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Cool Economist debate on TSA

Where's the two line summary so I can make a scathing comment and then go on to more important things like death panels and such?
 
Exactly two things have made air travel safer since 9/11: reinforcing the cockpit door, and convincing passengers that they need to fight back. Everything else has been a waste of money. Add screening of checked bags and airport workers and we are done. All the rest is security theater. If we truly want to be safer, we should return airport security to pre-9/11 levels and spend the savings on intelligence, investigation and emergency response.
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I agree with the proposers closing remarks. I travel for work I see airports every other week and I can tell you the US security is smoke and mirrors. The TSA is a waste of time and money.
 
Var said:
The last person's argument is basically, "The proof that the TSA works is that there hasn't been a successful terrorist attack since 9/11"

That's a logical fallacy if there ever was one.
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The other sides argument seems to be that "the TSA hasn't caught any terrorist which is proof it doesn't work" and would also be a logical fallacy would it not?
 
I agree with the agument that the TSA is playing catch up and will always do this. There is no such thing as a proactive TSA but instead a reactive TSA.

The part about getting up and fighting terrorists on a plane was a cool point. I honestly think the days of airline bombings are over because America has shown that you are now fucking with the people instead of the government and the people are ready to kill. I believe the next terror attack, if there is one, will be on a train or cruise ship.
 
Shotline said:
The other sides argument seems to be that "the TSA hasn't caught any terrorist which is proof it doesn't work" and would also be a logical fallacy would it not?
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Yup, hard to debate solely on evidence, since what we don't have anything solid.

I'm inclined to agree with the "TSA is wasteful" POV, but I tend to think govt is naturally inefficient.
 
:zzz (this is a very boring "asleep" icon. We need a tipped over, abandoned box of popcorn icon)

My beliefs:
1) Current TSA practices are a charade to satisfy the public need to feel safe.
2) They will keep us "safe" until they don't (i.e. they do little toward safety)
3) The terrorists have won.
4) The money spent on this could be better spent.
 
You guys assume the TSA is there for security! :laughing

It's there to show you who is boss and condition you for more Police State actions to come!
 
Shotline said:
The other sides argument seems to be that "the TSA hasn't caught any terrorist which is proof it doesn't work" and would also be a logical fallacy would it not?
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That's not the other side of the argument. The other side is

1- they fail their own insider tests where people sneak stuff by them routinely
2- they are a sign of ignorance and fear, and are extremely intrusive, cost a lot of money
 
Shotline said:
The other sides argument seems to be that "the TSA hasn't caught any terrorist which is proof it doesn't work" and would also be a logical fallacy would it not?
Click to expand...

No, because there have been attempts. It's just that TSA did not detect them or have any hand in stopping them.
 
in the end the bureaucracy that is the TSA has been created, and getting rid of a bureaucracy is harder then getting rid of black berry vines. Even if the country as whole agrees that it isn't doing anything useful, it just try and change it's mission rather than let itself get defunded.
 
It's not just airports; it's nearly all government buildings. (Try taking your smartphone into federal court sometime.)
 
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