SNIP I talkedwith a LEO lastnight and he said...
We've learned the hard way to never ask cops about the law. Especially, 4th Amendment (search and seizure) and 2nd Amendment. Way too many cops make it up as they go along, or give you a deliberately altered answer to influence your behavior into a manner they desire.
It is important to realize that any given cop is not a person's personal lawyer, meaning it is not the cop's job or function to give out legal interpretations or legal advice.
...why do I see people who say they don't need id?
Hard to say. But, I know of no laws that require a person to carry identity documents on the off chance some cop somewhere wants to see them. This is not the Soviet Union, "Papers, please, comrade." If you are driving, then state law probably requires you to carry a driver's license while driving, but that is not the same as carrying a driver's license because a law requires every adult to always carry identity documents on their person.
There is a distinction between a cop demanding identity and demanding identity
documents. I am talking now about the difference between a cop demanding you tell him your name and address verbally, and a cop demanding your "ID", meaning an identity document like a driver's license or state-issued ID card. In some states, the statutes authorize a cop can demand identity from a citizen under certain circumstances, and may even penalize a refusal.
I know of at least one state statute that requires a citizen to provide an identity document to a demanding cop under certain specific circumstances if the citizen has one of the listed identity documents on his person at the time.
So, when you are reading people who say no ID is needed, they may be speaking about their state not requiring citizens to provide identity to a cop under certain circumstances. Such statutes are sometimes called "stop-and-identify" statutes. You would want to look up the statutes of the state you are concerned about and read it for yourself. One little hitch, though. If there is no such statute, then you could do a lot of reading and hunting. Thus, it doesn't hurt to ask whether such a law exists. On this forum, there is usually enough people in any given state to answer that question. And, if such a statute exists, guide you to it.