5 ms·

Ask HN: Why does the TSA still exist?

5 points by tothrowaway 8y ago

I'm taking my first flight in over a decade. The thought of going through airport security makes me angry. The TSA is almost universally despised and ineffective, but continues to exist. Why?

Morieris 8y ago
because we love bringing guns on planes. https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2018/01/29/tsa-year-review-record-amount-firearms-discovered-2017 https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2018/01/29/tsa-year-review-record-a...
- godot 8y ago
  Wow, this is eye-opening. The amount of guns and other weapons found by TSA is insane. If this post wasn't on tsa.gov I would've thought it's a joke post. How do this many people think they can get past TSA with all this?
  - stevekemp 8y ago
    Ironically the TSA regularly fail scheduled-tests. Where "actors" intentionally try to sneak guns & knives through security..
Bucephalus355 8y ago
Because nearly 3,000 Americans died on September 11th, 2001. I’m sorry to say this, and maybe you have unique and specific grievances I’m not aware of, but your anger seems like a gross entitlement of the kind Silicon Valley has become used too.
- smt88 8y ago
  I think your premise, that the TSA effectively prevents terrorist attacks, is not a universal one[1][2][3]. Also, lacking anger at the TSA may also be a sign of entitlement. For people who look like Muslims, the TSA may be a source of fear and shame. Racial profiling used to be more prevalent than people perhaps realize. There are, of course, many other reasons to be angry, including sexual assault, stolen items, and other TSA abuses. That's not even counting the intrusive body scanners and other officially sanctioned activities. 1. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-aclu-tsa-20170207-story.html http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-aclu-tsa-20170207-stor... 2. https://www.vox.com/2016/5/17/11687014/tsa-against-airport-security https://www.vox.com/2016/5/17/11687014/tsa-against-airport-s... 3. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/the-tsa-doesnt-work-and-maybe-it-doesnt-matter/394673/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/the-tsa...
orangecat 8y ago
The TSA is almost universally despised Sadly this is not true: http://news.gallup.com/poll/156491/americans-views-tsa-positive-negative.aspx http://news.gallup.com/poll/156491/americans-views-tsa-posit... I generally agree with you, but any politician who advocates saner policies would be walking directly into demagoguery like "you're willing to risk terrorists killing our children so that rich businessmen can save a few minutes".
WhiteSource1 8y ago
The TSA is flawed, not unimportant. It should be improved, not dismantled.

5 points by tothrowaway 8y ago

I'm taking my first flight in over a decade. The thought of going through airport security makes me angry. The TSA is almost universally despised and ineffective, but continues to exist. Why?

Morieris 8y ago

because we love bringing guns on planes. https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2018/01/29/tsa-year-review-record-amount-firearms-discovered-2017 https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2018/01/29/tsa-year-review-record-a...

godot 8y ago
Wow, this is eye-opening. The amount of guns and other weapons found by TSA is insane. If this post wasn't on tsa.gov I would've thought it's a joke post. How do this many people think they can get past TSA with all this?
- stevekemp 8y ago
  Ironically the TSA regularly fail scheduled-tests. Where "actors" intentionally try to sneak guns & knives through security..

Bucephalus355 8y ago

Because nearly 3,000 Americans died on September 11th, 2001. I’m sorry to say this, and maybe you have unique and specific grievances I’m not aware of, but your anger seems like a gross entitlement of the kind Silicon Valley has become used too.

smt88 8y ago
I think your premise, that the TSA effectively prevents terrorist attacks, is not a universal one[1][2][3]. Also, lacking anger at the TSA may also be a sign of entitlement. For people who look like Muslims, the TSA may be a source of fear and shame. Racial profiling used to be more prevalent than people perhaps realize. There are, of course, many other reasons to be angry, including sexual assault, stolen items, and other TSA abuses. That's not even counting the intrusive body scanners and other officially sanctioned activities. 1. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-aclu-tsa-20170207-story.html http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-aclu-tsa-20170207-stor... 2. https://www.vox.com/2016/5/17/11687014/tsa-against-airport-security https://www.vox.com/2016/5/17/11687014/tsa-against-airport-s... 3. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/the-tsa-doesnt-work-and-maybe-it-doesnt-matter/394673/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/the-tsa...

orangecat 8y ago

The TSA is almost universally despised Sadly this is not true: http://news.gallup.com/poll/156491/americans-views-tsa-positive-negative.aspx http://news.gallup.com/poll/156491/americans-views-tsa-posit... I generally agree with you, but any politician who advocates saner policies would be walking directly into demagoguery like "you're willing to risk terrorists killing our children so that rich businessmen can save a few minutes".

WhiteSource1 8y ago

The TSA is flawed, not unimportant. It should be improved, not dismantled.