Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images
The long lines at TSA checkpoints are driving Americans crazy. But the problem is bigger than Congress’s refusal to appropriate money for the TSA.
Air travel in America is a mess right now. There are interminable lines at airport security, near misses or crashes on the ground and in the air, and the airports themselves remain overcrowded and antiquated. Although it is easy to blame short-term causes, such as the failure of Congress to appropriate money for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the bigger problem is the government is simply not good at running air travel.
The idea of letting the private sector manage passenger security, air traffic control, and airports may seem far-fetched, but it is the norm in much of the world. The United States, supposedly home to ardent free marketeers, actually has one of the most socialized air travel sectors anywhere. Other countries have demonstrated the success of a private-sector model. America should learn from them.
Continue reading the entire piece at The Free Press (paywall)
______________________
Judge Glock is the director of research and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor at City Journal.