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In Reply to: Re: Thought-provoking quotation posted by Alan on October 02, 2003 at 04:17:55:
The immigrations department, municipality registration service and the police department could very well be centralized and one and the same, as is typical of many European countries. In some European countries registration service is even done by the church! In many countries including the USA, you cannot hold a job or open bank account or get a social security no. without a proper residential address (even if it is a c/o address) so they can send you your statements and tax papers. Should you be homeless, it entitles you to immediate help and attention. Once registered, your I.D. enables you to do anything from renting DVDs to having a telephone subscription. If you are registered as living too far from where you work, you may be entitled to benefits in the form of subsidies or discounts for transportation. Should you default on your bills, they know how to find you. That kind of big-brotherism is quite acceptable for me at least.
