Border fee for Canadians banned by U.S. senators

[MADem]

35. Well, European nations all have the same money now--the wingnuts would go ballistic if we had

a North American equivalent of a "euro" in our wallets. The European Union is just that--a union. We have trade partnerships, but we're not as "unified" as Europe is, not by a long shot.

I can remember when Europe wasn't unified--and the lines would sometimes get long crossing from country to country, depending on time of day and time of year. You used to have to stop at every European border and show those PAPERS...let me see your PAPERS!!!! Then you'd have to get money. Your Spanish pesetas were no good in France, and your Francs were no good in Germany, and your Deutschmarks were no good in Italy....and I still have a drawer full of old Lire somewhere!

One currency does make it easier to hop from country to country....except when you get to UK, where it's back to the pound (though some shops will take your Euros, like some shops in USA on the border will take Canadian money, and Canadian shops will take US dollars--you don't always get the best rate, though).