Shining Moments in Government

In my Sunday post, I summarized McCloskey's argument that government is subject to the same failings as the free market only more so. In order to argue that government should ameliorate some societal ill supposedly caused by free market failure, it is only intellectually honest to require proof that government can do better, or at a minimum not make things worse. Right on queue, two articles popped up in the local paper that illustrated this principle at work.

From the U-T:

The former deputy director of California state parks at the vortex of a financial scandal has a string of criminal convictions, including a felony DUI, and spent 12 of his 23 years in state government on court-ordered probation.

. . . has admitted carrying out a vacation buyout program in 2011 that state officials have deemed unauthorized. Lopez himself benefitted from the program, which cost more than $271,000. His former boss, parks Director Ruth Coleman, accused Lopez of also playing a role in hiding $54 million in two special funds at the parks department.
. . .
Beginning in 1988, five months before he began his state career as a “student assistant” at the Employment Development Department, Lopez was convicted of a misdemeanor for theft, according to court records.

He was also prosecuted for driving under the influence in 1989, 1992 and 1994, according to Sacramento County court records. He’s also filed for bankruptcy and has been the target of two workplace sexual harassment lawsuits.

This is one of the huge problems with government. It took 23 years to get rid of this guy? Say it real slowly, because twenty-three years is a long, long time. And the left wants to let government be in charge of ever larger parts of our lives? Too bad he wasn't at the DMV with access to our social security numbers and other private information, which he could have made lots more money using than the paltry $271K he snagged.

Image from TSA blog, describing imaging technology.

Meanwhile, the TSA is busy protecting us by "racial profiling?"

. . . more than 30 officers involved in the "behavior detection" program at Logan contend that the operation targets not only Middle Easterners, but also passengers who fit certain profiles — such as Hispanics traveling to Miami, or blacks wearing baseball caps backward.
. . .
The officers said their co-workers were increasingly targeting minorities, believing the stops would lead to the discovery of drugs, outstanding arrest warrants and immigration problems, in response to pressure from managers who wanted high numbers of stops, searches and criminal referrals, The Times reported.

So the TSA is allowed to unionize, and they immediately turn racist? Is this cause and effect?

From the Boston Globe:

The assessors look for inconsistencies in the answers and other signs of unusual behavior, like avoiding eye contact, sweating or fidgeting, officials said. A passenger considered to be acting suspiciously can be pulled from the line and subjected to more intensive questioning.

That is what happened last month at Logan airport to Kenneth Boatner, 68, a psychologist and educational consultant in Boston who was traveling to Atlanta for a business trip.

In a formal complaint he filed with the agency afterward, he said he was pulled out of line and detained for 29 minutes, as agents thumbed through his checkbook and examined his clients’ clinical notes, his cellphone and other belongings.

The officers gave no explanation, but Boatner, who is black, said he suspected the reason he was stopped was his race and appearance. He was wearing sweat pants, a white T-shirt, and high-top sneakers.

He said he felt humiliated. ‘‘I had never been subjected to anything like that,’’ he said in an interview.

Of course he did, and it doesn't matter if he was white, asian or any other ethnicity. The TSA daily humiliates millions of Americans, its just a question of how much. The TSA is supposed to keep us safe in the air. Even if a criminal boards an airliner, but he isn't a terrorist, why should the TSA care? What gets into their heads that they are now junior G-men?

And here is a little tidbit from my own job in the federal government; almost as outrageous for its waste. The Congress is understandably upset with wasteful IT spending at the Department of Defense. But for years, the department has basically ignored the Congress about getting its act together on the issue. Out of frustration, they based what I consider a bit of ill-advised legislation, even if the intent is understandable. The National Defense Authorization Act prohibits spending on information systems technology that could be contained in a data center without the approval of very senior people within the department. The mindless interpretation of the statute by senior bureaucrats in charge of IT but clearly no experience has resulted in the following absurd result.

A group of researchers at my work have a small experimental project that needs a $300 ethernet switch to allow some PCs to talk to an antenna. Somehow, this is interpreted as meeting the above definition of a data center, so the paperwork to request a waiver from the act will consume at least $1000 of labor effort. But an ethernet switch of the type needed could no more be useful in building a data center, than could taking your vacuum cleaner motor and jury rigging it to be an alternator for your car. Sure, theoretically it might be possible, but is so far fetched as to defy credulity. Meanwhile the project will suffer untold delays costing who knows how many tens of thousands of dollars in wasted effort waiting for a $300 part.

When the left, and even the right, wants to put government in charge, they had best explain why it is better than the private sector solutions; because the cases I have listed aren't ordinary, but are frequent enough.

Which Is the More Outrageous TSA flaws or DHS response

Temple of Mut has been warning us that TSA measures for airport security have not been implemented using an appropriate risk assessment methodology. From her blog:

As a safety professional, I have been doing RISK ASSESSMENT for years. Essentially, it is the concept whereby different factors that could impact a business are reviewed, and the resources to eliminate or minimize a hazard are selected based on a) How harmful the hazard is; b) How often the hazard is faced; and, c) The amount of materials/training/work it will take to eliminate/reduce the risks associated with that hazard.

