Actually, as someone who travels all the time around the Midwest. The "smaller" airports have more of a hassle. Granted the lines are longer at the larger airports. However, flying regularly out of ORD and MDW, they move things pretty quickly. However, flying out of for instance CID or OMA, you need your boarding pass to the first agent. Then for some reason you need to show it again to a second person. Approximately every 5th person has to undergo a "laptop check" which involves taking samples and doing who know what with them..also more likely to have bags searched because of suspicious object, which turns out to be a radio or a battery.
The gels and liquid ban is absolutely ridiculous. However, I personally liked it because since passengers could not bring drinks on the plane, the usually did not bring their food to eat also..one of my pet peeves.