<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Brian:
...I think the government is really trying to do the right thing, and has made a monumental effort to do that. Sometimes they fall short, but they are trying. The opposition appears to believe that the government is an unregulated nest of feather bedders and empire builders who have no interest in security, but merely enlarging its own apparatus. I think the size of government bears vigilance, but with the right officials in office, and the will of the public clearly expressed, that this will not come to pass.</font>
Brian,
You make a lot of sense in your long post above, but I tend to disagree somewhat with the paragraph I quoted. As a former Federal employee at a fairly high level, I believe that the government has dual motivations. Sure they want to do the right thing. Few people in the government would advocate doing harm! But they certainly are empire builders, too. That's generally how you get promoted in the government, unless you have unusual technical proficiency (which is how I did it). That must be part of the explanation for the TSA's astonishing growth -- which does not seem to have a logical end, incidentally. How will we ever know when we have enough "security"?
At the same time, it seems clear to me that most people really do support the current airport-security procedures. You see it every day in news stories. Even the stupidest, most unnecessary terminal evacuation is met with statements such as, "I don't care what they do as long as we're safe," or words to that effect. Of course, most people don't fly as much as we do, so we're more sensitive to this issue than most people are.
Things really are getting better, though, and only the most stubborn among us refuse to acknowledge that. The TSA still has a ways to go, but I commend them for constantly striving to move in the right direction. And I welcome the TSA employees who have shared their experiences with us here on FT.
Bruce