Now Drudge has a headline linking to an article about a pilot blowing the whistle on the stupid ways that security is implemented at our nation's airports, echoing the Temple's criticism.

Here's a little YouTube:



Look at the heavy-handed manner in which the Feds (and Big Sis specifically) respond to criticism. So my exit question, which is more outrageous, the mindless tactics and kabuki theater of our airport security or the the federal government's heavy handed response to questioning. Also, in a nation where the federal government and local law enforcement can't agree on how to process illegal aliens arrested for felonies, how is it that county sheriffs can seize this man's pistol four days after he posts some Youtube critical of the a federal agency? I mean, what the hell, you can't even get that kind of cooperation to take down Mafia dons.

Feel the power of the dark side, young jedi pilot.

I Think Not

This morning's Wall Street Journal headline said:

Feeling Blue: Aggressive Airport Screening Here to Stay

I repeat, I think not. This will end one way or another, the only question is how. The American people and even the employees of the TSA are not going to put up with aggressive groping forever. My worry is that it will end in tragedy. Public humiliation does strange things to people and is a sure fire way to get the adrenaline flowing. I am worried. This is another reason why I posted yesterday on a non-violent means to protest these procedures. If people sing in line, it could help them handle the emotional response to the abuse, and make them feel less powerless. More importantly, it well help heap ridicule on our government's over reach. Ultimately, I would like to see this procedure end because our political leaders feel to embarrassed to allow it to continue.

From yesterday's comments, here are some more suggestions for singing in line.

From Temple of Mut: James Cagney singing Yankee Doodle Dandy (embed not available).

W.C. suggests whistling, a la "Bridge over the River Kwai."



And one more I thought of:

Protesting the TSA in Song and Verse

I have been conflicted as to how to protest the abuse of average Americans at the hands of the TSA at our nation's airports, but at the same time, I am a firm believer in the rule of law. Shane rightfully points out that the search procedures may very well be unconstitutional, but absent a court order, that doesn't help your average citizen. I don't want to ask people to suffer $10 grand fines. Dean also points out that the TSA agents are none too happy themselves with the position they are put in. To quote extensively from BWD, quoting TSA employees at TechDirt:

"Molester, pervert, disgusting, an embarrassment, creep. These are all words I have heard today at work describing me, said in my presence as I patted passengers down. These comments are painful and demoralizing, one day is bad enough, but I have to come back tomorrow, the next day and the day after that to keep hearing these comments. If something doesn’t change in the next two weeks I don’t know how much longer I can withstand this taunting. I go home and I cry. I am serving my country, I should not have to go home and cry after a day of honorably serving my country."

My fellow Americans, what is to be done? Stay ungovernable my friends, but within the bounds of law and respect for our fellow Americans. Here is my suggestion. Sing. That's right, we need to sing loudly and long while in line. It will disrupt the ambiance of submission, but is itself not unlawful. Maybe we could start with the pledge of allegiance, to remind our fellow citizens, employees of the TSA, of their duties under the constitution. As a federal employee I know I took this oath.


We could then go with patriotic and traditional songs while while waiting in line. Imagine, the power of showing our government that we are not submitting willingly. There is no law against this action of singing and reciting, but it would show our solidarity against this intrusion into our privates and private lives.

I offer some YouTube clips of suggested material for traveler's consideration to say/sing while waiting for their share of abuse at the hands of our government. (Just a reminder: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it. . .")




We might want to raise our voices when we say "liberty and justice for all."




And to get our left of center friends on board, because at the end of the day, they love freedom too, here is a little reminder that the President promised something different than whole body groping at his inaugural.



Since we are marching in a long line:



Because we need His help now more than ever, because our greatest adversary has become our own government:



Maybe a stretch, but the 23rd Psalm comes to mind, considering the valley of the shadow of death, but is probably too religious.

I hope others consider this a worthy idea. Don't know if I personally will have the opportunity to put this into practice, but I want to hear your thoughts on improving this form of protest.

A Small Consolation

. . . arising out of Big Sis' whole "grope or porn" dilemma is that all around tool and faux populist Jesse Ventura has announced he will not be flying commercial any more.

. . . the former governor of Minnesota and host of the popular TruTV show, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, announced he will no longer use commercial airlines due to the egregious abuses of the TSA and the government. Ventura said he made the decision to avoid public aircraft after he found himself becoming too comfortable with being routinely searched.

Does that mean we won't be hearing more trutherisms on the ironically titled TruTv (TurdTV)? Since Jesse used to work for the government as a member of the Navy and then as governor of MN, doesn't he see how he should actually be the number one dude subject to all manner of intrusion search?

I don't have time to be groped.

Quote of the Week - "Don't Touch My Junk"

Charles Krauthammer points out the larger meaning of "don't touch my junk" in today's column:

Don't touch my junk is the anthem of the modern man, the Tea Party patriot, the late-life libertarian, the midterm election voter. Don't touch my junk, Obamacare - get out of my doctor's examining room, I'm wearing a paper-thin gown slit down the back. Don't touch my junk, Google - Street View is cool, but get off my street. Don't touch my junk, you airport security goon - my package belongs to no one but me, and do you really think I'm a Nigerian nut job preparing for my 72-virgin orgy by blowing my johnson to kingdom come?

Indeed. Stay ungovernable my friends.