Dept. of Homeland Security has me confused About This Page:

[krisk11]

DD & I just recently applied for passports since it won't be long before we have to have them. The story Section1guy told was funny because the last time I crossed the border into Canada it was the other way around. We were on a bus and the Canada guys come on and asked where we were going. Someone said a hockey tournament and they said good luck and left. A few days later when we were coming back into the USA everyone had to get out their drivers licenses and their kids birth certificates. It took much longer to get back into the US then it did to get out.

[Dave Marx]

There's some, shall we say, tension between some members of congress and the current administration (isn't there always, no matter what congress and what administration?). So, you've got DHS (part of the administration) with the legal responsibility to make things more secure... naturally they'll encourage folks to get their passports sooner than later. Every time a traveler upgrades to a passport from a photo ID-plus-birth certificate, DHS's job gets a bit easier, and they can focus on other problems. That doesn't change, regardless of the current letter of the law.

Meantime, (and let's separate the Real ID program, which is for domestic travel, from passport requirements, which are an international travel issue...) there's concern from legislators in some border states that overly-restrictive (or overly-expensive) requirements on what had been an open border will hurt business in border towns, and they're also showing concern for the cost of the passport to the consumer. These are not invalid concerns, but I wonder whether those concerns should override concerns for the security of the nation as a whole.

At the moment, DHS and the State Dept. can't be sure what congress will do next. They've had a series of congressional mandates to get this done, and several mandates to apply the brakes and make modifications. Originally, it looked like DHS and State weren't going to be able to meet the original congressional deadlines. Now, it seems to be the other way around.

I understand that passports aren't cheap to get. I'm also sure they're not cheap for the governement to produce. However, since they're good for 10 years (for adults) and 5 years (for kids), one hopes folks will get more than a little value out of them. When you think about it, they're no more expensive than two days admission to a Disney park. In return, you get 10 (or 5) years admission to the world and free re-admission to the U.S., once your travels are done.

Yes, you can save about half the cost of a passport by getting the new passport card, but since that's only good for land/sea border crossings from the immediate neighborhood of the U.S., and you can't turn them in for upgrade to a full-fledged passport (like you can a Disney park pass), I think it's a penny-wise solution. It was always meant for daily commuters, not vacationers, and I think that's still the way we have to look at it.

To me, the best of all possibile worlds is a world without borders. It should be as easy to visit the real world as it is to visit the countries of Epcot's World Showcase. The more people travel to other places and learn first-hand of other cultures, the easier it is for all of us to respect each other as people. However, we've also been reminded all too violently that we don't live in that world yet.

It's clear that at this time, a significant percentage of Americans want greater border security, not less. And let's not lose track of a key point here... These new passport requirements are not due to other countries increasing their requirements, but of the U.S. increasing its requirements for entering the country. Prove your identity (whether as a citizen of the U.S., or of another country), or you're not getting in.

If we're going to travel across borders (as I certainly hope folks will), then at the moment, we have a higher cost to pay. I'd rather see folks pay that higher cost than not travel at all.

[GoofyMom]

A little off-topic, but.... American passports are only $100 AND they're good for TEN years!!!?? I completely understand that's an expense that everybody would like to avoid paying on a border crossing that previously would have cost nothing, but yeesh! Mine cost me $90 and it's only good for 5 years. $10 a year is a really good deal.

Closer to being on topic -- I really wasn't happy about the initial expense when we had to get passports (DS has not used his since so $90 for one trip was pretty ouchy) but I totally don't regret any of us having them. My only international travel has been to the States. It's been required for my past 4 or 5 air crossings, but we've used it for land crossings and it has made those unbelievably simpler than the old driver's license/birth certificate way.

[chezp]

[quote=GoofyMom;1921969]A little off-topic, but.... American passports are only $100 AND they're good for TEN years!!!?? I completely understand that's an expense that everybody would like to avoid paying on a border crossing that previously would have cost nothing, but yeesh! Mine cost me $90 and it's only good for 5 years. $10 a year is a really good deal. quote]

It's an interesting point you make Donna - just for comparison, we pay £63 (about $120) for 10 years.