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Here’s My Plan To Do Away With The TSA. OK, It’s Not MY Plan…
Anyone hear about the TSA agent a few weeks ago who was caught purposefully feeling up passengers in Denver who he thought were attractive. Ah Denver. But who’s really surprised by this? I know I’m not. In fact, I think next to the IRS, I’d have to say the next most hated government agency is probably the TSA. Both sides of the aisle hate them for various and differing reasons. The right hate them because the right hates big centralized bureaucratic government overreach. Many more libertarian-minded individuals even think that the TSA searches that are conducted at airports across the country are downright unconstitutional. Even many on the left hate them because even they have grown tired of having to throw away all their shampoo and their Starbuck’s coffee at the airport checkpoints, of course right before getting their privates felt up.
You’d think this agency, with popular opinion so set against them as it is, would be the one government agency, if any, that could be shrunk, or abolished, or reformed somehow! But nope. It just keeps trucking on. Accountable to none. Living by its own rules. It just goes to show you that Reagan was right when he said, “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.” Wise words from a wise man.
However, it might be good for us to keep in mind that such a statement as Reagan’s infamous is a general rule of thumb, not an absolute. There might just be a way to undo the TSA’s overreach, both literally and figuratively, that most people don’t know about. Its called the Screening Partnership Program.
Unbeknownst to most travelers, San Francisco International and Kansas City International are already participants of the program, which allows airports to use private contractors as their airport screeners rather than TSA agents. In fact, over 20 airports nationwide are, though most of them extremely small airports. How does it work? Its basically a program that allows airports to opt out of the TSA upon the formal request of the airport director. Pretty sweet huh? Thing is, applicants have to apply to the TSA, which doesn’t want them to opt out, and beside that, it seems very few people even know this program exists.
What most people don’t know is the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), the act after 9/11 that created the TSA, also mandated this little-known pilot program whereby up to five airports would use private contractors rather than TSA agents in running their airport checkpoints, though they would still be governed by the same security measures and screening technology. In 2004 this pilot program was officially adopted as the Screening Partnership Program.
Surprised that you may have never heard about this? Don’t be too surprised. Again, I don’t think that the people of from and by the government are advertising this program, nor the current administration, nor most of the media. As far as conservative media is concerned, perhaps of late they have been more occupied with bigger fish, but somehow, this program has been flying below the radar on all fronts.
Its a program that of late started picking up steam so much so that in 2011 TSA administrator John Pistole informed congress suddenly that no more applications would be considered for the time being, with little explanation as to why, since of course its a program that effectively shrinks the agency he is overseeing..which he doesn’t want. In response to that declaration, congress passed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 which mandated that all SPP applications submitted to the TSA must be approved so long as privatizing airport security meant that 1) security wasn’t lessened, and 2) it didn’t cost more money than than was currently being spent.
Over 20 airports across the country are using private contractors as a result of this little-known program, though the vast majority of airports still have TSA screeners. But just imagine how much and how quickly that number could grow if more people knew about the program and we got an administration in the White House that appointed a director to the TSA who was an advocate of the program. Such a scenario may well be the beginning of the end for TSA. I for one won’t lose any sleep over that.
This program is not about abolishing the TSA, though many people wouldn’t mind that I’m sure. They would still administer security procedures and equipment. Its about airport screeners. Their job can and should be done by the private sector. We all know that. That’s what this program accomplishes once and for all. Expanding the participants of this program would be a huge leap in the right direction in wresting control away from the federal government in these regards, and leaving a shell of a bureaucracy left, much more controllable by We The People.
Privatized screeners would mean more efficient, locally controlled airport officers that perform a government mandate, but are not themselves agents of the government, whose salary and pensions we have to pay, and can’t afford to pay come to think of it. I for one won’t lose any sleep over not having some unionized federal screener screening my luggage who is barely answerable to anyone because of the union he/she belongs to (not a good combination when it comes to our nations security), but maybe that’s just me. In turn it would not only lessen the burden on the taxpayers of this country, but arguably make security not only more streamlined, but more…secure.
Again, its called the Screening Partnership Program. Spread the word about this program, and lets all OPT OUT of the TSA once and for all!
Source: http://www.ldjackson.net/heres-my-plan-to-do-away-with-the-tsa-ok-its-not-my-plan/
