Its got to be the IT equivalent of sports arenas (heretofore the most infamous boondoggle as a jobs creator/economic engine) - lets have a 100k sq ft thing consume far more power than 10-20 100k sq ft office parks, and we got TWO HUNDRED jobs to show for it. Fantastic.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act is your Friend. It is enforced by the FTC. Your employer has to get your consent to obtain the information. So refuse the consent. If they fire you, you might be able sue them for breach of contract, assuming they didn't tell you of the requirement prior to employment, or the requirement is unreasonable. You'll need a lawyer. Here are some useful sites: http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcra.htm http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs16-bck.htm http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/money/fair-cred it/fair-crd.htm