Yeah, when I saw the headline I thought "wait a minute, a fee was just announced" but apparently, as is so typical with this administration, they changed their minds and jacked it way up.

BUT, we've been told for years now that we'll need either a Real ID or passport so it seems that people have had plenty of time to get that taken care of.

I am so bad, I will happily pay the $45 fee. You guessed correctly, I don’t travel much anymore. Now my world is, “There’s no place like home.” Traveled much in my younger years: school in Germany and France and worked in Japan and Korea.

Namely, rich people who can afford the various things that they are going to impose on the travel industry because they only want those who meet their criteria to fly in the first place.

Two-tiered society and all that.

I thought at the time this law was proposed that the people going along with it would one day come to regret it... and I still think that way. Yes, I had a dog in this fight... as a woman the number of hoops I had to jump through and the amount of money I had to dole out to get the required paperwork was discriminatory and insane, IMO. And infuriating. My upshot after it was over? NO WOMAN should ever marry a man and change her name under any circumstances. But our world is being collapsed in on top of us, and most people can't even see it. They're either kicking or moving women out of high ranking positions, both in gov't and in private sector. They want women barefoot, at home, subservient to men. The easy answer to the REAL ID is never to change your name. But they presupposes you won't be required to change your name upon marriage once again... as you become the property (once again) of the man you just married.

And one of the main rights we had in this country was the right to freedom of association and the freedom of movement, without "papers"... well, guess what? ICE made sure we lost those rights. And now, here comes REAL ID to collapse it in even further, especially if you're a woman... and especially if you're under menopausal age. Talk about tracking a demographic! I realize we gave up all rights to privacy the minute we accepted free content for ads and all the info on a subscription registration... but are people really that crazy to think that all that info is out there free-floating into nowhere? And that trump, kegsbreath, Miller, and others won't use it anyway THEY want to use it?

And I say once again, they WILL be coming after voting rights using REAL ID as validation. It's just another way to purge and disenfranchise American voters.

This was one of the most intrusive laws to be passed... and Americans just gave up their rights of free travel, etc., for absolutely nothing... except maybe the concept of an idea of safety. And we know what Ben Franklin had to say about that.

I know there are a lot of people who consider this a nothing burger... but that's what they said when we screamed about losing Roe v Wade. And look at what happened. There are times we Cassandras are more than shrieking shrews! Some dots are really easy to connect.

And even then, there is a cheaper solution to do border crossings and that is a "passport card", which is something like $35.

But I think part of the problem with this whole ID thing, that has even played out in states related to "Voter ID", is getting the necessary and "acceptable" paperwork together to get it authorized. The process as it stands, penalizes women who change their names from their "maiden" names to their spouse's surname and/or if you have couples who hyphenate their last names - and none of that "matches" their birth certificate names. Then there are the formerly-married, now-divorced and getting the proper (with seal) paperwork for that. Similarly if someone had a marriage "annulled".

So for many, it can be a mess getting all the docs together.

You need a certain kind of photo and a certified copy of your birth certificate (or the original) and it might sound easy enough but not everyone has those things. When I went in to get my enhanced driver's license a number of years ago, the person in front of me in line wasn't sure if his mother had been born in Korea or California (she probably had some reason for not talking about her childhood) and couldn't reach her by phone at the moment, so he had to re-schedule. I believe I also had to pay extra to get it, which can be an obstacle.

I thought we were supposed to have flying cars by now.

Of course, when the DMV refuses the documentation that you have over ridiculous grounds and you go and prove that you do not have, and will not ever have, the documents that they are asking for, so they won't give you that Enhanced or Real ID. Period.

But other than that, yeah... plenty of time.

piled on top of other unnecessary expenses. And we'll roll over, justify it and show our bellies again. And then let it happen again.

How many times do they need to be verified? DL was always enough. You can open a bank account with a DL. Trade stocks, enter a hospital for treatment.

The serious terrorists will remember to bring their RealID.

I took my birth certificate, a utility bill, my current ID and a copy of my lease. I got a new RealID within two weeks.

I got mine in like two weeks.

because she doesn't have any utilities or anything under her name, and my ID doesn't show my current address even though it's listed in their database. So I'm going to have to go update mine before she can get hers.

I took my current license, birth certificate, social security card, and a Target bill. The guy on looked at my license.

proposal of $18.

Think of all the families with young children, and babies, that aren't old enough to get Driver's licenses......

Do the parents need to spend a lot of time and money, getting them all passports??????? WTF

For Decades, they have tried to institute a National/Federal ID for every man, woman, and child.Everyone balked.
So now they are going to mandate it with a Fascist' Republican President's Executive Order.......Holy shades of 1984.

On the plus side we have a small airport 15 minutes away that is great. Waiting is minimal if any. Your post nailed it all.

Passed the House on February 10, 2005 (261–161; appended to H.R. 1268, passed 388–43 on March 16, 2005)

Passed the Senate on April 21, 2005 (99–0, as part of H.R. 1268)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_ID_Act

why nothing was done with it for 20 years?

… even if they have been unable/unwilling to get a qualifying card.

On the other hand, if you can just ignore the requirement by slipping the government $35, doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of Real ID? Why not just abolish the requirement altogether?

(Yes, yes, I know the whole security thing is kabuki theater…)

is bullshit.

"Show me your papers."

Although they alao may just slam you on the ground or in a police car without asking.