6 ms·

Why would you assume that airlines can effectively lobby them? From a government official's perspective, the truth is that when an attack happens, they're goin

Why would you assume that airlines can effectively lobby them? From a government official's perspective, the truth is that when an attack happens, they're going to get blamed. People aren't going to blame the airlines, they're going to blame the government. The more bizarre and nonsensical the "security" restrictions, the better protected officials are from blame when the inevitable attacks finally occur. There's nothing an airline official can offer a government to compensate for loss of shielding from blame. As long as Americans are pathetic and fearful, we will have the government we deserve.

daten 16y ago
Too bad the invasions of privacy at TSA checkpoints don't do anything to prevent "attacks". If you're going to cover your ass, at least do it in an effective way that doesn't offend your intelligent voters.
StavrosK 16y ago
The more bizarre and nonsensical the "security" restrictions, the larger the shitstorm officials will be in when the inevitable attacks finally occur and people realise the TSA groped their toddlers for nothing.
philwelch 16y ago
Airlines are corporations with billions of dollars. Corporations with billions of dollars can effectively lobby the US government.
- dangrossman 16y ago
  You might've missed this recent article on HN: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1863927 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1863927
  - philwelch 16y ago
    OK, maybe the unions would be the ones lobbying the US government. That works really well too!
    - pmiller2 16y ago
      But, unions have no incentive to lobby the government in this matter on behalf of anyone other than airline employees. By definition, the airline unions don't represent the general public, so they can't be expected to lobby on behalf of the public.
      - philwelch 16y ago
        The idea is that airlines, or airline employee unions, will face economic pressure from people choosing not to fly.
        rhizome 16y ago
        Except that they won't, they'll just lower prices and get bailed out with tax-dollars if they get into financial trouble. Air-travel is now a matter of national security, and by this token airlines are not threatenable.
rdtsc 16y ago
> The more bizarre and nonsensical the "security" restrictions, the better protected officials are from blame when the inevitable attacks finally occur. I believe that is true for other security theaters as well. A large bank, for example, instead of hiring in-house security experts, might contract out their security to an outside firm. Not because it is necessarily cheaper or the consulting company will do a better job, but because they can be blamed if something goes wrong. A security breach happens, shareholders are up-in-arms, C*Os tell them "we hired the best, we payed them a lot of money, if they can't protect our data, nobody can." The security firm in the meantime has to do their best to project themselves as "the experts". Usually carefully chosen stock photography of people in the business suits smiling and talking on the phone on the front page of their website, and the ability of the salesman to play and _lose_ at golf does the trick. TSA does the same thing. They are the scapegoats. So when shit hits the fan, nobody can point out to the politicians and say "you fucked up". Security theater is not pointless, it has an exact purpose, and that is to protect and serve (the government) from future blame.
- alexqgb 16y ago
  'Shiftability' n. The state of being unaccountable. Highly valued in financial trades. http://on.wsj.com/9jZZsL http://on.wsj.com/9jZZsL

daten 16y ago

Too bad the invasions of privacy at TSA checkpoints don't do anything to prevent "attacks". If you're going to cover your ass, at least do it in an effective way that doesn't offend your intelligent voters.

StavrosK 16y ago

The more bizarre and nonsensical the "security" restrictions, the larger the shitstorm officials will be in when the inevitable attacks finally occur and people realise the TSA groped their toddlers for nothing.

philwelch 16y ago

Airlines are corporations with billions of dollars. Corporations with billions of dollars can effectively lobby the US government.

dangrossman 16y ago
You might've missed this recent article on HN: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1863927 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1863927
- philwelch 16y ago
  OK, maybe the unions would be the ones lobbying the US government. That works really well too!
  - pmiller2 16y ago
    But, unions have no incentive to lobby the government in this matter on behalf of anyone other than airline employees. By definition, the airline unions don't represent the general public, so they can't be expected to lobby on behalf of the public.
    - philwelch 16y ago
      The idea is that airlines, or airline employee unions, will face economic pressure from people choosing not to fly.
      - rhizome 16y ago
        Except that they won't, they'll just lower prices and get bailed out with tax-dollars if they get into financial trouble. Air-travel is now a matter of national security, and by this token airlines are not threatenable.

rdtsc 16y ago

> The more bizarre and nonsensical the "security" restrictions, the better protected officials are from blame when the inevitable attacks finally occur. I believe that is true for other security theaters as well. A large bank, for example, instead of hiring in-house security experts, might contract out their security to an outside firm. Not because it is necessarily cheaper or the consulting company will do a better job, but because they can be blamed if something goes wrong. A security breach happens, shareholders are up-in-arms, C*Os tell them "we hired the best, we payed them a lot of money, if they can't protect our data, nobody can." The security firm in the meantime has to do their best to project themselves as "the experts". Usually carefully chosen stock photography of people in the business suits smiling and talking on the phone on the front page of their website, and the ability of the salesman to play and _lose_ at golf does the trick. TSA does the same thing. They are the scapegoats. So when shit hits the fan, nobody can point out to the politicians and say "you fucked up". Security theater is not pointless, it has an exact purpose, and that is to protect and serve (the government) from future blame.

alexqgb 16y ago
'Shiftability' n. The state of being unaccountable. Highly valued in financial trades. http://on.wsj.com/9jZZsL http://on.wsj.com/9jZZsL