Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Not too long ago, the American passport was the GOLD standard of documents for entering the USA and just about anywhere in the world.
But a few years ago, the government started UPSELLING people. Now, anyone with "just a passport" is waiting at the back of the line !!
Look at all the junk they are trying to sell you now:
U.S. Passport 'Cards'
Enhanced Driver's Licenses
Global Entry
NEXUS
SENTRI
FAST
That's right, all these people get to go in FRONT of you.... UNREAL! And yes there is a charge for all of them.
Oh, and guess what. Some people are even being DENIED the above "extras" (for example because they have a 30 year old misdemeanor that has NOTHING to do with customs or with national security !!). Apparently these matters are done in SECRET and don't need ANY justification?!
I think American freedom is going down the toilet, and we are becoming just a bunch of SHEEP !
Where are these instances whereby some one with a valid US passport is being shunted to the back of the line, What line?,as i'm not seeing it when i cross the border with my car or when i take a flight somewhere.
Don't hold your breath waiting for any clear cut examples, from the OP. This is just another example of a rant, with no actual facts to back it up.
I had to smile at the idea that a US passport is somehow special. It isn't. It is a document issued by a Government, identifying one of it's citizens. No more, no less.
Where are these instances whereby some one with a valid US passport is being shunted to the back of the line, What line?,as i'm not seeing it when i cross the border with my car or when i take a flight somewhere.
Passports holder are not send the "back" of the line, But some of the other listed do get a Separate "Express" line at airports.
So in effect the passport holder are Sort of in the back of the line, as they given some resources to the Express line.
When i return from the USA and am sitting in line at the border i see cars going through the Nexus lane, i dont view it as me being a devalued citizen just that these Nexus users probably cross the border much more frequently than i do and are paying a price for the convenience of using the Nexus card. big deal.
IMO our op is totally over reacting to a non existent problem.
Three of the things he listed are the same. SENTRI, NEXUS and Global Entry. SENTRI/NEXUS are the same program one for Mexico, one for Canada. Both of those also grant you access to Global Entry.
Enhanced drivers licenses and passport cards are for the 70% or so of the US population that will never get a passport, but it will allow them to cross into Canada/Mexico/US Departing and concluding cruises.
Exactly, jambo101 and mikeyyc. Anyone who things an enhanced driver's license or a passport card comes with special privileges that passport holders don't also have doesn't know what he or she is talking about. And while NEXUS, SENTRI, and Global Entry DO allows faster re-entry into the US, anyone can apply to those programs; most folks don't, though, simply because they don't travel internationally often enough to justify the costs.
I still use my passport at home, instead of my State ID, since my ID has a 6-year-old address on it that I never bothered to change.
Even the passport fee is more than a dollar a month, for a document issued by the US government granting citizens to exercise their natural right to travel, which makes it no different than a poll tax.
I think that your "natural right to travel " stops at the point of entry to any other country..... If you don't have the appropriate travel documents ( a passport for instance ) they are going to send you back home, that day .
By the way, a US passport does NOT belong to you. It is the property of the US Government, and if you actually read the inside pages of yours, you find that clearly spelled out in print. Many people don't know that fact.
I think that your "natural right to travel " stops at the point of entry to any other country..... If you don't have the appropriate travel documents ( a passport for instance ) they are going to send you back home, that day .
By the way, a US passport does NOT belong to you. It is the property of the US Government, and if you actually read the inside pages of yours, you find that clearly spelled out in print. Many people don't know that fact.
Jim B.
The government has experimented with placing RFID chips within passports. All new passports have them but are supposedly pretty much hacker proof. Do I trust them? No.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
big deal.
