Dave Smith wrote:
> A previous president had a sign on his desk with the motto "The Buck Stops Here". Those bills are
> all discussed in the legislature. The whole law making process can go on for months or even years.
> I really don't think that it is asking too much to have the guy in charge keeping track of what is
> going on.
Truman didn't always live up to his own words but thats besides the
point. The discussion was about reading bills in their entirety, every
one of them. Don't drift off that matter as above if you wish to debate.
> Passports are a pain in the ass, extra hassles and extra cost.
No they are not. I flip mine out and I'm through the line in seconds.
> There are computer terminals at
> every border crossing station that read licence plates, run the owner's name through a data base.
A drivers license provides very little info with regards to immigration
and border issues. It does not verify citizenship.
> Customs and immigration have ready access to international criminal data bases. There is already a
> requirement to have picture. Drivers licences have pictures and identify people.
They do not prove citizenship and are not valid for such proof. They
are not proper identification for international travel.
> Considering the state of electronic data transfer and access to data bases, there really is no need
> for a passport in this day and age. Period.
Databases are great. Now prove who you are. A drivers license does no
such thing. They are state issued without federal standards for
issuance. They do not prove US citizenship.
> OTOH your government can provide moral support, financial and material assistance to the people who
> end up turning on you. But passing a law to require passports for people hoping over the border for
> the day or coming for vacation for a few weeks? It's window dressing, designed to make it look like
> your government is doing something about the terrorist threat.
So no countries should even bother with passports at all? Why is Canada
and Mexico any different? Because of numbers of Americans going back
and forth? Pretty dumb reason to make easier rules than when coming
from elsewhere. |