YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK:

As many as 26.5 million veterans were placed at risk of identity theft after an intruder stole an electronic data file this month containing their names, birth dates and Social Security numbers from the home of a Department of Veterans Affairs employee, Secretary Jim Nicholson said yesterday. . . .

The theft represents the biggest unauthorized disclosure ever of Social Security data, and it could make affected veterans vulnerable to credit card fraud if the burglars realize the value of the data, one expert said.

“In terms of Social Security numbers, it’s the biggest breach,” said Evan Hendricks, publisher of the Privacy Times newsletter and author of the book “Credit Scores and Credit Reports.” “As long as you’ve got that exact Social, most of the time the credit bureaus will disclose your credit report, and that enables the thief to get credit.”

This kind of thing is why I’m not impressed with calls for a National ID. Of course, it’s also why I’m not impressed with credit bureaus.