When the Market Works
February 1st, 2011This could be considered a small victory in the fight to protect our civil liberties against unwarranted search and seizures. The Las Vegas – McCarran Airport will be unveiling a less-intrusive full body scanner. Airports in DC and Atlanta will also be test running the new equipment in the coming months.
John Pastole, TSA Administer, stated: “We are always looking for new technology and procedures that will both enhance security while strengthening privacy protections.”
Did Pastole hear the words of Americans or was his initial concern our privacy? We won’t ever know what has driven the airports to this new security measure, however it’s nice to think that standing up for your rights can be rewarded…even if in small doses.
This is a great example of how the market works, if in fact, the reason for this shift in scanning equipment was due to the demand of consumers. People who were protesting flying made a statement and began having others become more educated on constitutional rights regarding search and seizure. This may or may not have caused problems in day-to-day logistics at the airports, perhaps the piss poor PR was killing the reputation of airlines, or the awful stories that were surfacing about sexual “assault” cases weren’t taken for granted. Either way the airlines were most likely noticing a shift in what their future profit margins would bring. That shift was caused by an offensive piece of machinery scanning people’s bodies with low-grade radiation and exposing their passenger and employee’s private parts…they are doing something about it.
Poor business etiquettedoesn’t rise to the top, so business people make changes to keep up with consumer’s demands. It promotes business, the market promotes successful and ethical business.
