National ID A Contrast Analysis Essay

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Woellert, however, quickly establishes her credentials as an objective observer by recounting the state of the union and admitting a climate of fear and anxiety. She does not immediately begin disparaging the opposite point-of-view which she intends to contend. She states the case for National ID cards, and then poses the question: Will they work? No, she says, calmly and clearly -- they will not.

Woellert's standpoint is one of practicality and efficiency. While Magnusson displays the kind of religious belief that technocrats place in Silicon Valley's "next big thing," Woellert sounds the alarm of prudential American thinking: "A national ID card would rip at the fabric of our constitutional freedoms. It would cost billions and be technologically imperfect. Most troubling, it would lull the populace into a false sense of security." Her thesis is clear, palpable, and logical. Magnusson offers mere hyperbole.

Woellert's essay also stays focused on her thesis by showing exactly how such a card would be cost-ineffective, and how it would do nothing to prevent malefactors from (presumably) using the same technology to garner their own false IDs. Magnusson, on the other hand, cannot stick to his argument, which, apparently, is that there is no need to argue since "the

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What such has to do with civil liberties and protection against terrorism is hard to discern. Yet Magnusson includes the information for the sole purpose of promoting the great new technology. Magnusson's argument is not a legitimate response to Woellert's concerns; it is a promotional aid for companies like Oracle Corp. And Gartner Group. Woellert, however, considers her audience, understands its fears and concerns, and levels with it -- not by berating it or abusing its intelligence -- but by supplying available information from credible sources.
In conclusion, Woellert and Magnusson take on the issue of National ID cards in a post-9/11 United States with varying results. While Woellert effectively argues against their dispersal by preparing a reasonable thesis, giving supporting evidence, engaging her audience respectfully and considerately, and acknowledging the counter-points of the opposing argument; Magnusson takes the inefficient stance of one who has no argument to make, admits it, and instead belittles those who would prefer to think the issue has not already be resolved by a technology that has all the answers.

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