Queue-jumping at border should be banned

Coquitlam NOW

Published: Friday, April 09, 2010

My family had been waiting patiently in the seemingly never-ending sea of cars. Every single car held different people with different destinations, but we all shared one identical goal: to cross the U.S. border.
 
After what seemed like an eternity, our car had miraculously crept its way up in line to be among the first 10 cars. It's virtually impossible to describe my relief at that point in time, unless one could literally experience an hour of that enduring wait. It's such a pity my joy was short-lived. At that moment, I saw a line of cars preparing to cut in line, right in front of us.
 
For obvious reasons, my father refused to allow this and attempted to move up in line, but the leading driver completely ignored this and forcibly shoved his way into the lineup, skipping perhaps 40 or so cars that were also lined up.

  
What's more, two other cars followed in close pursuit, resulting in three cars pushing in front of us.

I angrily demanded an explanation from the nearby border officer, who replied, "Those cars purchased things from the duty-free shops, so the government has given them the permission to do so."
With that, he indifferently walked off into the distance.
 
Has the government even given a second thought to the people who have waited for so long in line? I'm inclined to call the people who have lined up "honest" because it's possible that some people will spend a measly $5 at the duty free shops for the sole purpose of obtaining the privilege of cutting in line.
 
In essence, this isn't fair. The government is, in a sense, selling "tickets" to cut in line. Is the government simply encouraging people to cut in line? Or is it that the government shuts its eyes toward whoever is willing to pay the fee?
My biggest concern about this situation is that it simply causes chaos. It wasn't just my family and I who found ourselves complaining out loud -- numerous others found the situation to be more than just an annoyance.
 
What if every car had denied access? It certainly seems that doing so would have been fair, since some cars had been waiting just a little bit longer. And if an accident occurred because of some cars attempting to push their way in, would the car that denied access be the one at fault simply because the government had allowed the other cars to cut in line?
 
Are the cars allowed to cut in at any part of the line? Because, from what I saw, the cars are free to choose their spot in line. They simply drive up the long lineup and pick a nice spot near the front, not thinking of the tolerant drivers behind them.
 
People begin to take these "tickets" for granted. I've heard some of my parents' friends play the same "trick." They seem to feel indifferent and simply say, "Well, I do that too. All I had to do was pay a small fee and I'm near the front of the line right away. You should do it too."
A "fee," they say. They fail to see the point. Why must we conform to this unfairness? This is evidently an unethical practice and should be banned.
 
If the government really needs the money that badly, then allow me to propose an offer: Why not open a lane for the people who purchase from the duty-free shops? That way, they will get their privilege of getting through the border faster, but at the same time allowing the previous patient people in line to not be deprived of their rights.
 
This is just one of countless examples. The government, whether federal, municipal or even local, must endeavor to ensure fairness and equality.