Why are air traffic control and airport security federal responsibilities?That’s a question raised by the government shutdown, writes David Ditch:
The Department of Transportation’s air traffic control system and the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration are both caught up in the shutdown due to spending bills for their respective departments not yet having been signed into law.
As a result, many travelers are facing longer security lines, and air traffic control employees are voicing complaints about having to work without pay.
While most shutdown discussion revolves around casting blame and creative ways to prevent shutdowns from taking place, Americans should instead consider whether the federal government should be responsible for so many aspects of day-to-day life.
In the case of air traffic control, Americans are shortchanged by a system that is bureaucratic and wildly out of date. This has meant higher costs and less functionality for airlines, which in turn leads to higher prices and more delays for passengers.
A positive example lies to the north. Canada’s air traffic control system, which covers a similarly large amount of territory, was turned over to a private nonprofit in 1996. The result has beenlower costs and faster technological development. [...]
In a similar vein, the TSA’s airport screening work does not need to be performed by federal employees.
It’s understandable that changes were made in an attempt to increase airport security in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But private-sector screeners can handle the task of seeking to prevent weapons and explosives from being brought on board airplanes just as well as unionized federal employees.
Private providers have better incentives and stronger accountability, making them preferable to government providers in most cases. Handing over some tasks to private providers would allow the TSA to focus on regulation and oversight, rather than implementation.
[David Ditch, “Best Way to Protect Air Travel from the Shutdown: Reduce Washington’s Role,” The Daily Signal, January 18]
