Passports didn’t stop the 9/11 murderers, so what would be any different ? Much like having a firearm - only the law-abiding among us would truly be affected, monetarily or otherwise. It is a “feel-good” bandaid to a serious problem.

I would like to see parties on both sides of the debate, while debating the issue, attempt to instill a sense of duty upon the public to cooperate with the future policy when this is all settled and decided. The debate has unfortunately raised the levels of cynicism in the public and if the public does not cooperate in the process and get the new ID then commerce will suffer more than it would otherwise have to.

If any of you enjoy Cruise Vacations as I do, you now need a passport to board any cruise ship which docks in the US, and I believe also in San Juan, P.R. This policy has been adopted by all the major cruise lines.

Oddly enough, the only people this affects is of course, Americans and Canadians, who have been able to get over with a photo ID and a certified copy of their Birth Certificate for many years. Everyone else on the planet has needed a Passport or some type of Identity Papers to leave their own country for many years.

And if you’re ever in your life planning on visiting Europe, Asia, the Holy Lands before they glow from Nuclear War, etc…. you’re going to need one anyway.

Believe me, I understand the “Stink” being raised on this issue, and the anticipated whack to an already hurtin’ economy. But outside border areas, which many in WNY don’t venture away from much, you’re not going to get much empathy.

Special Priviliges for people in border towns? Nice if it can get worked out.
People who lived in the old D.D.R. had special papers they had to carry because they lived within 15 miles of the frontier. If you didn’t have them, of course you were a suspect defector. But the special effort was made to identify all those people in a special class.

its that people are lazy and won’t get one at all…which will seriously hurt the cross border economy…

its an unfair burden on border towns…it should be obvious

Maybe fewer lap-dances, fewer cases of shitty Labeeee-yatts, fewer trips “ta da cas-eee-no,” or fewer “fish-frays” for a few weeks and maybe you’ll be able to afford that terribly large sum of $100. Buffaloons are nothing special just because they live on the border with Kanada. And if $100 for an important document (which is valid for 10 years) is a “hardship,” then Barfallo is far more pathetic than even I thought.

As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security.

there is a two letter country code for every country in the world,

cob: us
cit: us

thats all you’d need to add to the license…plus whatever bioinformatics are necessary…