WHAT IF?… We abolished the TSA

Al-Qaeda’s terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, sought to secure the free world into giving up its freedom.

The terrorists largely failed; the free world is resilient, after all. But here we are, more than 20 years later, and the Transportation Security Administration not only still exists but is still enacting its “security theater,” needlessly hassling airline passengers and in many ways making travelers LESS safe.

Al-Qaeda’s terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, sought to secure the free world into giving up its freedom.

The terrorists largely failed; the free world is resilient, after all. But here we are, more than 20 years later, and the Transportation Security Administration not only still exists but is still enacting its “security theater,” needlessly hassling airline passengers and in many ways making travelers LESS safe.

It lends credence to Milton Friedman’s immortal words, “Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.”

In this video, we analyze the TSA’s motives, budget, and efficacy (not to mention hypocrisy).

For more context, we spoke to Abby Hall Blanco, Associate Professor of Economics at Bellarmine University, and co-author of Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror.

She enlightened us on how bureaus seek to increase their budgets, what airports used to look like, and the sad-but-true story of a man who was thoroughly embarrassed by TSA agents. She also makes an ironclad argument in favor of the privatization of airport security.

Also appearing are brief clips from The Simpsons, Friends, Get Out, Key & Peele, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Terminal, and Meet the Parents.