Airport security--more money wasn't the answer

From Associated Press, found on MSNBC web site. Headline linked.

Airport screening not improved, reports say

Four years after 9/11 attacks, vulnerability persists

The Associated Press
Updated: 7:59 p.m. ET April 15, 2005

WASHINGTON - Two upcoming government reports will say the quality of screening at airports is no better now than before the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a House member who has been briefed on the contents.
The Government Accountability Office — the investigative arm of Congress — and the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general are expected to soon release their findings on the performance of Transportation Security Administration screeners.
“A lot of people will be shocked at the billions of dollars we’ve spent and the results they’re going to see, which confirm previous examinations of the Soviet-style screening system we’ve put in place,” Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., told The Associated Press on Friday.
Mica chairs the House aviation subcommittee and was briefed on the reports.

‘Best we've ever had’
The TSA won’t comment on the specifics of the reports until they are released, said spokesman Mark Hatfield Jr.
“When the political posturing is over, rational people will see that American screeners today are the best we have ever had and that they are limited only by current technology and security procedures that are significantly influenced by privacy demands,” Hatfield said.
Improving the ability of screeners to find dangerous items has been the goal since the government took over the task at about 450 airports in early 2002 and hired more than 45,000 workers. But earlier investigations showed problems persist.
On Jan. 26, Homeland Security’s acting inspector general, Richard Skinner, testified that “the ability of TSA screeners to stop prohibited items from being carried through the sterile areas of the airports fared no better than the performance of screeners prior to Sept. 11, 2001.”

... more at linked article

EMPHASIS ADDED

See the EMPHASIS ADDED section and read it carefully -- especially any of you that might be crying for higher taxes in any fashion. MORE MONEY WASN'T THE ANSWER. As with many problems our society faces, our government took money from it's tax-payers (citizens) and tossed that money at this problem (protecting the citizens when we fly) and bought us nothing any better than what we had before. That's a fact, or at least it will be fact when these reports are released.

Nice to know we've lost these billions spent for service that fails us.

No worries though, someone will write a new article soon on how we must raise taxes so we have more to spend for such vital needs so we can really fix the problem that wasn't fixed before because we didn't throw enough money at the problem.

Perhaps someone should explain to those that believe in the old liberalism that tossing money at problems doesn't solve the problems -- instead it just creates a demand for more money so that the problem can be solved slowly, methodically, and well, never. Why? Because once a problem is solved, there's no need to keep spending money on it, and that puts people out of work -- including those that collect the money and determine what to spend the money on.

I will say that I think most of the TSA people are trying to do a good job, but they are doing much too little, much too late, and really aren't doing any better than did the private employees that did the jobs before. I'm glad I don't fly that often any more, though I don't necessarily feel it's unsafe to do so. It's just absolutely not billions of dollars better than before.

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