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I think the only way the TSA and ICE become more humane organizations is if people stop visiting the U.S. Please don't come here! There are many other nice pl

I think the only way the TSA and ICE become more humane organizations is if people stop visiting the U.S. Please don't come here! There are many other nice places to visit that don't treat visitors with the disdain that visitors here frequently encounter.

yequalsx 14y ago
I'm curious why this is being down voted. It seems obvious to me that if international tourism to the U.S. declined sufficiently then industry would put great pressure on the government to make the process much more inviting. I think there is near universal disgust with the TSA and ICE.
- jakeonthemove 14y ago
  At the rate its been dropping, that will happen very soon. In fact, they're already trying to introduce a faster/easier airport travel with "trusted traveler" programs (leave it to the USA to make money out of something that used to be free :-)). Also, I'm surprised France is the most visited country - what do they have besides the Eiffel tower and bad roads :-)?
  - zem 14y ago
    they have a "romantic, quintessentially old/new world in juxtaposition western european destination" mystique that has been built up over decades.
    - excuse-me 14y ago
      They also manage to have more than one kind of bread, many cheeses which don't come in an aerosol can and food which takes more time to cook than it does to eat And, outside Paris, some very pleasant people.
      - zem 14y ago
        true, but belgium for instance has all that too, and you don't see it getting that sort of must-see tourist aura
        excuse-me 14y ago
        Then it obviously needs a tower. Do you have the number for the Belgian tourist office - I have one that French want to sell! Luxembourg is also rather overlooked as a tourist destination, very nice walking countryside and you are never very far from somewhere to eat/drink/sleep.
        jakeonthemove 14y ago
        Funny that you mention Belgium - I am in Blankenberge right now (on business) - it's a nice little town, but it's nothing special. No offense to the locals, but I can't wait to get out of here - the weather is pretty bad, most residents are old, everyone is slooow (even in the rain :-), shops close at 6pm, banks close at 3pm and Everything's closed all day on Sunday, HSPA 3G here means 1 Mbit on a good day (usually ~500-700 kbit - oh, and you pay $20 for 1 GB), 4 Mbit DSL actually means 1.5 Mbit, and you pay $700 for a teeny-tiny 1 bedroom apartment (then again, it is a resort city). I nicknamed it Lazy Town :-). The only saving grace is the port nearby (~6km in Zeebrugge) - there's a bustling shipping and logistics industry here, and there's plenty of work and opportunities. Overall, for a first-timer in Belgium, I'd recommend going to Brussels or Antwerp - bigger cities, more active, although still very laid back compared to even Paris...

yequalsx 14y ago

I'm curious why this is being down voted. It seems obvious to me that if international tourism to the U.S. declined sufficiently then industry would put great pressure on the government to make the process much more inviting. I think there is near universal disgust with the TSA and ICE.

jakeonthemove 14y ago
At the rate its been dropping, that will happen very soon. In fact, they're already trying to introduce a faster/easier airport travel with "trusted traveler" programs (leave it to the USA to make money out of something that used to be free :-)). Also, I'm surprised France is the most visited country - what do they have besides the Eiffel tower and bad roads :-)?
- zem 14y ago
  they have a "romantic, quintessentially old/new world in juxtaposition western european destination" mystique that has been built up over decades.
  - excuse-me 14y ago
    They also manage to have more than one kind of bread, many cheeses which don't come in an aerosol can and food which takes more time to cook than it does to eat And, outside Paris, some very pleasant people.
    - zem 14y ago
      true, but belgium for instance has all that too, and you don't see it getting that sort of must-see tourist aura
      - excuse-me 14y ago
        Then it obviously needs a tower. Do you have the number for the Belgian tourist office - I have one that French want to sell! Luxembourg is also rather overlooked as a tourist destination, very nice walking countryside and you are never very far from somewhere to eat/drink/sleep.
      - jakeonthemove 14y ago
        Funny that you mention Belgium - I am in Blankenberge right now (on business) - it's a nice little town, but it's nothing special. No offense to the locals, but I can't wait to get out of here - the weather is pretty bad, most residents are old, everyone is slooow (even in the rain :-), shops close at 6pm, banks close at 3pm and Everything's closed all day on Sunday, HSPA 3G here means 1 Mbit on a good day (usually ~500-700 kbit - oh, and you pay $20 for 1 GB), 4 Mbit DSL actually means 1.5 Mbit, and you pay $700 for a teeny-tiny 1 bedroom apartment (then again, it is a resort city). I nicknamed it Lazy Town :-). The only saving grace is the port nearby (~6km in Zeebrugge) - there's a bustling shipping and logistics industry here, and there's plenty of work and opportunities. Overall, for a first-timer in Belgium, I'd recommend going to Brussels or Antwerp - bigger cities, more active, although still very laid back compared to even Paris...