For the millions of Americans that become victims of identity theft each year, restoring their credit and canceling their credit cards and bank accounts can be a daunting and overwhelming task.

But unlike other Western countries, there is little help that the federal government offers them.

"We haven’t created a government office (for identity theft) like you have in European or other Western countries, like New Zealand or Canada," said Evan Hendricks, editor of Privacy Times, a newsletter based in Washington, D.C. "They have a privacy commissioner that can give you help. But we don’t have that in the U.S."

The federal government has given grants to nonprofit organizations such as the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse that helps victims directly, but all they can do is walk a person through the process of restoring their credit.

"(The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse) can only do so much. They can't really take over your case and make sure that it is handled," said Hendricks.

States Overwhelmed

In Canada, there is a government organization called Phonebusters that is managed by the Ontario Provincial Police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Competition Bureau of Canada. It is the central agency that deals with identity theft complaints.

Victims of identify theft in the U.S. are usually directed to their county or state attorney general.

"(Law enforcement agencies) are funneling their victims to the attorney general, all into one agency, and they are overwhelmed," said Robert Siciliano, chief security analyst for www.oneyou.com, a Web site that protects consumers from identity theft. "And the (attorneys general) are saying, 'Call the Identity Theft Resource Center, call another nonprofit,' which are also overwhelmed."

The biggest reason there is no central government agency dealing with identify theft in the U.S. may be that Americans are simply less trusting of centralized government than citizens of other Western countries.

"There has been legislation proposed in the past, but it’s from the Reagan years, it was, 'Oh, that’s just more government,'" said Hendricks. "As opposed to looking at reality, which is a low-budget office that provides a tremendous help."

Would National ID Card Help?

President George W. Bush did enact the Identity Theft Task Force in 2006, but outside of educating the public and law enforcement and examining what safeguards the government can implement in the future, there is not much direct assistance provided.

Siciliano said a national identification card with a biometric identifier, such as a fingerprint or eye scan, would put a halt to most identity theft but is unlikely to happen because Americans would view it as intrusive.

"It all goes back to the day that we started dumping barrels of tea into the Boston Harbor. We've been fighting authority since day one," said Siciliano. "And our immediate response to authority is to disagree."

Bush in 2005 signed the REAL ID Act into law, which established new national standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards.

The law required states to enact the new requirements by May 2008 or people living in that state would not be able to legally drive, collect Social Security, enter a federal building or use the services of a bank or airline. The Department of Homeland Security recently extended the deadline to Dec. 31, 2009.

The law has been met with resistance from many state governments.

Maine passed a law rejecting the provisions of the REAL ID Act. After being told by the Department of Homeland Security on April 1 that Maine residents would be required to use a passport to board a commercial aircraft after May 11, Maine Gov. John Baldacci vowed to submit legislation that would comply with the REAL ID Act and his state became the last one to receive the extension.

The public is generally unaware of the law because it was passed with little media publicity or debate in Congress because it was quietly attached to the 2005 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, the Global War on Terror and Tsunami Relief.

"(The REAL ID Act) will not address our real vulnerabilities. It will, however, make us much less free," said Rep. Ron Paul on the House floor in 2005. "In reality, this bill is a Trojan horse. It pretends to offer desperately needed border control in order to stampede Americans into sacrificing what is uniquely American: our constitutionally protected liberty."

While it is impossible to know what the Founding Fathers would think of the security issues facing Americans today, it is reasonable to assume that at least one of them would be utterly opposed to the REAL ID Act.

"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security," Benjamin Franklin once said.

Considering the challenges the REAL ID Act has encountered, it seems unlikely that national ID cards containing biometric information will become reality in the near future.

But would an ID card containing biometric information mean that Big Brother is here and the clocks are striking 13? Our closest military and cultural ally, the United Kingdom, does not seem to think so.

In response to fears of terrorism and identity theft, the U.K. government passed the British Identity Act of 2006, which will require all adults living in the UK to have a national ID card that contains 49 pieces of personal information, including biometric information.

"A secure national database linking basic personal details to unique biometric information will strengthen, not erode, civil liberties by protecting individual identities," said British Home Secretary Charles Clark when the law passed.

Siciliano said he cannot imagine any biometric national ID card bill being passed in the U.S. in the foreseeable future.

"Americans don't think intelligently about these things. We're a society of people that aren't plugged into reality. Our biggest concern is Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. We don't think clearly, and we've got issues," said Siciliano.

He also said he finds it ironic that the same citizens that say they want to hold onto their privacy at all costs will give out all of their personal information at the drop of a hat.

"People don’t want privacy. They want convenience. If they wanted privacy, they wouldn’t give out all of their information for 10 percent off at a shoe store," said Siciliano. "They want cheap goods. They want their day to be easy, happy, fun and cheap. They don't want security or privacy. They don't know what they want. They're like cattle."