We thought one of the reasons for having a government and a system of laws was to make the lives of the citizens better. The Minnesota Senate whiffed on that Monday when it voted down the Real ID bill on a largely party line split.

Democrats in the Senate opposed the bill because it doesn’t provide Real ID drivers licenses for people who are in the country illegally. Gov. Mark Dayton has said this should be part of any Real ID bill he would sign, but Republicans in the House left it out in the version they passed in late February.

Five Republicans also voted against the bill because of the “Big Brother” factor. They fear the idea of the federal government getting its hands on people’s personal information that would be included in the Real ID application. We’re not sure what information is on the application that the government doesn’t already have in its data banks.

We don’t see the wisdom in issuing legal government documents to people who are living here illegally. Part of the reason for the federal government’s enhanced ID requirements is to make it harder for people in the country illegally, who are trying to harm this country, to get the kind of documents they need to move around the country freely and board airplanes like the 9-11 terrrorists did.

If Minnesota doesn’t have a Real ID license program by January 18, Minnesotans will need to have a passport to board a domestic flight, or enter a military facility. It will be an unnecessary hassle for those who travel. Legislators should be trying to remove the hassle of living, not adding to it.

The legislature should pass a Real ID bill that provides drivers licenses for those who qualify, and who are legal residents of the state. It can take up the issue of whether to add illegal residents later, instead of holding the rest of the citizenry hostage.