Hey Superman, can you explain this?
 

The meat of the point is between 0:50 & 1:05.

Looks like and improvement of 300-400% to me. :D



<a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=2c7ac1cf-78c6-4f43-ad1a-0707a578d78f" target="_new" title="Fake bombs slip past screeners"><img src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j//msnbc/Components/Video/071019/tdy_costello_airport_071019.vmodv4.jpg" border=0 alt="Fake bombs slip past screeners" width=112 height=84><br />Fake bombs slip past screeners</a>

Link no worky.

I'm curious, though. I have to confess, I probably have the same view of Homeland Security and TSA as you guys, if that's what this is about. It is arguably not our most effective public agency. It was created by gubmit-haters, so what do you expect?

Government haters to blame for government problems? You're breaking new ground here Supe! Is this some sort of legislative self-loathing complex?

Superman,
Please list the top 5 government agencies, in terms of efficacy.

Ok, try this:

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=2c7ac1cf-78c6-4f43-ad1a-0707a578d78f

The only government programs and agencies that work are those that are created by Democrats.

Republican programs are mainly just to keep minorities on crack, and to benefit Dick Cheney.

Your post is not clear to me. But, for clarity's sake, there are two types of Republican legislators. My parents and their friends, and many other Republicans I have known in my life are respectful and hopeful in terms of what can be done for society through public policy. I got no problem there. None. But there is another kind that gets elected for the specific purpose of eliminating as much of gubmit as possible, and throwing a monkey wrench into the programs they can't kill. I have seen this with my own eyes. I got a problem with those people.

Oh, and then there is the simple comedy of folks who don't really believe in government attempting to set up programs because they HAVE to, whether or not they know what they're doing. If you've followed the antics of Homeland Security and TSA, then you know what I'm talking about.

It says I need Flash 9.0. I'm fearful of the IT Nazis.

Okay, I found it. I had heard something about this. And again, frankly, I see similarities between TSA and Keystone Cops. But the passage I both expected and found disappointing is this one:
- - - - - - - -
Undercover investigators smuggled decoy explosives through O'Hare International Airport at alarming rates six years after the Sept. 11 attacks, leading to calls Thursday for better training of security screeners, higher job-performance standards and harsh consequences for failure.

- - - - - - - -

In other words, the beatings will continue until morale improves.

If this were true, Hillary would be running as a Republican, speaking at minority conventions telling them how much free money and healthcare she has to offer. And yet, that does not seem to be the case.

It's 5 o'clock somewhere Supe, calm down. Something about your initial statement with government haters running the government amused me. Perhaps I should have written it in green?

Sup,

The point is that the private company did much much better. Do they "love" bomb detection?

What private company? The one that smuggled fake bombs? They were not in the same business as TSA. Very different. Quite frankly, it is hard for me to imagine a system so effective that a fake bomb cannot be placed in an airliner. If someone wants to smuggle a bomb, there are ways. Still, we expect better performance from screeners and we want them to catch as many as possible. Make it unlikely that a bomb, attemtped to be smuggled, will make it into the plane.

??? Did you watch the video? The airport with a private company running security found 80% of the bombs and/or related devices where as the TSA found 20-30%.

I'll believe that. For your edification, when TSA was formed and initial staffing was done, the Dubya "administration" outlined its labor strategy. No unions. Wages mandated, and as low as possible. This agency deliberately staffed itself with "screeners" who have little successful employment experience and no valuable skills. Amusingly, more than 30% were terminated weeks and months later when it was learned they cannot pass a background check. You wanna meet some TSA people? The best place would be a city bus. That's how they get to work. Or anywhere else for that matter, I imagine.

The private company had options. Like I mentioned in the Public Sector Management thread. These two threads are related.

But the funny thing is, the ankle weights are not usually placed on the agency by the people who have the responsibility to administer and manage it. Usually those limitations come from the agency's enemies. This time, they came from the White House. With easily predictable results. One more time......why do we place gubmit haters in charge of running the government? The deck was stacked for this private company against its public sector competitors.

So more money, higher wages and a union for the screeners?

This, of course, means that they will suddenly become spectacular employees. You know, like most public employees. And most union employees.:D

Supe, I'm a bit dissapointed. I thought you were beyond the "Blame Bush" stupidity. Our government issues go far deeper than one administration.

I don't like Dubya. Never did. From the first time I saw a film clip of him. The term that best describes my impression of him is and has always been "arrogant coward." I don't like him.

I don't know if a union would help or not. And of course, paying those existing screeners more money would cause performance increases, but they would be minor. No, the thing that would have avoided certain failure would have been to consider the qualifications needed, and price those qualifications accordingly. That is what didn't happen. What did happen was an "administration" just didn't have any respect for the local labor markets from which it would draw its workforce. Quite frankly, when this many workers are hired this quickly, the bottom of the barrel is going to be scraped. Everyone who couldn't get a job applied. And were hired. To get folks who are good at their work, you have to offer money that will attract them away from their existing jobs. The Dubya "administration" thought it was much simpler than that. Lots of simple-minded gubmit-critics here, too.

Supe, you're largely talking about menial jobs here. People stand at x-ray machines, take your shoes, and occasionally get to wand and frisk. There's not a huge amount of mental capacity required. I would blame many of the failures on mismanagement and lack of proper training and procedures. That is a job that you can train nearly anyone to do, but you have to properly train and monitor them.