Thread: Some things just dont make sense

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I dont often rant but here i am up aon my soapbox
Heres a intersting bit of information for both the Canadian and US Residents.
As of June 1st 2008 our borders (both sides)will require you to have a passport or from some states or provinces a secure border pass/integrated drivers licence to travel across the border.
Ill give you some background on myself, I grew up and spent my 1st 20 years living about 40 miles North of the US Border(nearest town in Montana was Plentywood. I have 2nd cousins that i visit plus at one time even had a girfriend on the US side.
I unfortunatly have grown used to crossing the border and dealing with customs on both sides,never had much trouble and didnt get in any trouble, i spent a lot of time in the US
I now live further west and about 90 miles from the US border ,married with 3 kids. Dont travel South to much anymore but maybe once a year well head south for a trip or visit.
Our province at this point in time does not have a integrated licence .
I was looking today into the cost of crossing the line this spring on june 4th Malta Montana has a 1/8 mile strip and we were all going to take my car down there for the weekend.
here is what it will cost me to cross the border now myself my wife and 16 year old son = 303.00 my two younger kids 102.00 total 405.00
Now i am not a cheap guy but we count our pennies cause there are lots of other things that seem to use them up especially with 3 kids.

405.00 to just be able to cross the border just seems bizzare to me even if i stretch it over 5 years it seems to not make sense.
I know that this all has to do with 9-11 and the tightening of our borders but man give me a break, a passport !! just states who you are and what country your from, it doesnt do much more.
All this is going to do is further seperate and alienate the common people who live in these 2 countries.
Am I out to lunch here, give me an opinion

Move to Mexico, you'll need neither a passport or a border pass.

Originally Posted by NTFDAY

Move to Mexico, you'll need neither a passport or a border pass.

hell if you have a gun you can unload it at who ever you want to

We Americans heard you Canadians were plotting to invade Rhode Island..........you're a dangerous lot.

You're right, it doesn't make sense. I understand the need to be more vigilant but this step seems way overboard IMO. And yet we prosecute guys like the one who held illegal aliens from Mexico until the authorities could arrive.

Don

i dont remember any canadians being involved in 911

Originally Posted by HOSS429

i dont remember any canadians being involved in 911

No but as a point of contention, several of the terrorists did originally fly into Canadian airports then cross into the US from Canada. This is one reason why you now need a passport for the crossing. Mexico (official checkpoint crossings ) are now also requiring "certified" documentation when crossing the borders north or south.


Bill S.

I don't know, I still think it has something to do with that Rhode Island takeover..........

Don

If you guys would quit sending your weather down here and your geese would quit downing our planes we would be a little bit nicer to ya'll.. You're lucky we don't declare war on ya,it would save us a lot of money transporting our folks and gear half way around the world..Last time I crossed the border was at Niagra and I decided then and there I would spend the rest of my life south of Canada..I have a few Canadian friends that cross quite a bit and I have not heard of any such fees.. Who is taking the money?? US or Canada??

Well if you think it's much cheaper here, think again. You can get a Passport card for $45 in person (almost an impossible task - unless you don't mind wasting a day) or $20 by mail, but it will take weeks. Better yet, a full passport - and that's $100 in person and $75 by mail. My mail renewal took almost 4 months. Then you add a photo fee of $15 or so.........

I agree with Don, but what concerns me living in Saratoga County, about 15 miles from where we kicked the @#$% out of the Brits in 1777 (Canada is STILL a Commonwealth country) is that another "expeditionary force' will make its' way down Lake Champlain/Lake George, (of course headed towards Rhode Island) and we will have to do another battle.

Originally Posted by IC2

Well if you think it's much cheaper here, think again. You can get a Passport card for $45 in person (almost an impossible task - unless you don't mind wasting a day) or $20 by mail, but it will take weeks. Better yet, a full passport - and that's $100 in person and $75 by mail. My mail renewal took almost 4 months. Then you add a photo fee of $15 or so.........

I agree with Don, but what concerns me living in Saratoga County, about 15 miles from where we kicked the @#$% out of the Brits in 1777 (Canada is STILL a Commonwealth country) is that another "expeditionary force' will make its' way down Lake Champlain/Lake George, (of course headed towards Rhode Island) and we will have to do another battle.

And they will probably send Montgomery cause Cornwallis is probably too old to lead an invasion

hmmm. I heard it was because we tried to give Rhode Island to Canada and they refused to take it???? Maybe we could get them to take Caliphony instead???? Then they'd get Arnold!!!!!

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

.........get them to take Caliphony instead???? Then they'd get Arnold!!!!!

...is that anywhere near Mexifornia???

Oh Mexico has it quirks too. A group of friends from our car club took a trip to Cancun. When they arrived in Mexico, the immigration people neglected to stamp their passports. When they left, they flew from Cancun to Mexico city for a plane change, someplace in Mexico City airport they had their passports checked and without the stamp were declared to be in Mexico illegally! There were 12 of them altogether. In order to proceed home they each had to pay an $85 fine for their transgression! The whole thing took more than 2 hours, and had their pilot not been stuck in traffic they would have missed their flight!

Sorry to hijack your rant, I agree we should have some way to balance security and convenience. I would suggest driver's licenses, but then California wants to give them to illegal aliens. Oh excuse me undocumented aliens......

Pat

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

I don't know, I still think it has something to do with that Rhode Island takeover..........

Don

Don,

Rumor has it Florida is in negotiations to purchase Rhode Island, something about my shoreline

Originally Posted by IC2

I agree with Don, but what concerns me living in Saratoga County, about 15 miles from where we kicked the @#$% out of the Brits in 1777 (Canada is STILL a Commonwealth country) is that another "expeditionary force' will make its' way down Lake Champlain/Lake George, (of course headed towards Rhode Island) and we will have to do another battle.

Won't be much of a battle, we have guns, but we're not allowed to have bullits. How about an arm wrestle, or coin toss? Then we can all take a break and go for lunch!

I've crossed over at the Sarnia ON/ Port Huron MI bridge for years. Had a NEXUS card when the pilot program came into effect a few years back. Has since expired, so I need to get a new one in lieu of of a passport, now that we will have to have something to enter. Ontario issued drivers licences that were supposed to be good for the border crossing, but someone decided against it somewhere along the line. Thanks to some world radicals, we all have to be more vigilant, if this will help curb the crazies, I'll chip in my share. This isn't an us and them senario, we're all "North Americans", we need to have each others back. Sniper