They did not want it to become a national ID card.

I laminated my card because it was flimsy. It's still OK over 40 years later. My card has the following words on it:

   FOR SOCIAL SECURITY
   AND TAX PURPOSES --
   NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION

time has passed

Yes you are right. That ship sailed way back in 1972 when the SSA removed those words.[1]

[1] https://www.ssa.gov/history/hfaq.html