On November 19th, 2001 the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) became a government agency and it's time that we rethink its existence. Did you know many Airports with commercial flights do not use the TSA for security? Predictably their results are also consistently better than TSA. Some of the airports are: Rochester, Jackson Hole, Kansas City, Key West, Orlando, San Francisco, Sarasota, Sioux Falls and Seattle.
If the results of private airport security are consistently as good if not better than TSA why in the world do have a bloated government agency who's funding is at the whim of Congress or the pen of the President? It's likely the same reason we still have: The Rural Electrification Administration, The U.S. Geological Survey, The Economic Development Administration (EDA) which I just learned duplicates the activities of at least 62 other community development programs. The list goes on and the shear number of government agencies that Americans don't know exist and wouldn't miss is mind boggling.
Government isn't the solution... In my experience it's typically the problem and should get out of the way. George W. Bush was WRONG to establish the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA is just one of the reasons. It's time to rethink the existence of the TSA.
TSA Free Airports:
Atlantic City International Airport
Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport
Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport
Dawson Community Airport
Glacier Park International Airport
Greater Rochester International Airport
Havre City-County Airport
Jackson Hole Airport
Kansas City International Airport
Key West International Airport
L. M. Clayton Airport
Orlando Sanford International Airport
Portsmouth International Airport
Punta Gorda Airport
Roswell International Air Center
San Francisco International Airport
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport
Sidney-Richland Municipal Airport
Sioux Falls Regional Airport
Tupelo Regional Airport
Wokal Field/Glasgow International
This is the blog of a middle-aged man trying to make sense of the world by dissecting the intersection of politics, science, investments and aircraft construction. My wife suggests that I lighten it up with the occasional vegan recipe or photos from our beautiful hikes on both coasts... Nah.
Monday, January 21, 2019
The Deep State
I don't believe the "Deep State" is some official organization or even a group of leaders that get together and discuss how they want to run the country. It's the natural result of decades of government growth of an ever increasing bureaucracy. Once a department, agency, commission, board, etc... is created they are every increasingly impossible to eliminate.
Take for example the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) that was set up to regulate the railroads because fixed tracks didn't promote competition. This agency was "captured" by the industry to such an extent when the trucking industry was able to compete with trains they were regulated in such a way as to protect trains from competition. This lasted until 1980 when Congress eventually stepped in allowing trucks to compete. The result? Freight charges declined substantially with an increase in quality of service. Trucks became more dependable allowing those using their services to maintain smaller inventories which when applied to the entire country saved tens of billions of dollars.
Government Agencies
Government Departments
Official Executive Branch Websites "This page contains Executive Branch sites only. With the time we have available, it is not possible to list every department agency..." Library of Congress
Every government agency, department, commission, board, etc... Should be required to have a website that concisely shows their legal mandate, mission, number of employees and annual budget each year. Furthermore, the public should be able to leave comments on these websites. Finally, significant rewards should be given to leaders, managers and workers who find a way to eliminate their jobs.
Take for example the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) that was set up to regulate the railroads because fixed tracks didn't promote competition. This agency was "captured" by the industry to such an extent when the trucking industry was able to compete with trains they were regulated in such a way as to protect trains from competition. This lasted until 1980 when Congress eventually stepped in allowing trucks to compete. The result? Freight charges declined substantially with an increase in quality of service. Trucks became more dependable allowing those using their services to maintain smaller inventories which when applied to the entire country saved tens of billions of dollars.
Government Agencies
Government Departments
Official Executive Branch Websites "This page contains Executive Branch sites only. With the time we have available, it is not possible to list every department agency..." Library of Congress
Every government agency, department, commission, board, etc... Should be required to have a website that concisely shows their legal mandate, mission, number of employees and annual budget each year. Furthermore, the public should be able to leave comments on these websites. Finally, significant rewards should be given to leaders, managers and workers who find a way to eliminate their jobs.