What I'm not willing to deal with is the same fallout because somebody
> else (with the same name) had one of the above issues happen.
> In this respect, a universal ID is a good thing, names simply aren't > unique enough.
Gosh, I love people's naive belief in technology. You know the acronym GIGO, which stands for Garbage In, Gospel Out? That's what Real ID is.
Mixups will still happen, because the people maintaining the files and databases will be the exact same sloppy error-prone people who maintain them today. The cost of getting a fake Real-ID license will continue to be the price of bribing the most corrupt person in some state's DMV. The difference will be that it'll be far harder to get mistakes fixed, because now everyone will know that licenses are perfect, so if the computer says that you are a crook, it must be right and you're just lying.
R's,
John