We're So Much Safer Now

Yes folks, we have verifiable evidence that more government has made us more secure.

Ok, you're laughing and rightfully so because the statement above is purely a work of fiction. The fact of the matter is, we're not safer now, we're far from it. USA Today published an article that says that airport screeners missed 75% of fake bombs at LAX and 60% at O'Hare.

**TERRORIST INSTRUCTION ALERT**
If terrorists decided to send 10 guys with one bomb each on 10 different place going from LAX 7 out of 10 of them would succeed in getting aboard the plane with the bomb.
**END TERRORIST INSTRUCTION ALERT**

The fact is, we're not safer and the government (any government) is incapable of making us safer from anything but an invading enemy hoard (even that is questionable at times). After 9/11, the TSA took over airport screening duties. Obviously they had to hire a lot of existing screeners from the private companies who ran them. I haven't done any research but I imagine more than a few security companies went out of business because the government essentially stole their businesses from them.

The article says that in the late 1990, screeners only missed about 40% of fake bombs. Certainly the technology available to the general public to make bombs has improved, the ability to screen for bombs has improved too so we should be seeing at least some consistency in that number. But no, when you work for the government your ability to perform does not increase. You are more hampered by bureaucracy (or bureaucrazy as Nelly called it once) when you work for the government. Walk in to any government office and see what a model of efficiency, innovation and pure joy it is. Could you expect anything more from government security screeners? If it's really a matter of national security, why not use military? They tend to have more of a sense of dedication than the typical government worker.

Let's put airport security back in the hands of the airlines where it belongs. They have a responsibility to keep their passengers safe. Their livelihood depends on it so let them do it. Let them compete for a "Safest Airline" award by some private entity.

Let's get rid of every other Federal agency and let the market fill the need if there actually is one for the services it provides at our expense.