TSA and FEMA
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Anonymous
Show us you know nothing about the states which are the biggest contributors in tax dollars to the feds - boom, you did! |
Anonymous
NP. Well, my thing is are we paying for effective stuff? I get why we need all these agencies but the crux is whether their value justifies the cost. While everyone complains about how much you get taxed through Europe/Canada/etc., the money is going to a place they are see tangible ROI. If you pay $100 for taxes that go into socialized healthcare for example, you may have gripes and maybe it's not worth $100 in total but you know you have coverage and that coverage is blanket and more or less it's value added so maybe you get $95 of that in ROI. When we pay for taxes here, I don't feel like we really see a lot ROI. We probably really get $45 out of that because all this money goes towards so much BS. My thing is that it's going to be costly no matter what but it's about value. I would rather pay $100 and have most of that be value added than pay $75 + so many other bills that I'm not seeing great value in aka health insurance. I'm paying taxes, health insurance and then for that healthcare, there will be deductibles I have to reach + copays. So I'm paying so much more than the original $100 while a lot, is actually less when you consider what I see tangibly. FEMA is necessary but in its current state, we might want to be sure. TSA is there and it probably does enough for security but the amount we are spending on so many agencies isn't sustainable. We just spend and spend and raise taxes to spend some more all the while we're still going broke. If anyone used their credit cards the way our govt balances the budget, they would get crushed. So how are we going to fix it if not by trimming the fat? It's easier than done I know and it isn't something you do in a year even but the point is, looking at value and ROI is more important I think than looking simply at upfront costs. We all spend a lot on fed taxes but then there's also state taxes for most of us and then costs to actually stay alive. Our fed taxes supporting all these agencies are so bloated - it's not that we don't need government but I think it's so critical for us to really figure out what agencies are key. Government has a way of expanding and let's face it, it's not business which is based more on practical applications. Government services is 100% needed so I'm not suggesting we do what Trump wants which is to completely destroy it but I do think that looking at how we leverage government by way of services is key. Don't forget we then have state services on top of fed services!! |
Anonymous
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These are two entirely different agencies. TSA needs to be 100% federal government. We can’t trust states or airlines or airports to put public safety first. They never have and never will.
FEMA is a mess because it is boxed into federalism and outsourcing. FEMA isn’t allowed to manage disaster relief and recovery on the ground. The Stafford Act sets it up to reimburse state and local governments for their response efforts and to contract with private vendors for resources and services, so FEMA ends up being overly bureaucratic and compliance oriented rather than being mission oriented and in charge. |
Anonymous
Anonymous
The government is "services" not meant to turn a profit. Profit is for private sector endeavors. If the government motive were profit, there would never have been a US Postal service. Does the military turn a profit? do meat inspectors turn a profit? At some point, we have a common good. some people don;t drive cars, but theur taxes help pay for roads. some people don't eat meat, but their taxes pay for meat inspectors. we are all in this together and the bottom line is, cutting a little around the edges does nothing for the core issue which is the tax cuts have ballooned the debt and deficit spending and the military is ridiculously bloated. raise taxes on billionaires, trim the military spending by 3% and other federal spending by 1% and raise the cap on social security and means test it as well and that gets to a good chunk of the problem. Cutting FEMA or NOAA or any if these other agencies makes our country weaker and is pound foolish. |
Anonymous
So I am not a Trump supporter but why can't our military be deployed to provide TSA services? |
Anonymous
Google Posse Comitatus. |
Anonymous
The US military is train to kill not to police. It may not seem like a big difference but it is. |
Anonymous
Yes, but it’s much easier to line their pockets when privatized, just like prisons and everything else. |
Anonymous
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TSA was created in the wake of 9/11 because airport security was run by private, for-profit companies that missed the terrorists suspicious activities (buying one-way last minute tickets in cash) and smuggling on knives onto the planes in their carry-on items.
Those security contractors used outdated technology, paid rock bottom wages, and hired barely literate security officers in order to pad their profits. TSA might be jerks from time to time. But they invest in training, new technology, and dump crappy employees who can't do their jobs. |
Anonymous
TSA needs to be privatized. The responsibility and cost should be born by the airlines. Right now the vast majority of Americans who rarely use air travel pay for the people who use it the most- wealthy individuals and business travel. This subsidy must end. FEMA is the opposite of what you say. It work with the state officials and is not in charge to “manage” a disaster. There is no way any red state would allow FEMA to be in charge. There is no way the federal government could roll in and take over a state’s response. You really do not know what you are posting about. |
Anonymous
Pretty much sums up the MAGA attitude. |
Anonymous
No, only those using the services would pay. The days of spreading the cost to everyone are over. |
Anonymous
This is how it was prior to 9/11. And it failed spectacularly. The solution? Create TSA and assess every airline ticket sold a September 11th Security Fee of $5.60 per one-way trip, per passenger. So the passenger pays directly for using TSA security services. The Republicans created this system. |