Here we go again!

Travel in and out of Canada! Are we or are we not going to need a passport to enter or leave Canada this year. I thought starting in January of 2008 we would need a passport to enter Canada. I just was reading an article about our local Michigan Representative Bart Stupak that is sponsoring a bill that would NOT require
PHOTO I. D. much less passport. My post office has set up a table with applications, pens etc. in lobby in order to apply for passports. I can't believe people are going to have to purchase a passport for $100 +/- to run back and forth over the Canadian border to buy a half dozen pasties or a tank of gasoline or a pack of cigarettes. I have friends that live in Port Huron and go back and forth to Sarnia for hockey school. Are all those kids going to have to buy a passport for $100??? I want to go to the "Return to Trenton" rally this summer and $100 extra cost will affect my decision to go or not. Thought I'd start a thread.

last I heard (unofficial) is that the date after which passports are required has been pushed back to '09 sometime. That same unofficial source indicated that the border guys want you to have one and sometimes delay folks travelling on a license and birth certificate. I think the State Department web site should have the current rules.

I agree, $100 is significant money to a great many people. Legislators tend to be people of wealth and don't seem to realize such things. If I were the philosopher-king, I'd have two levels of passport, the regular one and a cheap (or free) one good only at land borders, i.e. Canada and Mexico.

Do you suppose anyone ever even considered such a solution?

John

I believe the passport requirement only applies to commercial air travel to and from Canada and Mexico. I do think possession of a passport is not a bad thing. It does last 10 years unless you are a child. It will cost considerably more if you need one for emergency travel. What if your boss calls and says we would like you fly to Cancun for a week for the company in two weeks!

Scam Alert

You can get a Passport Card starting February for

$40 if you do not currently have a passport
$20 if you currently have a passport

But all of this is a SCAM!

There are thousands of miles of rivers, lakes coastline and land totally unguarded where one can just walk, row or swim across. I live near the border. Passports will not increase homeland security.

So why all this fuss? It's another way to squeeze money out of you and me and build the homeland security empire. Full passport implementation is being delayed until 2009 so that cooler heads may prevail in just about a year.

Another alternative is secure drivers licenses which some states like
Vermont are working to implement.

I fully agree with Grasslander about passports- you never know when the need for one will come up! Good to have in case of unforeseen international travel.

John Brase said:

last I heard (unofficial) is that the date after which passports are required has been pushed back to '09 sometime. That same unofficial source indicated that the border guys want you to have one and sometimes delay folks travelling on a license and birth certificate. I think the State Department web site should have the current rules.

I agree, $100 is significant money to a great many people. Legislators tend to be people of wealth and don't seem to realize such things. If I were the philosopher-king, I'd have two levels of passport, the regular one and a cheap (or free) one good only at land borders, i.e. Canada and Mexico.

Do you suppose anyone ever even considered such a solution?

John

Click to expand...

The government is coming out with a passport card for $45 and is good for travel to Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean for land or water travel. Any air travel into and out of the country still will require a passport. Passports are good for ten years for adults and five years for children. All liberals are now on a do not fly list effective immediately.

Ok, the last sentence was a wish but the rest is correct.

And by the way, Passports are the only thing you need for identification to start a new job. My best advice is get one even if you don't plan on traveling.

The_Veg said:

I fully agree with Grasslander about passports- you never know when the need for one will come up! Good to have in case of unforeseen international travel.

Click to expand...

I have a passport was required to have a passport because of lots of unplanned travel.

But to Canada? A neighbor? Consider the thousand of people who cross each day just in Northern NY and VT? And I understand the great Southwest also has its share of border crossings.

In my hood that $100 passport fee is doing little other than discouraging what used to be local travel. And that $100 is supposed to be in the name of greater border security?

By all means - Get that passport for international air travel! But that passport will not buy homeland security.

Passport

This week I drove in and out of CN. The people without passports waited an hour the people with passports 12 minutes. Your call.