by Aero-News Contributing Correspondent Kevin O'Brien
Let's recap the history of the
Transportation Security Administration:
The TSA...
...was created because of the public perception that weak
security contributed materially to the 9/11 attacks. Has done much
to increase its own size and power, but nothing material to make
flying safer.
...blew through budget ceilings time and again with spending on
such things as luxury office space and lavish salary and benefits
packages for behind.
...was enjoined to increase the number of air marshals. When its
mall-cop hires couldn't pass shooting tests, TSA dropped the tests.
These unsafe marshals are still flying today, and have been
involved in cases of gratuitous gun-display and passenger
intimidation. Net effect on safety: negative.
...was enjoined to increase the security of airports, and blew
the money paying six-figure salaries to managers and assistants --
mostly military and police retreads who sit in offices (when
they're not getting busted themselves, as one just did for DUI).
Net effect on safety: negative.
...was enjoined to create a
professional, federalized screener force. Reason: screeners in
place were no good. First hiring decision: new screeners could only
be selected from the pool of (no-good) old screeners. As a result,
the new screeners, despite being a huge drain on the public
treasury, are no more effective than the old in preventing boarding
of persons with prohibited items than the old screeners (despite
being six times more costly). Reaction from TSA HQ: an attempt to
suppress this bad news. Data on the ineptitude of screeners is
"classified."
...now has arrogated to itself the power to fine, which it does,
as TSA does all things, haphazardly. Complete with lawyers making
threatening calls to the victims of TSA random fines, doubling
fines for no accountable reason. Scheduling a hearing before an ALJ
on the opposite side of the country over a
$150-no-what-the-hell-let's-make-it-$300 fine is a "fine" touch
indeed.
The TSA clearly needs a house cleaning. It seems that no one in
the agency is accountable to anyone. Unless they get a handle on
the accountability question, which they have shown no interest in
doing, then any accountability will have to come from Congress and
the media. They are not going to like that, but then cockroaches
don't like bright lights, either.