Bad Government Begats Bad Government
The answer to bad government is always more government. A proposal by US Senator Charles Schumer from New York perfectly illustrates this sad but true axiom. After stories surfaced about strip searches of old ladies at airports in this country, the Senator has proposed setting up a passenger advocate at air terminals where passengers can lodge complaints against the TSA on the spot.
Of course like most government solutions, this idea completely misses the mark on several fronts. First and foremost, searches conducted by the TSA violate the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution. You cannot solve the inherent problems of an unconstitutional government arm with another unconstitutional government arm. It is akin to one thief overseeing the actions of another thief. The question always with government advocates is what side they will be advocating for. One thing I can say for certain is that their concerns will not involve the US Constitution.
Secondly, TSA personnel are not professionals in any meaning of the word. Most have little more law enforcement experience than a night security guard at the lumber yard. I would suspect that for many receiving a government check for non-work is quite common. The bottom line is that the people working for the TSA are not the brightest bulbs on the tree.
The real answer to airport security is to follow the path of private property and the free markets. The airlines should handle their own security issues. If passengers feel a particular carrier is not adequately promoting the safety of customers, than the flying public travel with another airline that will. The consequence of bad experiences will be customers taking their business to a competitor. The free market is the only advocate a customer needs; an idea that government does not advocate for.