Show us the data

By Jon Daly

Much is now being made about the new TSA regulations and practice's being employed at airports. But if these new scanners and, alternatively, the sanctioned gropes going on are effective, how many arrests have been made? How many bombs or weapons have they found? Why don't we have this info?

So far the only arrest I have heard of was a guy who refused the searches. Why are we so willing to allow the government to chip away at our sovereignty without adequately giving us cause?

Here in Michigan, my home state, they banned using cell phones to send texts while driving. Now everybody knows that it is dangerous to do that. But how dangerous?

When we were debating this I did some checking. I was looking for stats that I expected would show an increase in accidents since the advent of wide spread cell phone use. I found none. I even checked with the insurance industry, who you would think would be all over this since they keep stats on accidents as part of their business and they are the ones paying the claims. They had nothing to say about cell phone use contributing to an increase in accidents and there was no corresponding increase in insurance rates.

Now, let me acknowledge I think using cell phones while driving increases your chances of being in an accident. And it is possible that the TSA announcing and emphasizing tough new screening will probably discourage terrorists from showing up at the airport in the first place.

But what is missing is the rational decision process backed up with hard evidence. Where are the stats supporting these measures? If they don't exist why are we so willing to give up more or our liberties, bit by bit, without some darn good verification these measures are effective.

Is it possible this is just another political display not intended to make us safer, just make us think we are? Is the goal here to increase safety, or confidence in this government?

Reagan famously said "Trust but verify". We need to put our trust in the verification some hard stats would give rather than the Obama administration and the lack of same. This whole episode should make us think twice before we meekly consent to these assaults on our liberties.