Give phony info to Homeland Security — “here’s your passport!”

Published on March 14th, 2009

Daylife/AP Photo

A congressional investigation has exposed gaping holes in security eight years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, a government report says.

An investigator used a false identification to obtain a U.S. passport and then used the passport to get an airline boarding pass and go through an airport security checkpoint, according to the Government Accountability Office…

Individuals with “even minimal counterfeiting capabilities” can obtain genuine U.S. passports, which can be used to travel overseas, open bank accounts and prove U.S. citizenship, the GAO report says.

In the “most egregious” case, it says, the investigator used the Social Security number of a man who died in 1965 to obtain a Social Security card. In another case, he used the Social Security number of a 5-year-old child and obtained a passport, even though his counterfeit documents and application indicated he was 53 years old…

“State and USPS employees did not identify our documents as counterfeit in any of our four tests,” the GAO report says. The State Department “issued a genuine U.S. passport in each case.”

“All four passports were issued to the same GAO investigator, under four different names,” it says. The tests occurred between July and December of last year.

Do we have to replace absolutely everyone hired by the Feds over the last 8 years?

20 users responded in " Give phony info to Homeland Security — “here’s your passport!” "

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# 1 kjackman said, on March 14th, 2009 at 1:13 pm

Do we have to replace absolutely everyone hired by the Feds over the last 8 years?

It’s not the employees, it’s the system. What motivation exists for workers to improve their performance?

If employees were rewarded with bonuses and promoted on the basis of catching problems in random tests like these, things would improve drastically. But unions won’t allow it. Seniority is all that matters. You work there longer, get paid more, eventually retire at 50 (hopefully) and draw your pension. Quality of work product and efficiency take a back seat.

You can’t even be fired just for doing a crappy job. If you do excel, your co-workers smack you down quick for making them look bad, and you become just another mediocre schmo. Why work hard when the system is designed to punish you for it? Maybe not designed with that end in mind, but it’s a side effect you just can’t get rid of.

# 2 MikeN said, on March 14th, 2009 at 2:02 pm

Good. I don’t think I want the government doing extensive document checks just to let its citizens go overseas. If they were doing their job thoroughly, you would be whining about delays in processing.

# 3 deowll said, on March 14th, 2009 at 2:40 pm

So why the shock? Did anyone think these people were doing a good job?

Scream at the person presently in charge and maybe he will do something about it.

Waste time screaming about somebody that is retired and you might as well be farting.

In fact it more or less amounts to mental fart. Reflex action with brain in off.

# 4 EvilPoliticians said, on March 14th, 2009 at 2:53 pm

“Do we have to replace absolutely everyone hired by the Feds over the last 8 years?”

Don’t be so naive. Government workers have always been the laughing stock of the nation’s workforce. Take a look at the DMV, SSA, Post Office, etc.

# 5 MikeN said, on March 14th, 2009 at 3:46 pm

Instead of replacing, how about you just eliminate the positions, and not hire the hundreds of thousands Obama is planning on hiring?

# 6 Paddy-O said, on March 14th, 2009 at 4:00 pm

No surprise. It has been this easy, or easier since at least ‘89.

# 7 ECA said, on March 14th, 2009 at 5:22 pm

to much paperwork,
NONE of it is cross matched, like BIRTH and death certificate..
NO computerized, reference to STATE licenses..

ALL of which should of been installed and RUNNING 30 years ago..AND SHOULDNT be that hard to get running. EXCEPT that MOST states have 1 MAIN server to control the WHOLE state, including welfare, Motor vehicles, Police, and most other offices..when that server goes DOWN, IT ALL GOES DOWN.

# 8 Mr Diesel said, on March 14th, 2009 at 5:23 pm

Yep, I went from business and consulting to a state government job.

I can safely say that the too many of the workers at my employer are just waiting to collect a pension check. I remember sitting in a meeting tell a bunch of them that so many of the people working here could not make it on the outside…….they were aghast at me even thinking such a thing. Exactly my point.

# 9 Wretched Gnu said, on March 14th, 2009 at 6:10 pm

Please remember that the principle of Bush’s “Homeland Security” strategy was not a careful consideration of facts, evidence and research. It is based solely on the principle of “Lock up the darkies”.

