The major check against the unreasonable, horrible practices on the part of the TSA is that people who fly are wealthier, on average than people who don't — and people who fly a lot are wealthier still. That meant that the worst stuff the TSA did was felt disproportionately by people who had a lot of political juice — people who get listened to. Increasingly, though, rich people can opt out of the worst of TSA treatment by buying voluntary background checks and bypassing the rigmarole of the plebs. Now, the TSA is expanding its Pre-Check program, ensuring that pretty much everyone with any political clout will be spared the worst of it, letting the TSA's treatment for aviation's 99 percent spiral steadily downward, moving from mere Security Theater to Security Grand Guignol.
TSA screening about to get a lot worse
Analyzing the classism of sci-fi protagonists
In a recent issue of the British sci-fi magazine Vector, writer Marie Vibbert — author of the recent Galactic Hellcats, as well as my Clarion classmate under one Cory Doctorow… READ THE REST
Read ProPublica's excellent work on the IRS's targeting of poor taxpayers
The GOP has long made it their mission to absolutely disable the IRS, thus protecting the wealthiest of the wealthy from any sort of scrutiny. And it's been working: as… READ THE REST
Play: Dungeons and Deadlines, "an epic game of work-life balance"
Smarter people than me have pointed out that "work-life balance" says the quiet part out loud, implicitly confirming that you stop living when you're at work. Miles Matrix's Dungeons and… READ THE REST
Fill your space with vivid colors from this galaxy lamp, now only $40
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. With spring just around the corner,… READ THE REST
Get organized with Microsoft Office for Mac or Windows for a one-time payment of $40
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. It's no mystery why Microsoft is… READ THE REST
Easily master languages on Babbel for $149 for a limited time only
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Learning a new language can seem… READ THE REST
