None of this has anything to do with how TSA works at the checkpoint. Toothpaste in a tube over 3.4 oz. is not allowed. Period. The only time it has worked for me is when the prescription label was still on the tube.

Where in the rules is/was there a differentiation between OTC and prescription medications?

OTC and prescription meds are specifically allowed. Most toothpastes are OTC meds. There exist toothpastes that are not OTC meds; those are not allowed in excess of 100mL per container.

Any reading of the rules other than one that allows FDA-regulated toothpaste would mean that the general exclusion of liquids would always override any exceptions, making the exceptions meaningless.

No they wont AM, they will never go away. As long as government is telling you and others that there are things that they can and cannot do, the complaints will continue. And that’s my point, it does not matter what the TSA does to improve things, or how hard they try, as long as someone in government is telling you people what to do, you are going to complain about it. Rationalize how you like, that’s what it comes down to.

Before 9/11 terrorists were not driving planes into buildings. Before 9/11, most terrorists attacks had purpose, inane though that purpose may be, it was there.

I don’t care if YOU feel safer. Most of the flying public does, and there is nothing I can do to convince you and the other, oh lets say 10%, that don’t.

AM, I sleep just fine thanks. I know that I am making a difference, not just for myself and my family, but the whole nation, just by working for the TSA. I am proud of what I do. I am proud of my service record, both in the military and to my community. I’m sorry those concepts seem to be beyond you, but that also is not something I really care about.

This is as absurd as most of the petulant whining you do here. No one complains about the walk-through metal detectors or having bags X-rayed because these are non-invasive, reasonable measures. Our objections are to pointless nonsense like the shoe carnival and the war on liquids and TSA taking naked pictures of children. Reasonable security = no complaints. Stupid fake security = complaints. It's just that simple.

You "know" a lot of things, Ron. You "know," for instance, that "it is against the law to take $10,000 or more in cash out of the country. Has been for a long time." Of course, you were completely and utterly wrong then, too.

What you seem to be missing and it is a problem across the TSA board - CONSISTENCY. I agree that you will never eliminate the complainers in total but if folks were treated fairly and consistently across the board and not treated like stupid cattle and subject to rules made up by the individual screener or station you might not have a job responding to what you consider to be absurb complaints/comments.

True on every point. ^

I check all of my toiletries so I never have an issue with toothpaste, deodorants, etc. Gave up walking though the checkpoint with liquids when we had to disassemble ourselves. The biggest complaints in order are:

Consistency and made up on the spot rules that have no bearing on reality.
The inability to properly secure my luggage against baggage thieves (not an issue pre TSA).
Rude TSA employees treating people as convicted terrorists.
Lack of common sense when dealing with people.
No accountability for TSA employees.
Civil penalties for 'interfering with the screening process' that have fines increased when you fight the charges (never had that happen).
Bad science being used as an excuse for policy making decisions.

Looking at the comments on DHS/TSA news articles, you’ll see an inverse of that percentage.

Sorry J. thats a rationalization, and though you wont admit it you do know it.

Consistency cannot exist in an environment like what the TSA is forced to work in, not at the levels that the people here want. Whining for the sake of wining is not going to get it, and no amount of training is going to eliminate the issues completely, which is what the posters here want. I also have worked in a large corporate environment, and I know this to be a fact. Otherwise there would be no need for Quality Control employee’s.

Links?

Every toothpaste contains the following ingredients: binders, abrasives, sudsers, humectants, flavors (unique additives), sweeteners, fluorides, tooth whiteners, a preservative, and water. Binders thicken toothpastes. They prevent separation of the solid and liquid components, especially during storage. They also affect the speed and volume of foam production, the rate of flavor release and product dispersal, the appearance of the toothpaste ribbon on the toothbrush, and the rinsibility from the toothbrush. Some binders are karaya gum, bentonite, sodium alginate, methylcellulose, carrageenan, and magnesium aluminum silicate.

In what sense is it a "rationalization," Ron? No one is complaining about WTMDs or X-raying bags, because they are sensible and non-invasive measures. People are complaining, and quite legitimately, about nonsense like the shoe carnival and the war on liquids and taking naked pictures of children, because they do nothing to make anyone safer. If you have facts to suggest otherwise, please post them. Otherwise, your post stands as a testament to the fact that your preferred mode of discourse is self-pitying whining that's untethered to reality.

At the same time, large corporations don't have PR staff whose job is to say "well, your product wasn't of a quality consistent with our standards, but quit complaining about it because what do you expect?". On the contrary: they have staff whose job is to fix the problem --- and, barring that, make things right for people who had a substandard experience.

The solution to TSA's problem of consistency isn't to give up and blame the passengers for their unreasonable expectations. The solution is for TSA to admit --- every time --- when it get things wrong, and to move towards making those occurrences occur less often.

You're in a business where everyone is going to criticize you. That's the nature of any public service job. Complaining about it ain't gonna change the job. If you want a job where people aren't going to complain about you, I'm sure there's a nice desk job somewhere you can find.

Perhaps with a little work TSORon could qualify as a greeter at Walmart.

Then he could have some flash on this blue vest.:p

When comments are made on news sites about the DHS/TSA articles, the positive comments are in the single digits, which is a distinct turn in the past year.

These “anything to make us safe” types get a Buzzard Morning Zoo t-shirt (size S) from me, and I’ll note that in this forum. They’re what all the best-dressed sheeple are wearing!