[DLfromthedesert]

So you think it's good for the country to have another bunch of Federal bureaucrats that can't be fired? It IS a principle worth fighting for. I'm sorry if you're such a chicken ass you're afraid to get on a plane. Frankly, I'm more fearful of more Federal terrorists hassling me in the airports.

Just let the pilots have guns, and we won't need these goons going through our personal effects and putting their grubby hands on our bodies.

[groundhog]

Another point here. With Federal employees, every taxpayer in the country pays for airport security. With private contractors, passengers pays either through higher ticket prices or through higher airport fees. Personally, I would rather the actual user of the service (the airline passenger) pay the freight rather than pass it off to every Joe and Jane six-pack in the country.