Rep. John Mica Pushes for TSA Privatization
No big surprise here. Republicans want to use the recent outrage over the aggressive screening tactics being used by the TSA at airports as an excuse to privatize it. As Steve Benen noted this weekend, that of course doesn't solve the problem and just brings with it a whole new set of concerns.
Mica is poised to become chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, so he'll be in a position to advance this issue.
There are a variety of angles to consider here. Note, for example, that private companies that stand to benefit from privatization also happen to be generous campaign contributors to Mica's re-election campaign.
Even more importantly, several domestic airports already use private screeners, but it's still the TSA that establishes mandatory security standards. If Mica or other Republicans want to have a conversation about whether those security measures are appropriate, that's fine. But whether those doing the screening are public employees or private contractors doesn't change the standards themselves. Selling this as some sort of cure-all for frustrated travelers is silly.
As Josh Marshall joked yesterday, "Watching cable TV this morning it seems like the new idea is that this would all be better if private sector workers rather than government employees were inspecting Americans' crotches, boobs, etc."
But via email, reader V.S. noted another angle that's worth paying attention to: legal restrictions. Existing standards, as written by federal officials, have to take constitutional issues into consideration. If Mica scrapped the TSA and let airports hire Blackwater-style private security to screen passengers, it's easy to imagine legal safeguards -- against racial profiling, for example -- suddenly being cast aside.
Mica of course also blew off accusations that any of the companies that provide airport security that have made campaign contributions to him might be influencing his push to privatize airport security. As News 4 in Jacksonville noted:
TSA spokesman Greg Soule would not respond directly Mica's letter, but reiterated the nation's roughly 460 commercial airports have the option of applying to use private contractors.
Companies that provide airport security are contributors to Mica's campaigns, although some donations came before those companies won government contracts. The Lockheed Martin Corp. Employees' Political Action Committee has given $36,500 to Mica since 1997. A Lockheed firm won the security contract in Sioux Falls, S.D. in 2005 and the contract for San Francisco the following year.
Raytheon Company's PAC has given Mica $33,500 since 1999. A Raytheon subsidiary began providing checkpoint screenings at Key West International Airport in 2007.
FirstLine Transportation Security Inc.'s PAC has donated $4,500 to the Florida congressman since 2004. FirstLine has been screening baggage and has been responsible for passenger checkpoints at the Kansas City International Airport since 2006, as well as the Gallup Municipal Airport and the Roswell Industrial Air Center in New Mexico, operating at both since 2007.
Since 2006, Mica has received $2,000 from FirstLine President Keith Wolken and $1,700 from Gerald Berry, president of Covenant Aviation Security. Covenant works with Lockheed to provide security at airports in Sioux Falls and San Francisco.
Mica spokesman Justin Harclerode said the contributions never improperly influenced the congressman, who said he was unaware Raytheon or Lockheed were in the screening business.
"They certainly never contacted him about providing screening," Harclerode said.
No matter who's doing these screenings I'm glad we're seeing some push back on the tactics being used. From all I've watched on this over the last week or two, I don't know why we're not scrapping the machines and the pat downs for bomb sniffing dogs and questioning passengers who might actually pose a security risk. I would suspect the likes of Michael Chertoff and his ilk making money off of these scanning machines and still having too much influence over our politicians might have something to do with it.
Major General Smedley Butler: War Is A Racket
When will government of the people, by the politicians, for the corporations perish from this Earth?
Not soon enough!
Do we get to sue them when the private firms molest our children?
I know the drug laws are aimed at the lower classes. Can anyone tell me what the security is for private jets? I think the rich would tell me they have a very personal relationship with the pilots of private jets. No one ever calls in sick or is replaced by a sub right? When I see a celebrity on the street I am never really sure if it is the celeb or a ringer. How can the security for a private jet be? I say irradiate and group everyone one, rich , politicians and all or none. And a celebrity or politician has never been known to to anything crazy or destructive anyway, right?
Way back in the 70s when the Palestinians first started hijacking airplanes in an effort to get some world attention to the theft of their land and the persecution of their people at the hands of the Jews (with Americas support) the airlines refused to implement adequate security measures because it cut into their profits. Fast forward to the second world trade center attack, the American government not only bailed out the airlines but implememted vast security for the airline industry at taxpayer expense. Now private industry wants to assume control of this security apparatus in another effort to socialize the cost and privatize the profit. This is one more nail in Americas coffin.
Trying to
Save
Amtrak
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It's not.
- Dr. Suess
the TSA
Say no to hiring Blackwater for the job.
