The really sad thing about all of this is that TSA does absolutely nothing to enhance your safety. Any terrorist can simply wait in the airport employees’ parking lot, knock an employee out and steal their ID badge, stripe the card at the employee gate (which is almost never manned), and from that point on, they have full access to the tarmac, baggage area, and the planes themselves. All TSA does is raise the cost of flying...it’s a very bad joke.
That's the case with most government regulation. I read somewhere that over half the cost of building anything is the cost of regulation and of acquiring the permits needed to be "leagal." My 82 year old father was doing some light carpentry and painting on a friend's two family a couple years ago when the assistant building inspector stormed in and ordered him to stop work because he didn't have a "construction supervisor license." He said that he wasn't supervising anyone and wasn't doing any construction -- just painting and trim -- so he didn't need one. The BI threatened to call in the cops to have him removed so he left.
The BI was wrong about needing a license to do finish work but he stopped work just so he could flex his bureaucratic muscles.
They make the sheep feel safe, that's all.
Frankly, I think that they only exist as a lightning rod. Everyone focuses on the schlubs on the security lines, while the *real* security is handled quietly in the back.
For instance, I flew into Heathrow once. Security there grabbed three (young, middle-eastern-looking) men from right behind me and escorted them out a concourse side door. Very quiet, very polite, just an understated "You will please come with us, sir" and poof, they were out of sight. If I'd not been standing right there when it happened, I'd have had no idea anything was going on.
Makes me wonder how often it occurs here in the USA.
The there is a next incident, it will involve baggage inspectors and/or handlers. And how about those sweet little ladies who clean the cabin?