I'm with you in spirit, but I think the threat model they're trying to address is someone passing as you and needing only biometrics or a little personal information to succeed. Maybe your sibling looks enough like you, or someone acquired your ID and then alters their appearance to match. If your one true ID is a single physical token, then this threat is harder to pull off.

This is also why IDs are not accepted when they expire -- if they were accepted, then my underage brother might take my old one to buy beer. I've been in the ridiculous situation of saying "I know my ID has expired, but I assure you I have not. I'm still me."

IDs often are accepted after they expire. The TSA for instance will accept expired driver's licenses for up to a year after the expiration date.