Pirate's Cove

In a sane world, when most in the private sector have cut back on their home budgets thanks to this long term economic downturn made worse by Democrats, agencies like the Transportation Security Administration would simply do more with less and/or see reductions. Of course, when Democrats are involved the money apparently blossoms from a money tree

(The Hill) 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.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) sponsored an amendment to strip out the fee increase and offset the loss of revenue with cuts to state and local grants, emergency food and shelter funding, and dropping $89 million in funding for a new highway interchange leading to the Homeland Security’s new headquarters in southeast Washington, D.C. Hutchison noted that the Senate had decided not to increase the fees in the recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill. (which was defeated)

In a sane world, flyers wouldn’t see their fees double so that the TSA can grope flyers, including senior citizens, babies, people in wheelchairs, kids with MS on crutches, nuns, and all manners of people who in no way fit the profile of someone who plans on hijacking an airplane. In a sane world, we wouldn’t be spending $89 million for a new highway interchange so Homeland Security employees can get to work a few minutes sooner.

Remember when Democrats were against abuse of power and loss of personal liberty and privacy? Yeah, that was when Bush was president, and people were not forced to undergo enhanced screening procedures.