[dragonwriter]

> I hate the TSA. But one thing to consider is it’s effectively a jobs program

How was transferring the security function from private industry to the federal government a jobs program? Its an airline-industry subsidy (and it was lobbied for by the industry for exactly that reason in the wake of 9/11), both by making the government responsible for the direct cost of the function and by the government absorbing (or, via sovereign immunity, eliminating) legal liability for both abuses in carrying the function out and failures resulting in harms to travelers and third parties.

[wk_end]

When people say "dissolve the TSA", they don't mean: "I want all the security theatre, it's just that I want private industry to do it". They mean: "eliminate the security theatre, thus vastly decreasing the number of people employed to perform security theatre operations". It's a jobs program because all of theatre needs a huge number of bodies to perform the play.

[jghn]

Yes, exactly this. Further, its a jobs program because it allows for an easy vector to add *more* jobs by adding *more* theater and by and large the citizens are willing to accept it. Because who wants to argue against safety?

[Akronymus]

Arguably the TSA is actually reducing security by breaking locks on gun cases and such.

[toast0]

The existing security function was transferred, but the scope/intensity increased.

What used to be two, maybe three people running a metal detector and an x-ray machine for parcels, is now probably ten people running a lot more equipment, a lot slower.

I'm not convinced we need the intensity of inspection that we have, especially when passenger education in real time was enough to foil the targeting of the 4th plane, and locked cockpit doors and policy changes should foil hijackings without the participation of the pilots. It's a huge cost for a small benefit.

[bagels]

Airport security used to be two people operating a single metal detector.

Now it's dozens of people operating xrays, body scanners, metal detectors, searches, etc.

[kbelder]

>How was transferring the security function from private industry to the federal government a jobs program?

By making it much less efficient.