Final Word from Tuesday, January 6, 2004
According to The Business newspaper, it's never been easier to stroll into a bank in New York City, pass a note to a teller, and walk out with a bag full of other people's money. The head of one bank said he prefers to design branches for his 11m customer visits than for the five or six robberies. In a competitive business, retail banks want their branches to be as inviting as possible to walk-in customers. U.S. visa policy is designed in precisely the opposite way. Czechs and others wanting to visit the country must now give their fingerprints and get photographed, although U.S. officials admit that 99.9% of visitors are law-abiding. Many Czechs are upset, and the foreign ministry is considering retaliating. In the meantime, Czech travelers can start acting like bank customers. If they don't like what they see, they can simply take their business elsewhere. terrorism securitiy