeland Security is once again delaying the deadline for air travelers to have a Real ID in order to fly.

The original deadline was October of 2020, but it's now been pushed back to May 3 of 2023 due to the pandemic.

Homeland Security estimates that only about 43-percent of state-issued drivers licenses and IDs are Real ID compliant.

Umnnnhh......"due to the pandemic"?  Nope.  The pandemic did not affect driver license renewals at all.  

It ain't "the pandemic."  It's a big FU to Panopticon State.