4 ms·

Since the U.S. really doesn't have a terrorism problem the TSA, for the most part, has absolutely nothing to do except get themselves into conflicts with people

Since the U.S. really doesn't have a terrorism problem the TSA, for the most part, has absolutely nothing to do except get themselves into conflicts with people. They're like paid bullies. The problem with terrorism in the U.S. isn't that there are actual terrorists[0], but that there is a crapton of money to be made making the American people feel unsafe. [0] Sure, there's an attack on occasion. But you're more likely to die choking on a soda watching GoT.

nojvek 10y ago
This. One one hand the gun makers will go to extreme lengths to lobby selling more guns. On the other hand TSA and friends will go to extreme lengths to make people feel unsafe. The system is broken. It's like throwing sand in the air to cover the sun.
Smushman 10y ago
Well stated. As long as there is money to be made and jobs to be had, our elected officials will continue to look the other way when it comes to incidents like this. Security theatre was job one behind the creation of the TSA; job two was a huge employment drive for the people under the auspice of a benevolent organization. Since these two drivers are so deeply embedded in the duties that government understands as its primary mandates, there is no way they can see any faults in the system. Also, consider what would happen if we eliminated the TSA TSA has 62,000 employees and an annual budget in 2013 of $7.9 billion [http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/homeland-security/tsa http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/homeland-security/tsa] Laying off 62,000 people from the government payroll and eliminating $8 billion in funding would constitute a significant hit on the economy, and practically guarantees you won't be re-elected.
- basseq 10y ago
  The economic impacts plus the cover-your-ass excuse in the event of a terrorist attack makes eliminating the TSA political suicide. Which drives me crazy because it's the right move. The TSA does not protect the U.S. and the government is not a jobs program. You could give everyone at the TSA a $50k severance package and still recoup $4B. But the moment something happens, all the fingers are pointed your way. Wrongfully, of course, but human beings are bad at weighing risk and hindsight is 20/20.
  - Smushman 10y ago
    An excellent point I failed to include.
- jkestner 10y ago
  We can use that same $8 billion to create jobs building things that would benefit citizens, like transportation infrastructure, municipal internet, low-income housing, etc. Instead of jobs for airport greeters. We need to be thinking of the sources of unemployment, such as the shift in our energy demand, and instead of impotently promising to bring coal jobs back, redirect that manpower to something that will matter going forward.
kafkaesq 10y ago
The U.S. really doesn't have a terrorism problem Friends and family of the victims in San Bernardino and Orlando might disagree with you on that.
- pc86 10y ago
  And basic math would disagree with you. 2.6 million people in the US will die every year.[0] How many of those die as a result of an act of terrorism? Of the 325 million people in the US, how many personally know someone who died in an act of terrorism? The likelihood of dying from an act of terrorism in the US is 1 in 3.5 million.[1] The likelihood of dying from cancer is 1 in 540. [0] ~325 million, annual death rate of 8 per 1k [1] http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-terrorism-statistics-every-american-needs-to-hear/5382818
  - kafkaesq 10y ago
    As if they're not trying for much larger numbers, as we speak.
    - JustSomeNobody 10y ago
      Even if they are, there is no guarantee all this money is going to prevent it. You bring up Orlando, well the FBI talked to that perp how many times?
      - kafkaesq 10y ago
        True, but that's a different topic. Saying the U.S. has "no terrorism problem" is just hyperbole, and useless rhetoric.
        JustSomeNobody 10y ago
        4800 people died from chocking in the U.S. in 2013. Less than 10 died from terrorists. Not sure what you consider a problem, but I personally NEVER hear anyone say we have a choking problem in this country.

nojvek 10y ago

This. One one hand the gun makers will go to extreme lengths to lobby selling more guns. On the other hand TSA and friends will go to extreme lengths to make people feel unsafe. The system is broken. It's like throwing sand in the air to cover the sun.

Smushman 10y ago

Well stated. As long as there is money to be made and jobs to be had, our elected officials will continue to look the other way when it comes to incidents like this. Security theatre was job one behind the creation of the TSA; job two was a huge employment drive for the people under the auspice of a benevolent organization. Since these two drivers are so deeply embedded in the duties that government understands as its primary mandates, there is no way they can see any faults in the system. Also, consider what would happen if we eliminated the TSA TSA has 62,000 employees and an annual budget in 2013 of $7.9 billion [http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/homeland-security/tsa http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/homeland-security/tsa] Laying off 62,000 people from the government payroll and eliminating $8 billion in funding would constitute a significant hit on the economy, and practically guarantees you won't be re-elected.

basseq 10y ago
The economic impacts plus the cover-your-ass excuse in the event of a terrorist attack makes eliminating the TSA political suicide. Which drives me crazy because it's the right move. The TSA does not protect the U.S. and the government is not a jobs program. You could give everyone at the TSA a $50k severance package and still recoup $4B. But the moment something happens, all the fingers are pointed your way. Wrongfully, of course, but human beings are bad at weighing risk and hindsight is 20/20.
- Smushman 10y ago
  An excellent point I failed to include.
jkestner 10y ago
We can use that same $8 billion to create jobs building things that would benefit citizens, like transportation infrastructure, municipal internet, low-income housing, etc. Instead of jobs for airport greeters. We need to be thinking of the sources of unemployment, such as the shift in our energy demand, and instead of impotently promising to bring coal jobs back, redirect that manpower to something that will matter going forward.

kafkaesq 10y ago

The U.S. really doesn't have a terrorism problem Friends and family of the victims in San Bernardino and Orlando might disagree with you on that.

pc86 10y ago
And basic math would disagree with you. 2.6 million people in the US will die every year.[0] How many of those die as a result of an act of terrorism? Of the 325 million people in the US, how many personally know someone who died in an act of terrorism? The likelihood of dying from an act of terrorism in the US is 1 in 3.5 million.[1] The likelihood of dying from cancer is 1 in 540. [0] ~325 million, annual death rate of 8 per 1k [1] http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-terrorism-statistics-every-american-needs-to-hear/5382818
- kafkaesq 10y ago
  As if they're not trying for much larger numbers, as we speak.
  - JustSomeNobody 10y ago
    Even if they are, there is no guarantee all this money is going to prevent it. You bring up Orlando, well the FBI talked to that perp how many times?
    - kafkaesq 10y ago
      True, but that's a different topic. Saying the U.S. has "no terrorism problem" is just hyperbole, and useless rhetoric.
      - JustSomeNobody 10y ago
        4800 people died from chocking in the U.S. in 2013. Less than 10 died from terrorists. Not sure what you consider a problem, but I personally NEVER hear anyone say we have a choking problem in this country.