Life is just not risk-free.

[Stinky The Clown]

In the last 9-plus years, the US has lost a bit over 3,000 people to acts of terrorism. That's a little over 333 per year.

How many US kids die from drinking stupid energy drinks?

How many Americans die as a result of distracted drivers?

How many citizens die by weather related phenomenon?




I could go on, but you get the point, I'm sure.




The entire NOAA budget, much of it having little to do with weather modification or warning systems, is about $1B a year.

The entire NTSB budget, a minuscule amount of which goes to distracted driving prevention, is a remarkably low $76M.

The FDA's annual budget, almost none of which goes to regulating stupid energy drinks, is $3.2B.

The cost to keep the TSA in business is $6.3B.




A word it seems worth looking up is "Proportionality". Can anyone cite a definition that justifies the life saving (read as "security") effectiveness per dollar spent in each of these four examples of your tax dollars at work?





The fact is, if you still accept that our government is "we the people," we're being had by ourselves.

[Speck Tater]

1. "Security is mostly a superstition...."

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."

--Helen Keller