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I don't know why having a passport is such a controversial thing in the US.
Jim B.
Generally, it is not controversial...just among some ideological extremists who kick and scream about anything the government does. Even something as non-controversial as a nominal charge for a passport.
I knew I could take the picture by myself at home. That day I simply wasn't prepared (long story) and didn't feel like going home and then go back.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhotoProIP
Well, those cameras don't cost $12 bucks! They cost thousands of dollars!
I doubt it. The camera in the employee's hands looked cheaper than my own camera. And she took the picture as casually as if I asked someone on the street to take a picture for me. I had expected there would be some sophisticated equipment to be operated (as was usually the case when you take a passport photo at some places), but she took the picture with an very ordinary compact camera. The resulting pictures showed very poor lighting effect, the worst. It doesn't even look like me. Hope I'll pass the custom without causing suspicions.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ssww
I knew I could take the picture by myself at home. That day I simply wasn't prepared (long story) and didn't feel like going home and then go back.
I doubt it. The camera in the employee's hands looked cheaper than my own camera. And she took the picture as casually as if I asked someone on the street to take a picture for me. I had expected there would be some sophisticated equipment to be operated (as was usually the case when you take a passport photo at some places), but she took the picture with an very ordinary compact camera. The resulting pictures showed very poor lighting effect, the worst. It doesn't even look like me. Hope I'll pass the custom without causing suspicions.
True, there is nothing special about the camera itself. The cost is coming from the software and the special cutting apparatus used.
[quote=Jaggy001;39910651]Problem is that you do not have an absolute right to enter another country. And if you don't have a passport they will not let you in.
I travel a couple times to Europe. Flying in Europe is easy as coming back. I have three checkpoint before I enter US.
Tell me about it. Another US govt rip-off. They figure the people who travel around the world must have money, and such a small percentage of Americans get a passport. They think its ok to screw us with outrageous fees.
Um, you do realize that a passport is a legal document, and thus has an official standing - in short, there's documentation involved, verification, and so forth. Plus if passports are lost or stolen, the US has to have a system in place to help stranded citizens, deal with stolen passports, and so on. All of that costs money - it's not a free charity provided for your enjoyment. A passport is not just a pretty little book with a photo in it as you seem to be implying. It's not like you're paying over $100 for a meaningless 4X6 photo at a Rite-Aid or something... and the passport is good for 10 years, meaning you pay less than $20 a year for it.
Some people will complain about anything these days, and they honestly seem to think the government does absolutely nothing but take their money. What a joke.
Generally, it is not controversial...just among some ideological extremists who kick and scream about anything the government does. Even something as non-controversial as a nominal charge for a passport.
Because the US is full of anti-government lunatics.
Some of them won't get a passport because "that's how the government will get yah on the day when they round everyone up for the re-education camps!" I assume they also have no license, no credit cards, no checking accounts, and never pay taxes since those are also ways that they can be identified.
Others, meanwhile seem to think that the evil government is "ripping them off" while having no understanding that processing and handling legal identification documents has a carrying cost, and the price of buying a passport helps cover those costs. They seem to think that a passport should cost as much as a blank notepad and a single photo at the local Wal-mart.
Meanwhile, people with an understanding of the system know why it costs what it does and also realize that the benefits it provides. Not only does it allow you to enter other nations if you want to travel, but it also counts as a single form of ID valid when you're hired at a job, which is handy.
Because the US is full of anti-government lunatics.
Some of them won't get a passport because "that's how the government will get yah on the day when they round everyone up for the re-education camps!" I assume they also have no license, no credit cards, no checking accounts, and never pay taxes since those are also ways that they can be identified.
Others, meanwhile seem to think that the evil government is "ripping them off" while having no understanding that processing and handling legal identification documents has a carrying cost, and the price of buying a passport helps cover those costs. They seem to think that a passport should cost as much as a blank notepad and a single photo at the local Wal-mart.
Meanwhile, people with an understanding of the system know why it costs what it does and also realize that the benefits it provides. Not only does it allow you to enter other nations if you want to travel, but it also counts as a single form of ID valid when you're hired at a job, which is handy.
Oh give me a break, I know exactly how their systems work. Its essentially a database with PII and thats it and thats all. The fact that its a legal identification means nothing at all about the cost of maintaining the system. The fact is that almost everything the government does with monopoly powers like passports it does POORLY and inefficiently. Arent you shocked that they can print credit cards with about the same security for 10 cents a card for infrastructure vastly superior to your passport database which runs on archaic systems?
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