After reading Glenn Reynold’s recent article on Tech Central Station I wrote the following note:
Dear Glenn:
I just finished reading your Tech Central Station article Ready or Not? and you do make some good points. The federal government can take care of only so much. State governments, local governments, and individuals are better positioned to handle many dangers both natural and manmade.
Next time you write an article in Tech Central Station, please look up and read the banner above your head: “Where Free Markets Meet Technology”.
The Market can make us safer. And we’ve been going 180 degrees the
other way.
- Variety is more secure
It’s inevitable that a national bureaucracy like the TSA will come up with a uniform nationwide policy. It’s easier to administer for one thing. But a uniform nationwide policy is easier to analyse, easier to probe, and easier to defeat. Imagine if the system at Denver were different from the system in Dallas. Or the system in Seattle different from the system in Miami. Or the procedures for American Airlines different from the procedures for United.
- Being at risk gives incentives
If the airlines were strictly responsible for security, they’d seek insurance. And their insurers would have strong incentives to make sure they were providing security. More motivation than even strongly motivated TSA employees. And a lot more motivation than the folks the TSA has in the airports now.
- More minds means more creativity
No matter how clever, well-educated, and well-trained the folks at the TSA are, add to that clever, well-educated, and well-trained people working for state governments, local governments, airports, airlines, and insurance companies and more creative and effective approaches can be formulated than the folks at the TSA alone.
It’s the wisdom behind our federal system.
But being indemnified against risk defeats all this and that’s where we are right now.
So I say don’t indemnify the airlines against liability for terrorist acts. Don’t limit their liability. We’ll come up with sounder security by harnessing more minds and the power of the Market.