Say yes to having Airtran and Delta protect their own planes!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPxJZboPywQ&fe...
audit-prosecute-incarcerate
on the importance of passing the salt treaty with joke about TSA groping.
When all is made private....
there will be no more public square....
Sure there will:
For whippings, hangings and Christmas Trees.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
So it's really a non-starter.
I'm a lot like Ricky Gervais and the Golden Globes: Why?
I work in public health, and no one, not a single politician, has ever advocated privatizing public health. Why? No one would do it. Not only is there no money to be made, but prevention keeps other people in the health industry from making lots of money. Like the drug and tobacco industry. Mission gives way to profits. A perfect description of the war on terror. It's always been more about profits (oil and military) than the mission, And this airport security thing is part of the result of scaring people with terrorists to fuel that machine of money. Waterboard the Muslims, bomb their villages, hold them in prison for years without due process, let Blackwater do whatever, but don't inconvenience me when I'm trying to go on vacation.
I've seen some stuff, man. And some thangs...
Whenever I see Mica on my TV, I get distracted by the world's worst rug and don't absorb a word he's saying.
Yes, that looks like a raccoon on his melon. But seriously, Mica is a hazard to anyone who travels. As the House Transportation Committee Chair, he will sell our safety to his corporate financial supporters.
Do you recall when the air traffic control system came to a grinding halt last year? That was thanks to the Harris Corporation, who happens to be in Mica's backyard and back pocket. This guy is filthy dirty.
http://gettheflick.blogspot.com/2009/11/broke...
That went well.
who do want patting you down at the airport somebody with a fair wage , mortgage, tuition, responsibilities, or somebody with four letter words tattooed on the back of their fingers
mlg51
Their grocery list?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
"LEFT" and "RITE" - and not on the hands you would think.
Oh wait...we did that with Blackwater, and it blew up in our face. Love them or hate them, government employees are the way to go with government agencies. I dont want no talent minimum wage earners with nothing but fear of losing their job to be doing this job.
They literally want to privatize everything , if there is money to be made they want to get their hands on it , period .
Insanity , it is what it is , there is no understanding it .
"we didn't get a TSA administer till 8 months into Obama's administation and 2 rejections"
Whose fault was that? Republicans have tried to stop everything the elected (by a hugh majority) president has put forth and then they have the nerve to complain about the results.
...I have the perfect firm to take it over -- Xe Services LLC (formerly known as Blackwater). If any whiny Amurkin causes a problem with Xe in charge, they'll find out what security really means (a bullet in the back of the head?).
Other possible candidates would be:
Halliburton -- they've done everything else perfectly.
BP -- a "slick" corporation.
GM -- just waiting to be bailed out.
Any private, for-profit health insurance company -- they'll deliver less for more.
I guess that we want to see Blackwater (or whatever name it has today) or Halliburton torture us a the airports. Privatize TSA. If that happens, I will never get on a plane again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLBKOcUbHR0
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
If its going to be either or, I endorse privatizing it, which should largely remove political bureaucrats from making these decisions, as they apparently are really, really bad at it. I think people are tripping out if they think blackwater every time they hear the words privatization. As if a security company in an airport would post snipers and abduct passengers or something.
They would most definitely molest passengers, although the number of fatal rapes would probably be lower in airports.
First of all , our choices are not "either/or":-- the whole suggestion of privatization of the TSA is nothing but opportunistic posturing by the GOP on behalf of their defense contractor clients. There are plenty of ways to address people's objections to the new, intrusive procedures working within the existing structures.
Secondly, I would rather have the decisions made by government officials, who are under the oversight of elected officials, who in turn are accountable to voters,. than to private security goons who would be accountable to virtually no one once they secured their contract.
Mark P. Kessinger
New York, New York
OK, Lets privatize the TSA.
The American Governmrnt should not be providing tax payer security for a private for profit airline industry.
Let the private sector airlines pay for and provide their own security and get tax payers off the hook for any and all costs.
The free market will handle the private sector airline industry. If the air lines have to raise their prices to provide security then those who fly on those air lines can pay for it in the PRICE OF THEIR TICKETS,,,!
If an air line company wishes to offer lower prices of their tickets and NOT provide security, SO BE IT.
The consumers of the free market will prevail, right?
You could chose if you want to pay more to fly on an air line that provides security or one that doesn't/
If the air line company can;t afford security and either fall prey to attacks and lose customers or they can;'t aford to pay for their own air line security and NO oNE FLIES on their air lines. Well, the free market spoke.
How would those congressmen fly back and forth to D.C. and their home districts? Woulsd they choose security or low priced risk filled no security to save money?
Just think of the flight insurance you can buy before boarding the plane?
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