greentips

I think it might be because they think they will have far greater control over the rogues, will be able to control the level of politeness, level of quality, and level of integrity of the screeners. This is as it should be, but is not with the TSA.

Reading the article, Congressman Mica is right on point with his opinion that the TSA should get out of the Human Resources business and be about its original mission of determining appropriate and necessary security regulations and requirements, rather than doing that, then doing an incompetent job of implementing dumb ideas.

Consider this:
The FAA, in its original incarnation was the Civil Aeronautics Board, which was responsible of airline oversight aviation safety. It provided a regulatory agency which was empowered to issue regulations, enforce them, and to provide/assist with infrastructure development which has made the US Aviation system a role model and the envy of the world in terms of efficiency, cost-effectiveness and general all around usefulness. Pray we don't lose it, although we are on the verge of losing it given some of the proposals coming from the East.

The CAB/FAA was never thought to be the entire workforce of the aviation industry, but rather a regulatory agency, similar to what Rep. Mica states (and I believed to be true then) the TSA was supposed to be.

To show the depth of stupidity of the current model, compare what might have happened if Roosevelt had taken the TSA model for the CAB:
The CAB/FAA would issue regulations for airlines to meet, hire regulators and inspectors to enforce those regulations. (So far, so good).
The CAB/FAA would set standards for aircraft, pilots, controllers, mechanics and hire inspectors to enforce those standards (so far, so good).

Where it would change, following the present TSA model, is that the CAB would then hire pilots, cabin crew, mechanics, aircraft assemblers, etc. They would work for the CAB, fly, staff and maintain the airplanes for the airlines, at government expense, while the airlines sold tickets, and had no liability of screwing up since the pilots, mechanics, crew were all government employees reporting to a different hierarchy.

This is absurd on its face, but this is precisely what the TSA has become. It is time to end this madness, throw it away and rebuild it from scratch. Getting rid of federal screeners (i.e. TSOs) is the first logical step. Although Mica's rider continues to pay non-federal screeners, control (under TSA supervision) vests with the airport authorities.

Note that this will not necessarily end the problems, but it might bring local (i.e. non-federal) management and accountability to the scene.

Also, Mica's bill only mandates that Pistole "shall consider." It does not mean he won't summarily reject on one or another specious rationale.