[russell]

$165 for a passport plus card is a pretty steep price just to fly domestically, not to mention additional fees if you need to travel on short notice. In CA a State identity card is $28, or $8 if you are poor, or $0 if elderly.

[Swizec]

Is it steep? Passports are valid for 10 years. That's $16 per year. The price of 4 starbuckses is nothing compared to, say, one flight per year for the holidays.