Well, we finally have a law that cracks down on deadbeat dads. There is only one problem the new law forces every U.S. employer to help the federal government build a database to enforce child-support payment. Consequently, even if you are not a deadbeat, or even a parent, you will now be tracked by a government database for the rest of your life.

Through the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, employers must report the name, Social Security number and ages of every new employee within 20 days. This data is matched against an existing federal deadbeat dads database which tracks all citizens owing child support.

But what is the big deal about another government database? Our income is already tracked by the IRS, and we must not allow child support to go unpaid. The question is, is this measure truly necessary to that end?

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To begin with, there is no need to set up a new database, as existing IRS and criminal databases are sufficient. However, unlike the IRS database which only has your name, Social Security number and year-total earnings, the new database will track you from job to job and monitor your assets and debts. Equally important is the fact that government information is frequently and illegally sold to private investigators, journalists and insurers. The more information the government has, the more can fall into the wrong hands.

According to the new law, even if you pay child support but have never missed a payment, every future employer of yours will be informed of your obligation. Most importantly, this law grants governmental power to stop you from getting a job if you miss a payment.

But shouldn’t deadbeat dads be punished? Absolutely but how does the government expect someone to pay child support if it denies them employment?

This law treats Americans as if we were criminals, and it is not alone. Several states and a recent federal pilot program would require us to be fingerprinted upon renewing our drivers’ licensees just in case we commit a crime. Politicians who support these types of laws supply lofty motives such as protecting children or preventing crime, but in the end everyone pays the price. These laws are merely an example of burning down the barn to kill the rats, and sound more appropriate for a totalitarian government than a free nation.

Perhaps I am overreacting. After all, it is only a little financial information and a few fingerprints, right? But this trend shows no signs of stopping. The government has already authorized a pilot program for a national ID card compatible with biometric identifiers such as voice analyzers and retina scanners.

Part of what makes a free country possible is that the government does not know every aspect of your life. These types of laws chip away at our freedom and privacy, and if left unchecked, you may leave for work one morning and wind up in jail because you left your papers on the dresser.