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The TSA Taken Down a Notch

Discussion in 'News & Current Events' started by KenH, Nov 14, 2009.

  1. KenH

    KenH Well-Known Member

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    TSA Changes Rules On Airport Searches ... Very Quietly
    Thu, 12 Nov '09

    Searches Must Be Related To Airline Safety

    TSA has changed two rules about airport searches after an aide to Congressman Ron Paul recorded an incident on his iPhone. The rules changes have prompted the ACLU to drop legal action against TSA on behalf of Steve Bierfeldt.

    Bierfeldt was detained in March while attempting to board a plane at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport carrying $4,700 in cash. TSA agents spent half an hour questioning him about why he was carrying so much cash, and Bierfeldt recorded the exchange on his iPhone.

    - more at www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=615e45f8-4a6e-4e58-a2d7-84971d404419
     
  2. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    Since when is a month's pay a lot of cash? Before the days of direct deposit it felt good to cash a paycheck and walk around for one day a month with a big lump of bills in the wallet.
     
  3. Aaron

    Aaron Member
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    $4700 is much more than I make in a month! Dang, Bill! What do you do that they pay you $30.00/hour plus benefits? You probably get 5 weeks of vacation a year, so theres $5K/yr you're getting paid to do nothing.

    And you don't call that a large amount of cash?
     
    #3 Aaron, Nov 14, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 14, 2009
  4. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    point is, it was his cash, and they had no right to question him about it.

    A few months ago, we received an inheritance, which allowed us to replace our flooring in our house (which was in pretty rough shape). We can't buy Microsoft or anything...but it was a few thousand dollars.

    I'm big on paying with cash...seeing that much reminds me of how much we're spending...and it sometimes entices the seller into making a better deal.

    Now...we didn't carry it around for long (no sense being stupid), but we had several thousand dollars in our pockets.
     
  5. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Often people who carry large amounts of cash are either into drugs sales or other illegal activity.

    Only DUMB people carry large amounts of cash - as a fool and his money are soon parted.

    Salty
     
  6. Robert Snow

    Robert Snow New Member

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    Everyone who carries cash isn't a drug dealer.

    You have no right to call anyone who carries a large amount of money around "DUMB." You are not the standard of what is acceptable to carry around. Some people don't trust banks and feel more comfortable with their money in their pockets. Here in Texas we are allowed to carry money in one pocket and a gun in the other (with a permit). This cuts down on armed robbery. Besides, what business is it of the government to tell me how much of my own money I am allowed to carry.
     
  7. matt wade

    matt wade Well-Known Member

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    And only idiots would call someone dumb for carrying large amounts of cash.
     
  8. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Because if a person is involved in illegal activity, the Govt has a responsibility to intervene.
    One night I was sleeping in my car in a parking
    lot (w/out of State plates), a cop woke me up
    to see what I was doing. I commend that cop
    for doing his job!
    [/CODE]
     
  9. KenH

    KenH Well-Known Member

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    In essence, my credit cards are way more "cash" than this man was carrying.

    It is not the government's business what my credit line is on my credit cards and it is not the government's business how much cash money I am carrying around.
     
  10. Robert Snow

    Robert Snow New Member

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    Right! That is precisely the government's job. What isn't the government's job is to determine how much of my own money I am allowed to carry around with me.

    I'm surprised you don't see this as unnecessary governmental intervention.
     
  11. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    how would you determine if someone was involved in illegal activity? An excessive amount of cash does raise a red flag. If the individual can give a good report, no problem and move on.
     
  12. KenH

    KenH Well-Known Member

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    It's none of the business to be definining what is "excessive" cash(as if there is such a thing). None.
     
  13. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    $4700/month is around $28/hour.

    http://www.cityofseattle.net/police/jobs/benefits/salary.htm

    If I was still working my monthly pay would be around $6,620.00

    My base retirement is 60% (2%/year) or $3972. This is no secret.

    THERE is something wrong with the system when the only decent jobs are government jobs.
     
  14. Aaron

    Aaron Member
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    *posted before saw that you were a police officer* This is indeed a legitimate government job.
     
  15. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    While we are at it, who does the govt think they are when they set speed limits. I should be able to determine what an "excessive speed" is.

    How about having a wife, why should the govt care how many wives a man may want.

    Then there is radio stations, why should the govt decide if there is an excessive number of radio stations in a certain area.
    ...
     
  16. KenH

    KenH Well-Known Member

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    1) Other people are using the roads. In the case of my cash, I am the only one using it.

    2) It shouldn't and until quite recently in human history it didn't.

    3) It shouldn't.

    But none of that is related to this thread about the TSA. Maybe you should start a new thread about that area of your inquiry.
     
  17. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    Speed limits make the roads safer if people pay attention to them. The road is safest when every vehicle is going the same speed. Speeding tickets are easy for the officer to write and to win in court.

    The tickets should be written for following to close and unsafe lane change but these are harder to prove in court.

    In the bad old days, traffic tickets were a criminal offense and everyone got their day in court. The judge or jury had to be convinced beyond all reasonable doubt and tickets were occasionally tossed by the judge. Since the traffic code has been substantially "decriminalized" the burden of proof has been reduced to 51% guilty and it is almost impossible to beat a speeding ticket unless the judge thinks the officer is plain lying.

    The speed on the freeway is substantially self-regulating. Most people instinctively slow down when the road conditions and weather get bad. Even when there was no speed limit in Montana hardly anyone went over 80.

    Why does traffic slow when it gets heavy? Because the maximum capacity of a freeway doubles when the average vehicle speed drops from 70 to 35 or 40 mph. See any highway engineering text. It is because of vehicle spacing. In metro areas, IF people obeyed the speed limit and IF the speed limit was automatically dropped as traffic increased then most stop and go driving would be eliminated. The system would be very expensive and no one would pay any attention to it unless it was enforced by automatic camera.

    When I hired on patrol officers were supposed to write at least one ticket a day and I hated writing tickets except for obviously intentional stuff. When I got my 20 years on the job I quit looking for tickets. I don't know what the policy is now.
     
  18. targus

    targus New Member

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    Let's relate this to the OP.

    Given how little the average person makes (in billwald's world anyway) is it not then unusual for someone to be boarding a plane with a month's pay in cash?

    In your experience as a police officer did you often encounter persons carrying $4,700 in cash?

    When stopping someone in their vehicle and you suspected that they dealt in the sale of drugs, was not large amounts of cash (even less than $4,700) considered as evidence of such activity?
     
  19. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    >In your experience as a police officer did you often encounter persons carrying $4,700 in cash?

    Most people carrying large sums are smart enough to avoid being arrested?

    I've been retired since 1996. When I joined the SPD in 1965 $4700 would have been a year's pay for many people. <G> I think I was grossing $530/month, something like that. Many people were paid once or twice a month and the first stop after work was to a bank to cash the check.

    Credit cards were only invent in 1955 and didn't become common until the '60s. My first real job in 1959 - with the telephone company - paid cash, not a check. It would have not been rare for a person to have a month's pay in cash. Most US government jobs - the armed forces - paid monthly. Direct deposit and credit cards changed all of that.
     
  20. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    If some hijacker or drug dealer had gotten through airport security, and it was discovered that he was carrying on $4700 in cash, we'd all be asking why no one thought the cash was a red flag.
     
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