{"id":25100,"date":"2011-10-13T20:48:18","date_gmt":"2011-10-14T00:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/miserybay.usanethosting.com\/wordpress\/?p=25100"},"modified":"2011-10-13T20:48:18","modified_gmt":"2011-10-14T00:48:18","slug":"clerk-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/clerk-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Oh, the Places You'll Go!"},"content":{"rendered":"

And other reasons to get a passport
\nfrom Michelle Wilsey, Clinton County Register of Deeds
\nIn addition to maintaining the land records system, the Clinton County Register of Deeds Office is an official US Passport Acceptance Agency. As someone who has traveled since college, I have had a passport all of my adult life. Living, studying, and traveling abroad helped me to understand the larger world we live in and, really helped me appreciate what I had right at home. When I applied for a passport in college it seemed exotic. I was the only one in my family that had one. Most people didn’t need one. Growing up in Michigan, the only border my parents crossed was to Canada. Even when they ventured to Mexico for vacation a few times, all they needed was a birth certificate and a driver’s license.
\nTimes have changed. Beginning June 1, 2009, the United States Department of Homeland Security put into effect rules that drastically change the way American citizens travel. The days of simply driving across the borders of Canada and Mexico are over. Passports are now necessary and have become even more important for any international travel.
\nA passport isn’t just for travel. It is a powerful document that can be used for identification right here at home. It is recognized in any state. It can substitute in many cases when a photo ID is required. In cases where two forms of ID are required (drivers license, social security card), with the passport you would likely only need one. Also if you loose something like your driver’s license, a passport can be used to quickly apply for a replacement.
\nLast week for example, my husband had a project in the Detroit area that he was commuting to each morning. His company does random drug screening. Of course, his name was pulled during this hectic week. He was heading out early on the day of the test to stop by the lab on the way to Detroit. In the rush trying to get out the door, he couldn’t find his driver’s license. It was required for the drug test (not to mention the driving). After a few frantic moments I suggested he take his passport. He did and it was accepted without question at the lab (and later at the Secretary of State).
\nPassports are also great forms of ID for children. I have had many instances (e.g., soccer forms, SAT\/college testing, etc.) when ID has been required for my children. They are not old enough to have driver’s licenses. Instead of having to locate birth certificates, social security cards, school ID’s etc. I just grab their passport. If for any reason you don’t have a driver’s license, it is invaluable.
\nSo, passports are no longer exotic. They are essential documents in our increasingly global and security driven world. That alone is worth the price, which for an adult equates to $13.50 per year. A passport also gives you global freedom. Getting one doesn’t necessarily give you a reason to travel, but it does take away a barrier.
\nAs I recently read on Travelor Ahoy blog, “Maybe you’re not sure where you want to go to. Maybe you don’t think you can go anywhere, there’s not enough time or money for travel. Get your passport anyways. Take that first step. Chances are once you have your passport you’ll be thinking about the travel possibilities rather than the impossibilities.”
\nYou can get your passport at the Clinton County Register of Deeds Office, Suite 2500 Clinton County Courthouse, 100 E State St, St. Johns, MI 48879, M-F 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. (closed Friday 12-1p.m.). Contact us for assistance or questions at 989-224-5270.
\nComplete information and requirements for US Passports is available on the web at travel.state.gov<\/a>.
\n“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And other reasons to get a passport<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25100\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}