Bush gets a bad rap about a lot of things, i.e, the education bill and the prescription drug bill, and this is another. After 9/11 he combined a few existing agencies into one for greater efficiency. Another reason was that the new DHS, at least initially, was not covered by the Civil Serve regulations which prevented the firing of government employees. That was a good step. What is your complaint about it?
Bush wanted private contractors to handle TSA duties, deemed necessary for security at the time, so that they could be hired and fired according to their performance. The Democrats insisted on and got a new government agency for obvious reasons, like more union members who can't be fired. What is your complaint about that?
I tend to think like most capitalists and business owners. If I am going to combine existing departments into one for greater efficiency, the goal to be accomplished should be doing more with less employees. Is this what Bush accomplished with TSA?
These are not short term temporary employees. These are full time, full benefit employees that You and I will have to support until the day they die. That's right, they will receive pensions and medical plan benefits until the day they die!
Perhaps you don't mind being x rayed, probed, poked and groped but I do. I resent this monstrous government agency being thrust onto the list of monthly bills I must pay. I especially resent the salaries and benefits this ineffective agency gives to our unproductive civil servants.
Bush deservedly gets a bad rap about a lot of things. Increasing the number of federal employees by almost 50% is one of them. You say he wanted to do this with full time, long term, private contractors. Can you name any agency that hires employees to operate under such terms. See the word contract within contractors? That represents an agreement which must be renegotiated to be renewed. Do you really believe that they would remain "private"? No, and neither did Bush. If you foolishly believed the news piece about TSA you don't yet understand how politicians speak.