Changes for Americans in America regarding traveling

We were sent this today by our Rep from Princess Cruises..I don't know if anyone has seen this or not. About 85% of Americans don't have passports...they are kinda expensive...anyways this is what we were sent.



WESTERN HEMISPHERE TRAVEL INITIATIVE
On Tuesday, April 5, 2005, the U.S. State Department announced details of the proposed "Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative." If the proposed rules are enacted, U.S. and Canadian citizens will be required to carry a passport for travel to or from certain countries/areas that were previously exempt. The proposed implementation is as follows:
* December 31, 2005 - Passport required for all air and sea travel to or from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and South America.

* December 31, 2006 - Passport required for all air and sea travel to or from Mexico and Canada.

* December 31, 2007 - Passport required for all air, sea and land border crossings.

Once the proposed rules are finalized - either in their current form or a modified form - the cruise industry will communicate that information to our travel agent partners and guests. In the meantime, individuals with future travel plans that would be affected by the proposed new rules are strongly encouraged to obtain a passport now.

So if this pass... by 2007 an American won't be able to travel out of America ANYWHERE without a passport.........oh dear

If the proposed rules are enacted, U.S. and Canadian citizens will be required to carry a passport for travel to or from certain countries/areas that were previously exempt. The proposed implementation is as follows:
* December 31, 2005 - Passport required for all air and sea travel to or from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and South America.
* December 31, 2006 - Passport required for all air and sea travel to or from Mexico and Canada.
* December 31, 2007 - Passport required for all air, sea and land border crossings.

So if this pass... by 2007 an American won't be able to travel out of America ANYWHERE without a passport.........oh dear

Bad news! I'm not sure I understand the 2007 requirement, however. Is there any place left or does this mean within the US?

What it means is by 31/12/07 any American will not be able to cross ANY borders by land, (like to Mexico or Canda)
Sea..or Plane without a passport...

Where some of the Caribbean Islands you now can go with out a passport just some form of photo Id you won't be able to..or like driving across into Mexico you won't be able to......

Sailing your own boat from Florida to the Bahamas..not that I know of anyone that does or can..will have to have a passport.....

I knew this was coming.  Long gone are the days where you didn't need anything to get into Canada and a driver license to get home.  And that was if the IO was in a bad mood.  Coming back from Mexico we just needed to state our nationality by foot and a birth certificate worked my air.  I didn't need anything to goto the Bahamas, but DH needed his passport (odd since it used to be a British territory). 

I can't say I'm surprised, but there are tones of people in America that don't know the first thing about getting a passport.