I don’t like discrimination by the government.
- I’m for the flat tax because I don’t want government to discriminate based on how people earn their income, how they spend their income, or the level of their income.
- I’m against government-imposed race and sex preferences because I think everyone should be judged by their talents, ability, and willingness to work hard.
- I’m against the too-big-to-fail policy that enriches big banks by shielding them from market discipline.
I’m even against government-sponsored discrimination when I’m the beneficiary.
It bothers me, for instance, that the Transportation Security Administration has special lines for people – like me – who have some sort of elite frequent-flyer status with one or more airlines.
I have no problem with United Airlines treating me well. I give them lots of money because they’re my main airline, so it’s good business practice for them to reward me with special treatment regarding boarding, seat assignments, and upgrades.
But the Transportation Security Administration has only one responsibility (don’t laugh), and that’s to make sure people don’t bring dangerous items on airplanes.
So why should I get VIP treatment from a government agency just because I fly a lot?
That might be justifiable if I paid extra, sort of like drivers who pay more to ride in H-O-T lanes.
It might be justifiable if I participated in some sort of pre-screening process that enabled me to bypass some or all of TSA’s pointless security apparatus – assuming, though, that the pre-screening process was open to everybody.
And maybe there are other examples where special treatment might be warranted, such as payments from the airlines to cover the costs of the VIP lanes.
But buying a first class ticket or being a frequent flyer should not be sufficient to get someone favoritism from the government.
P.S. This post does not imply I approve of the TSA’s performance. Indeed, I’ve commented on the TSA’s incompetence in previous posts. I’ve also shared some horror stories about TSA abuse. And I’ve posted many jokes about the Keystone Cops of airport security (for more laughs, see this, this, this, and this).
First of all, the TSA preclear program is a test program. Secondly, you aren’t getting favoritism, Michael. When you signed up for the TSA preclear program, you agreed to allow your airline of choice give the TSA your flying history for what ever number of years you’ve been flying with them. In return, the TSA has agreed to offer you preclearance. Especially if your flying history does not turn up any suspicious behavior.
I don’t know about you, but in my case, that was a couple million miles of data given to TSA. Everything comes with a cost.
TSA shouldn’t exist. But if it must exist, it should absolutely discriminate based on reasonable metrics of a person’s threat level.
Sara makes a decent point. If TSA knows they assessed you a week ago then assessing you again now is a simpler job than for someone who has never flown before.
Samstarrett, Hit it right on the HEAD! And half of my Grandchildren are Palestinian and for that fact they should receive a higher scrutiny as it will keep them safe also!!!
[…] think the government should discriminate (even when it’s discriminating in my favor), I still object to special checkpoint lines for frequent flyers and first class […]
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Agreed.