Thursday, December 13, 2007
Be careful about fixing Mich. drivers licenses
Federal law and UN rule create ability to track drivers with chip.
Tim O'Brien

For most Americans, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (or "Witty" as it is called by wonkers) has, ironically, flown under the radar.

This provision of the Intelligence Reform and Prevention Act of 2004, scheduled to take effect early next year, will require all of us to present either a passport or "valid travel document" to cross any national border -- including the one with Canada.

 

This massive inconvenience to the 58,000 people who cross between Michigan and Ontario every day -- not to mention the impediment to the $1.2 billion in trade they have with them -- has caused substantial alarm among commercial interests and political leaders on both sides of the border...

 

 

Tim O'Brien is executive director of the Small Government Alliance (http://www.smallgov.us/opeds.html), a statewide, independent political action committee. Mail letters to Editorial Page, 615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI 48226, fax to (313) 222-6417 or e-mail to letters@detnews.com.