Passport Requirements to be Eased for 17 and Under

Interesting article I read that tells the story of the United States plan to reduce Passport requirements for anyone under 17 by early 2009. This brings up in my head security issues. Maybe that's just me, is this a good thing?

The children's exemption would alleviate a major irritant of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, the U.S. law that institutes passport requirements for foreigners and U.S. citizens returning from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Shouldn't you have to show Passport no matter the age, when traveling across borders? Who sees this issue as an irritant?

Article

Well, it used to be that around here, when you wanted to go to Canada,
all you had to do was show ID and say you were'nt carrying certain fruits.


Personally, when it comes to going between the U.S., Canada, Mexico
and such, I think all you should really need is an ID that shows who
you are.