Analysis: Northern Border Changes Loom - Post Chronicle
A coalition of Canadian and U.S. businesses, together with local officials and lawmakers from both sides of the border, is scrambling to fix what it says is a policy “train wreck” — the looming deadline for implementation of tight new regulations on what ID is needed to cross the osmotic northern border of the United States.
“It’s going to cause absolute chaos” if the rules are implemented as currently planned at the beginning of next year, Steven Nesmith, a former U.S. Commerce Department official now working as a lobbyist on the issue, told United Press International.
“It’s a train wreck,” he said, adding local business and community leaders on both sides of the border feared the impact of the new rules, and believed there was not enough time to adjust. “(January) 2008 is already upon us.” Read the rest of this article…
Improving U.S.-Mexican Competitiveness
Let me begin with a few observations on Mexico’s economy. There has been a lot of good news recently, and a few facts suggest Mexico’s prosperity is long-term and sustainable.
The economy rebounded from near zero growth to 4 percent last year; inflation has been cut in more than half this decade; and at the same time international reserves have more than doubled. The markets reflect this optimism, with the IFC stock index near an all-time high. GDP has doubled in a decade, and Mexicans are making long-term capital investments in Mexico.
One example of this is home ownership. More than 560,000 new homes were built in Mexico last year, almost double six years ago. Indeed, more people now own their homes in Mexico than ever before, and Mexico’s middle class is larger than ever. Read the rest of this article…
Border passports will go ahead in January - TheStar.com
WASHINGTON–The new rule that anyone driving across the Canadian border must have a passport or passcard will “absolutely” begin in January, government officials asserted, refuting a New York senator’s claim the plan will be delayed.
Lawmakers from states along the northern border have been trying for months to stall or alter the plan to require the more secure identification documents, contending the rule will hurt trade and tourism.
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative was created by Congress to tighten security on both the Canadian and Mexican borders. Children would be exempt. Read the rest of this article…
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