# 10 eaze said, on March 14th, 2009 at 6:53 pm

How bout you guys just get rid of the fed, wouldn’t that solve half your problems?

# 11 airphloo said, on March 14th, 2009 at 8:11 pm

The U.S. is a laughing stock when it comes to identification documents, largely due to our federal system. Yes, there are plenty of deadbeat bureaucrats and automatons running these things but being familiar with all of the thousands of different identity docs out there is not easy. I really think you either toughen up and make some strict national standards with biometrics or you live with this kind of thing. It really just depends on your personal philosophy: is security or privacy more important?

# 12 MikeN said, on March 14th, 2009 at 8:40 pm

People can get by security measures, so do you want to just keep tightening?

# 13 Mr. Fusion said, on March 15th, 2009 at 6:27 am

#5, Lyin’ Mike,

Some days you just blow me away. I can only hope you didn’t mean what you wrote.

Instead of replacing, how about you just eliminate the positions, and not hire the hundreds of thousands Obama is planning on hiring?

If the positions are eliminated, then who will complete the passport process? Then, if there are no passports, how will Americans travel to other countries?

If there is a problem with the current system, how about we fix it instead of getting all poopy on Obama because of the system Bush implemented. Or did you forget that this is another of Bushes messes?

# 14 ECA said, on March 15th, 2009 at 9:17 am

5,
What the F% are you talking about.

There is 1 agency in the USA that can track 90% of the Cits, EASY..
The corps that track your credit scores.

# 15 Mr. Fusion said, on March 15th, 2009 at 9:34 am

#6, Cow-Paddy, Ignorant Shit Talking Sociopath, Retired Mall Rent-A-Cop, Pretend Constitutional Scholar, Fake California Labor Law Expert, Pseudo Military Historian, Phony Climate Scientist, and Real Leading Troll Extraordinare,

No surprise. It has been this easy, or easier since at least ‘89.

Not for those who are honest and play by the rules. But then the Bush Administration “tightened the rules” to prevent terrorists from gaining American identification.

You do remember your idol, George Bush? AKA Jr., Shrub, “W”, Baby Bush, and “The Turd Blossom Butt Kisser”. Your hero that fell to a new record in disapproval ratings at 20% (you do remember how you lied about that one).

And before you blame the current Administration, read the effen article. The test was done between July and December 2008, while your hero was still in office.

# 16 Paddy-O said, on March 15th, 2009 at 10:46 am

# 15 Mr. Fusion said, “Not for those who are honest and play by the rules.”

You’re babbling again. Fraud isn’t attempted by the honest. So, what was your point?

# 17 MikeN said, on March 15th, 2009 at 3:17 pm

I’m talking generally, that the government is hiring too many people, and has too many people right now. The various protections built in make it nearly impossible to lower the workforce.

# 18 Mr. Fusion said, on March 15th, 2009 at 5:14 pm

#16, Cow-Paddy, Ignorant Shit Talking Sociopath, Retired Mall Rent-A-Cop, Pretend Constitutional Scholar, Fake California Labor Law Expert, Pseudo Military Historian, Phony Climate Scientist, and Real Leading Troll Extraordinare,

Fraud isn’t attempted by the honest. Bush is the greatest President ever.

Read my post, idiot. That is exactly what I wrote. This test was using forged documents. The same thing the heightened requirements were designed to halt.

Why do you hate America. I’m sure you could find a new home in some Central American country.

# 19 Paddy-O said, on March 16th, 2009 at 5:40 am

# 18 Mr. Fusion said, “Read my post, idiot.”

Again you don’t have a point. I said that docs have always been easy to forge. You retorted with babble. What was your point.

# 20 Mr. Fusion said, on March 16th, 2009 at 6:30 pm

#19, Cow-Paddy, Ignorant Shit Talking Sociopath, Retired Mall Rent-A-Cop, Pretend Constitutional Scholar, Fake California Labor Law Expert, Pseudo Military Historian, Phony Climate Scientist, and Real Leading Troll Extraordinare,

I’m writing this real slow, just for you.

The Republican Party and President Bush implemented new regulations making it harder to obtain most types of ID.

This was sold to the American people as an effort to thwart terrorism. This test showed how poorly those new regulations are working.

This happened during Bushes Presidency. Bushes and the right wing nut cry to stop terrorism is a sham.

And you are still an idiot.

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