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Tuesday, June 09, 2015

It's Time To Privatize U.S. Airport Security

Chris Edwards for the Cato Institute: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has another failure on its hands.

In recent tests, undercover investigators smuggled mock explosives and banned weapons through U.S. airport checkpoints 96 percent of the time. According to ABC, "In one case, agents failed to detect a fake explosive taped to an agent's back, even after performing a pat down that was prompted after the agent set off the magnetometer alarm."

The unionized TSA has a history of inept management. Reports in 2012 by various House committees found that TSA operations are "costly, counter-intuitive, and poorly executed," and the agency "suffers from bureaucratic morass and mismanagement." Former TSA chief Kip Hawley argued in an op-ed that the agency is "hopelessly bureaucratic." And in 2014, former acting TSA chief Kenneth Kaspirin said that TSA has "a toxic culture" with "terrible" morale. ...

Perhaps most importantly, studies have found that TSA security performance is no better, and possibly worse, than private-sector screening, which is allowed at a handful of U.S. airports.

The solution is to dismantle TSA and move responsibility for screening operations to the nation's airports.

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12 comments:

Anonymous said...

It will never happen. Just like we ought to privatize public schools. Once the toxic government plutonium gets into a thing, it never, never comes out.

Anonymous said...

10:17 - it is actually worse than the toxic government plutonium...it's now unionized!

Anonymous said...

It was never about catching weapons, it was about acclimating the public to being lemmings, allowing people to molest you, and becoming comfortable having your rights violated. Mission accomplished.

Gerald said...

10:32 Don't bash Unions, you would have the good working conditions and safety at your job if it weren't for a Union. Look it up, Unions fought for a 40 hr. work week, paid coffee breaks, holiday pay, bereavement pay, insurance benefits, pensions. Unions fought for these and helped get laws passed to protect the workers. Do you think some CEO cares a fig rather you get a break, or can spend a holiday with your family? If you do, I got some ocean front property in Utah I want to sell you.

Anonymous said...

you are correct but now that we have all these things the unions are no longer necessary. The only ones to gain now are union bosses and there is nothing left for the workers.

Anonymous said...

TSA:

Thousands Standing Around
Totally Screwing Aviation
Terrorism Succeeded Again
Totally Stupid @$$holes

An agency designed to provide safety and security to the traveling public, molests them, delays them, steals their things, spends excessive taxpayer money via unionization, all while allowing terrorist linked people to work for them, not stopping practice - or actual weapons from passing through and providing a great show for a false sense of security!

While this agency is truly a product of the previous administration (POSOTUS would be happy to whine "It's Bush's fault"), the current administration has continued to allow this agency to grow and fester like a bad cyst by not reducing their funding or limiting their powers!

Anonymous said...

11:04 spoken like a true believer.Your argument held water 100 years ago. not so much anymore.

how's it feel to be 100 years behind the curve?

Anonymous said...

Unions werte good but serve no purpose now other than collecting dues to line the union higher ups pockets. Union presidents are the same as CEO's when it comes to salaries, perks and benefits.

TSA is there to make people feels safe when in fact they are not. It is an illusion.

Anonymous said...

No it's not time to privatize it's time to make real police officers do the job.

Anonymous said...

11:04 - I'm bashing them for what they are doing today - while appreciating what they did a century ago!

Yes, we got safety, weekends, benefits, and a working relationship with corporate management....all of which are now provided for by a competitive work market.

Now, we have higher labour costs to pay the union management, no additional benefits, and contributions to the dumbocrat party to continue the union handouts.

The time of the union is over - and their numbers and positive influence is declining....only the union costs and negative influences continue to thrive!

Anonymous said...

It's time to privatize the postal service ? social security along with health care. If the government touches it, bad things are going to happen.

Anonymous said...

Let's face it, the government can't run anything efficiently, productively, timely, and cost effectively. Any time the government gets involved there is waste, no rules are followed, and agencies are plagued by scandals. People that actually have experience in the required fields generally are not the ones in leadership roles because of government favors for friends/donors. Hence you have a bunch of people in jobs that have no merit being in them and the taxpayers suffer.

I'm all for privatizing all government agencies. Think of all the money that could be saved.

We can only dream.