Papers, Please! writes:
Air travel in the US has been reduced by more than 90%, measured by the numbers of people passing through checkpoints at airports operated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and its contractors.
And the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has postponed its threat to start unlawfully refusing passage to travelers without ID credentials compliant with the REAL-ID Act of 2005 for another year, from October 1, 2020, to October 1, 2021.
So relatively little attention is being paidright now to air travel or TSA requirements — making it the ideal time for the TSA to try to sneak a new ID requirement for air travel (to take effect in 2021) into place without arousing public protest.
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Within the USA, showing ID to travel on commercial aircraft is optional. The downside is that extra searches are performed, which can take hours.
People lose their IDs during travel all-the-time. The still get home on the return flight without it. How could that be possible without showing the TSA ID?
Alas, since the delay … like the 3rd time right? … my DL expired and the new one is RealID. It was a slight hassle to get, but really not bad thanks to online scheduling for DMV appointments. My state has closed about 80% of the former DMV locations for renewals. With RealID, they require going to one of the few driver-test locations. In about 25 yrs living here, I’d never been to that part of the county before. Checked in using a QR-Code at a kiosk, sat for about 5 minutes, then my number was called to a window. Showed the paperwork, paid the cash, they took a photo and I was on my way 3 minutes later with a temporary paper version. A few weeks later, the laminated card arrived in the mail. Have been renewing by mail every 10 yrs since the first “Kroger” DMV visit decades ago. RealID only allows 8 yrs between DMV photos and visits now.
However, there are states refusing to be compliant with the RealID standards. I’d hoped my state would refuse out of principle, then they caved around 2010.
Isn’t it Wyoming that provides 50 yr DLs? That violates RealID due to the valid time length. When you live in remote places, getting into town to the DMV isn’t always that important.
The TSA needs to be shut down. All those security checks need to be privatized again. The world has completely changed. Travelers should be allowed to carry nail clippers, razors and short keychain knives and multi-tools again.
Govt agencies seem to always want to expand. More people, more power. The TSA needed to exist and expand in the 200xs. Now they need to contract and revert to private contractors again.