Instead of just bucking up to it you have become a defensive dolt, only burying yourself in that hole.

Even a cursory read of Schneier’s blog talks about a future “next phase” with a price tag in the future.

The fact here is that the system did not in fact cost $10b, it will cost that over the next 10 years. That is a far cry from the misleading and false way you use your statistics.

Yes, people like I and security expert Bruce Schneier are really just terrible liars. See here where Schneier puts the next phase of the program’s cost at $15 billion.

you are not substantiating your argument at all by then quoting things like the following: “But that’s just the start… could eventually cost up to $10 billion.”

“the 10-year price tag of as much as $10 billion”

“Officials estimate the system could cost up to $10 billion and take a decade to build.”

Your argument doesn’t hold water. It is misleading at best and pure fabrication at worst. You mention that the 2 finger system doesn’t work. There again a pure fabrication. That system has a minimum of 80% accuracy rate. A far cry from ‘not working’.

If you’d taken the time to check out the links, you’d have found the $10 billion figure.

Wein’s paper is one of the first produced outside of the U.S. government to be concerned with this important issue. “There’s no excuse for a $10 billion program to settle for performance levels below 95 percent in all cases, and it’s my hope that the government will move quickly on this,” he says.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050516192544.htm

There are several other articles citing the $10 billion cost which can be found after searching at Google under the terms “$10 billioin” and “US-VISIT”.

The Homeland Security Department on Monday announced a potentially $10 billion deal over the next five years with Accenture for a new program to track foreign visitors entering and exiting the United States, but one key Democrat expressed skepticism.

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0604/060104tdpm1.htm

Accenture Awarded US-VISIT Contract. A U.S. corporation based in Bermuda will receive more than $10 billion from the Department of Homeland Security to build US-VISIT, a massive government surveillance system that tracks visitors to, within, and from the United States.

http://epic.org/privacy/us-visit/

Officials estimate the system could cost up to $10 billion and take a decade to build.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43276-2004Oct18.html

The program cost $380 million in 2003 and will cost at least the same in 2004. But that’s just the start; the Department of Homeland Security is requesting bid proposals for a project that could eventually cost up to $10 billion.

http://www.schneier.com/essay-026.html

That body, which oversees all the funding for Homeland Security, took umbrage — not, as might be expected, at the 10-year price tag of as much as $10 billion, or at the doubtfulness of success in an area of technology full of recent mishaps — the FBI botching the identification of a faxed fingerprint from the Madrid train bombings being just one example.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/07/03/maccount03_ed3_.php

I don’t have time to through the other 5000 hits.

As far as logical relationships, why do you suppose the system was altered? Certainly there is a reason that this change took place. I mean I admit that government officials do often appear to do things for no apparent reason, but usually they offer a reason.

My suggestion is to point to a substantial study that was done to show the system was very flawed and that all ten fingers should be fingerprinted? That’s not reasonable? After all that’s exactly what the new system does, take all ten fingerprints.

What’s your alternative theory? Why did they change the system?

“Although no one is saying so, this must be a result of that study.”

There is no logical relationship at all here. How in the world can you really state that the US, with the best minds in the world will be swayed by this article? Think about this: 90% of the people using the system will be fine with normal readings of their index fingers. Do you think that the terrorists will not be checked thoroughly? They do have a computer hooked up there ya know, and that does have a database of names to cross reference.

“The system in America cost $10 billion dollars”

Where did you get this figure? It looks like you pulled it out of your arse. The entire budget for the INS offices within the US is capped out at only $26.4 million, and that is for those same immigrants. Sure the airports need to deal with tourists as well, but they aren’t going to cost an extra 9.75 billion.

Your arguments are poor and your facts lacking.

Leave it to the liberals to put a price on freedom…

</sarcasm>

Fastforward 25 years from now, some data base will exist containing each living person’s finger prints (all 10), iris, shopping habits, walking habits (CCT security camera software now testing this in England), blood type, address, tel. number, bank info, relatives, etc. etc.

Now the big question….who is in control of all this information, and what happens when (and it will) fall into the wrong hands?

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