10-3-95. Wash Rag: "Employment Database Proposal Raises Cries of 'Big Brother'." Critics say that in its zeal to combat illegal immigration, Congress is steering the nation toward an "Orwellian nightmare," an era of all-knowing federal oversight whereby officials will be able to verify citizenship by using high-tech national identification cards. So far, no member of Congress has openly called for a national ID card, at least by that name. Rep. Bill McCollurn (R-Fla.) said he intends to offer an amendment on the House floor to create a "more secure" Social Security card with a photo, a hologram and "perhaps a biometric identifier." Microchip technology can make ID cards especially intrusive. According to an analysis by the Cato Institute, one newly patented ID card can hold a photo and 1,600 pages of text. Another identification system developed by a major defense contractor consists of a microchip the size of a grain of rice that can be implanted under the skin with a syringe and read with a scanner. ZIT_pus (7 kb)