If safety is the goal why are TSA rules always changing?

[MindPilot]

Most airports you have to take your shoes off, some you don't. Yesterday at Hartford CT, I had to show my boarding pass to get in the security line, and then again after I got scanned. Never had to do that before. My 4oz bottle of Pepto was allowed because it is "medication", but at Ft Lauderdale, my 6oz bottle of sunscreen was tossed because, well I guess that is some kind of threat to civil aviation.

One TSA goon was haranguing an older woman in line behind me to the point of tears because she didn't have her baggie of toiletries out by the time she got to his inspection station. Another agent wanted to have a somewhat extended conversation with me about whether or not I enjoyed my stay. "Look, I just want to get through this and go home."

And probably the most crass example of advertising I could imagine--OK, not quite; the crassest thing I can imagine is naming rights to a Texas execution chamber--but ads on the bottom of the bins at the TSA checkpoint comes pretty close. "This violation of your rights and dignity is brought to you by ZAPPOS!"

The federal government could trim a couple billion from the budget by disbanding the TSA.

And for those of you who say "don't fly", that's a nice idea, but when your employer wants you on one coast Friday and the other on Monday, or your close relative's funeral is tomorrow and 2000 miles away there's not much alternative.

[liberal N proud]

1. What is worse, is there is no consistency

From airport to airport the rules are different and you don't know what to expect when you arrive at the check point.

[Cid_B]

2. Depends who you talk to....

Security measures are supposed to be random so that someone trying to breach them doesn't know what they are going to face...

Not that I wouldn't actually give the organization that much credit but... there it is...

[RC]

3. That's the reason for the differences in security procedures between airports

And don't discount incompetence too. TSA is reactive, not proactive. And since the bad guys never do the same thing twice, TSA is forever playing catch-up

[customerserviceguy]

4. Safety is not the goal

Theatre is the goal. We need to look like we're doing something, even if it will have zero effect.

[lib2DaBone]

5. True that. Theater is the goal.. along with keeping Americans "In".

I think the TSA goal is (in addition to fascism) to keep Americans in.. rather than to keep bad guys out.