Just how painful does the Buffalo Shuffle have to be? Canadians already need pricey passports or other high-tech ID to cross into the United States for a shopping jaunt, business trip or vacation. Stepped-up border security after 9/11 can mean frustrating waits. We cringe at the thought of being “red-flagged” by some over-caffeinated border guard. Only heaven and Homeland Security know what scanners are probing us as we’re stuck there. Now, to make our joy complete, Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano is musing about imposing a “land border crossing fee” on people arriving from Canada and Mexico. Perfect. We get to pay for the pleasure of being aggravated. Muchas gracias, amiga. Is this the “greater convergence” of Canada/U.S. security and trade that President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper like to talk about when they get together? Or is it a bureaucratic pile-on that threatens to further depress the nearly $700 billion in trade our two countries do, on which 10 million jobs ride? What’s next? A saliva test? For you, just $20 (U.S.)? While cash-strapped Washington may be tempted to dip into Canuck pockets to help pay for an endless, paranoid “thickening” of the border, officials should think again. Granted, the U.S. government has the right to squeeze whomever it chooses at the border. But inevitably, a fee on top of every other hassle will only encourage more Canadians to stay home, as we’re already doing in droves. The U.S. Bureau of Transportation reports that 90 million people arrived from Canada in personal vehicles in 2000, the year before the 9/11 attacks. That plunged to 62 million last year. A lot less rubber is hitting the road south. This is costing the hard-pressed U.S. economy plenty of lost loonies, especially in New York, Michigan and other northern border states. And to no purpose. Canada poses no big security threat. Neither the 9/11 hijackers nor the Boston Marathon bombers crossed from here. Moreover, the idea of a border toll flies in the face of the Obama/Harper Beyond the Border program to cut red tape and ease impediments to travel and trade. This is causing a ruckus on both sides of the border, and for good reason. It’s a pay wall too far. Read more..