Maybe you missed the part about having 20 years to get one? It's not a surprise.
The rest of your drivel about passports is irrelevant, nobody uses a passport for day to day ID.
Maybe I didn't miss it; I am surprised that you think folks have had about 20 years to get REAL ID.
You live in California, right? The California DMV began issuing REAL ID cards in January 2018, a little over 6 years ago.
Real ID did not become mandatory for domestic air travel until May 2025.
Real ID has only been available in Oregon for 5 1/2 years. Although the REAL ID act was passed in 2005, it was not available in all 50 states including the District of Columbia until 2020.
REAL ID is not required for domestic air travel until the age of 18. In many states folks seeking REAL ID under the age of 18 must have parental or a legal guardian's consent with proof of relationship.
The legal voting age is eighteen.
I never said people used their passports for ID on a day-to-day basis. I said that I used my passport when I recently got my real ID at the DMV in addition to two proofs of address as they require. I happen to know the price of passport renewal because I needed to renew mine because my earlier one expired recently. I have had a passport since 1949 when I was 5 years old.
To prove U.S. citizenship to ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents, the best documentation is a valid U.S. Passport or Passport Card. Perhaps it is a good idea these days to carry our passports with us at all times to hopefully avoid ICE arresting us.
