Passport Panic

I have to shake my head sometimes. We’ve known for months that we’d soon need a passport to fly to the US. It was speculated about for several months and we had plenty of time to prepare. But for the last week people have been lining up overnight at the Edmonton passport office to meet the January 23 deadline.

They waited until the last minute. Surely they must have had some clue that this was a) happening and b) that they were off to the US shortly and really ought to get going on it.
But no. They wait and then complain to the media that the government isn’t doing anything to help them like extend the office hours or bring in more staff.
I got news for you pal. The world does not revolve around you and your procrastination.

It’s bad enough that we extend post office hours at the end of April when our income taxes are due. It’s not like tax time is a surprise. It’s the same time every year. We know it’s coming. Unless you’re ambushed by unforeseen circumstances you’ve got plenty of time to get it done. Yet some of us wait until deadline day afternoon to even start filling out the forms, and then rush off to meet the midnight posting deadline.

Back to passports. Some people are so desperate to get to the front of the line they’re paying good money to claim another’s spot. They’re shelling out hundreds of dollars just to get ahead of the crowd. Still others have hired someone to stand in line all night and hold a spot for them.
Do we really have so much disposable income that we can hire someone to wait for us?

On the good side, the Edmonton library system knows a good opportunity. Staffers came by the line up and gave away books they we’re weeding from the system.
So you can make a few hundred dollars and get free reading material just for spending a cold Canadian winter night in line.

Where do I sign up?

I'm waiting for the moment of grand enlightenment when the good people who paid $500 for a spot at the front of the line realize that if they're not traveling until June, they could have waited until March to apply for their passports.