Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has unveiled Real ID, a standardized system for states to issue tamper-proof identity cards and driver's licenses. This marks an important advancement to plug some of our nation's worst vulnerabilities.

Contrary to popular assumptions, Real ID is not a national identity card. The program is designed to make states abide by uniform federal procedures to protect identification cards and driver's licenses from being counterfeited. Some states already are doing it.

Security features include embedding a tiny filament and holograms to make license forgeries nearly impossible. It means criminals will have one less tool to steal your identity. Terrorists, like the hijackers who used fake IDs to carry out the 9/11 attacks, won't have it so easy the next time. Illegal immigrants will face new hurdles trying to disguise themselves.

States don't have to participate, but, if they don't, their residents will face numerous hassles once deadlines for compliance are phased in from 2009 through 2017. Without Real ID, travelers won't be able to board domestic airliners or enter federal buildings unless they take a passport with them.

The ACLU complains that Real ID will reduce civil liberties and establish a database for the government to track and monitor Americans. Chertoff says the ID will contain no secret chips or information-storage capabilities. Except for tamper-proof features, the ID will be no different from the driver's license most adults now carry.

Chertoff says the cost — $3 billion — will be about $8 per card, and there will be a one-time hassle of presenting the various documents that prove you are who you say you are.

Texas state Sen. John Carona says the bulk of funding should be Washington's burden, not the state's. Fair point. But Americans can't have it both ways. Like it or not, security is getting tighter and hassles more frequent in the post-9/11 world. Identity theft is a growing, pernicious problem. Illegal immigrants are exploiting the vulnerabilities of our current ID system.

Real ID addresses these problems with what appears to be minimal inconvenience. It might not be perfect, but it's a step in the right direction.