I think you are minimizing the deterrence effect that inconvenience and confusion about the rules will have on travel. Travel industry surveys are already indicating measurable drops in travel due to confusion on the issue. While you may not be one for whining, the fact that you have so much opportunity to encounter whiners would seem to contradict your argument of minimal impact. A far smaller % of Americans have passports than Canadians and the idea of even getting one is going to dent the short-trip cross-border travel volume. It's not only the big-spending, international-travelling person that brings $ into the country - the many times greater amount of casual traveller is where the negative impacts will be greatest.