Since last year, the TSA has jacked up the cost of your plane ticket so that you can have the privilege of being fondled by their team of utter professionals in blue plastic glove.
Apparently, it wasn’t enough to force you to surrender your right to privacy in order to board a plane, rip apart your luggage at the drop of a hat, throw your unmentionables all over a security-line conveyor belt at 5:30 am, rob you of your dignity by sticking their hands in your underpants and take naked photos of you with a body scanner. Now you have to pony up $2.50 for the whole deal, presumably as a bonus to your TSA agent who no doubt earns hazard pay for the awkward situation.
Now, thanks to Senate Democrats, you might actually be paying more to be felt up next time you fly. Because, like all government agencies, the TSA has no incentive to control costs and no workable oversight and, as such, bleeds money like a deer on the side of a highway. And instead of demanding changes and efficiencies, the Senate Dems would rather you just pick up the tab.
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday moved forward with legislation to increase airline passenger security fees, beating back a GOP attempt to keep them at current levels.The 2013 Homeland Security appropriations bill would increase one-way fees for passengers from $2.50 to $5 in order to close a budget shortfall at the Transportation Security Administration.Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said the $315 million in funding would otherwise come from taxpayers and argued it is better to stick passengers who rely on TSA with the bill.
