1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

I didn't need that money or vacation anyway

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Rusty Shackleford, Jun 5, 2007.

  1. Rusty Shackleford

    Rusty Shackleford Active Member

    Well, it appears there's a good chance my wife and I are out nearly $1,500. Why? Because the federal government is full of lazy, inconsiderate shitholes who won't or can't do their fucking jobs.

    We got married last year and have planned a vacation to Mexico that we are supposed to be leaving for on Tuesday. My wife mailed the govt her passport (with her maiden name) to get it updated to reflect her name change back in March, 12 weeks before our departure date. The passport agency website said it would take 8-10 weeks to process and return it. In the meantime, we've put down payments on our hotel, a few excursions, etc to the tune of $1,500 non-refundable dollars.

    Well, we're a week out now, and despite dozens of phone calls to different agencies, congressmen, senators, etc., we've got nothing on the passport's whereabouts or any liklihood of her ever getting it back. Yet somehow, a week after we mailed it, they cashed the check we included for processing it. Go figure.

    This just pisses me off to no end. We're good, hard-working American people who did the right thing (sending in the passport 12 weeks out when we were told it would take 8-10 to get it back), and our own government -- you know, the one that says 'of the people, by the people, for the people' -- is fucking us over. And you know what else -- we have nothing we can do about it. Nothing to speed the process along. No recourse against the government for doing this to us if we don't get it in time, which is seeming more and more likely. No recourse against the places in Mexico (not that it's their fault) to get our $1,500 back. Nothing. We just have to grab our ankles and take it. The final thrust is going to be when her passport arrives in our mailbox on Wednesday, or fuck, Tuesday afternoon after we were supposed to have already left.

    So to anybody who's planning any sort of out-of-the-country trip and need passport work -- I wish you the best of luck. Better than we've gotten. Because if there's one thing our current government is good at, it's letting its people down in every way possible.
     
  2. three_bags_full

    three_bags_full Well-Known Member

    Sorry to hear that, Rusty. Hopefully, it'll come soon.
     
  3. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    That completely blows. Ugh.
     
  4. Point of Order

    Point of Order Active Member

    A friend of mine had to drive to 5 hours to New Orleans to pick up his passport, but he was able to get it before his trip. Hopefully you'll get it. If not, maybe there will be some recourse you can take.
     
  5. Big Buckin' agate_monkey

    Big Buckin' agate_monkey Active Member

    So this is what anal raping looks like.
     
  6. Flying Headbutt

    Flying Headbutt Moderator Staff Member

    Contact your congressman, explain the situation, and if it's anyone with even a shred of decency they'll make something happen. Others have been able to get the job done in similar situations.
     
  7. I had no idea it takes so long to get a passport, especially to a resort in Mexico. I've had reporter friends get a passport in 24 hours so they could leave the country on assignment, though that was a couple of years ago. Is that no longer possible?
     
  8. jgmacg

    jgmacg Guest

    RS -

    I'm sure you've called and called, but you might try the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 if you haven't already.

    And for Write-Brained, there are services like this one if you need to iron out a passport problem in a hurry. They cost, but they're really worth every penny.

    http://www.passportexpress.com/
     
  9. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    You can probably get the passport if you go to your nearest regional passport office in person. You'll have to call ahead and set up an appointment. Maybe you can find one where you can get an appointment before you need the passport:

    http://travel.state.gov/passport/about/agencies/agencies_913.html
     
  10. EE94

    EE94 Guest

    Now it does. The new rules have millions of people finally getting a passport, something most other people in the world already have.
    And the fact the resort is in another country - Mexico - is why a passport is required.
     
  11. Big Buckin' agate_monkey

    Big Buckin' agate_monkey Active Member

    I should probably get a passport ... I have little, if any, reason to leave the country on short notice, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to have it.
     
  12. Angola!

    Angola! Guest

    Do you need a passport to cross into Mexico or Canada for a day now? If so, I may have to get a new one. Also, I used to have one, but it expired, how do you get a new one?
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page