Republican John Mica from Florida has suggested that airports consider going to private contractors and opting out of TSA. The thinking here is? That it would somehow be better than TSA? Obviously, he is not thinking this through.
Private contractors follow the TSA SOP and cannot modify any procedures, so how does that make a private contractor better? Oh, it must be the kickbacks!
A GAO report stated that the cost of a private contractor is 9 to 10% higher than a TSA Federal workforce, so, we fail to see the benefit. I guess we need to provide this info to Mr. Mica. We will rise to the occasion and will fill in the necessary blanks. Stay tuned!
A blog dedicated to the TSOs, LTSOs, and BDOs at San Francisco International Airport that work for Covenant Aviation Security, LLC (CAS).
John Mica is from Florida.
ReplyDeleteOur CAS president Gerry Berry lives in Florida.
I bet Gerry Berry has contributed money into John Mica's campaign and to be the voice of private contractors like CAS.
John Mica and Ron Paul are your typical politicians who are riding the anti-TSA waves to get more votes and $$$$ from private security contractors like CAS.
This is what i found when I went through comments on a consumer report blog:
ReplyDeletecromartie
November 18, 2010 10:37 PMFlag for review
The issue here is TSA policy, rather than TSA itself. But John Mica might have some interest in obfuscating the issue, such as:
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.
Which you would know had you looked up the AP copy on this story instead (http://apnews.myway.com//article/20101119/D9JITOC01.html).
If you don't like TSA's policies regarding the machines and pat downs, which are indeed invasions of privacy, that's fine, but to give a congressman who's on the take the time of day on privatization because of a knee jerk "TSA bad" meme is tangential without doing some basic research
http://consumerist.com/2010/11/airports-looking-to-replace-tsa-screeners-with-contractors.html