TSA Unionization, TSA Tactics, and a TSA Roundup

TSA Unionization

The Obama Administration is pressing for the unionization of TSA employees.

Senior Counsel Hans Bader argues that unionizing the TSA will exacerbate passengers’ frustration with security measures.

“[S]creening methods are only as effective as the employees who use them, and lazy or inattentive employees can render any screening method useless. The Obama administration is now poised to unionize the TSA, which would make it harder to remove lazy or inattentive employees, and harder to reassign employees as needed in responding to any attempted terror attacks.”

TSA Tactics

Some claim that the backlash against new TSA tactics is a reactive, partisan movement.

Policy Analyst Marc Scribner disagrees and points out that the argument against increased security measures is actually a rational, economic argument.

“In reality, the actual objective of the TSA is giving travelers a false sense of security by treating them all like criminals (oh, how far we’ve come). If you look at the data, the risk of being killed by a terrorist plot involving an airliner approaches the infinitesimal. But that being said, most Americans are not great with statistics, and thus their responses to this risk are and will continue to be hugely disproportionate. This means that many travelers will modify their behavior based on this false sense of danger, and some will, unfortunately, choose a far more dangerous mode of transportation: driving.”

TSA Roundup

Stories about the TSA have been inundating blogs in the last few weeks.

Fellow in Regulatory Studies Ryan Young says we should abolish the TSA.

“Let airlines and airports determine their own policies. Let them compete on safety; if people think flying is dangerous, they won’t fly. Airlines have everything to lose. The TSA has no such incentive. If anything, its repeated failures are rewarded with budget increases.”