A Personal Complaint About USAA and the TSA

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart

The main reasons I disrespect and even hate Donald Trump, his party, and the mainstream media is the fact they are pathological liars.

“IT IS A TRUE saying that a LIE travels faster than the TRUTH. Why? Because the TRUTH never has to travel. The TRUTH was here before the lie began, and will be here long after the lie fades away. The TRUTH always outlasts the LIE... so always stand on the TRUTH.” Anonymous

For the mainstream media, their crimes are the worst. They practice lies of omission, the most dangerous of all.

Nine and one-half years ago I became a septuagenarian. My insurance company began raising my premiums and lowering coverage. I had seen the ads from USAA on television. I enlisted in the USAF after high school in 1964. My father served our country in the United States Navy during WWII.

However, when I decided to sign up, I was told that I did not qualify. This was surprising. Their television commercials guaranteed coverage in situations like mine. I later learned that they will not cover anyone 70 years of age or older.

The attached articles will offer you a plethora of information about the illegal and immoral practices of USAA. If you are older, try Harford.

I was employed by an airline at LAX in 1972. After another skyjacking incident, the federal government ordered increased security at every American airport.

I came to work one morning and was shocked. I worked in the departure area, the “gates,” during that time. Ten-foot walls now separated passengers waiting to board their aircraft from the actual doors which accessed the aircraft. There were three openings staffed by agents employed by a private security agency by the name of “Wackenhut.”. They searched every piece of carry-on luggage, including purses, by hand. I assumed that long delays would ensue. I was wrong. The longest delay that day was about 45 minutes, and that was the result of a mechanical problem.

Move ahead to 2008. I was a victim of George W. Bush’s failed economic policies. I was employed by the largest electrical supply company in the world. However, the housing industry had come to a screeching halt. I was the oldest employee in the branch and the first to be laid off.

As I looked for work, I felt the effects of agism time and time again. I was about 63 when I applied for a position at the costly and ineffective Transportation Security Agency. I knew more about airport security than anyone employed by the TSA. In 1972, I was one of the last security checks before passengers were allowed aboard the airplanes. During one final check, my fellow employee and I discovered an attempted skyjacker, and had the U.S. Marshalls arrest him.

A part of the test involved finding unacceptable contents in carry-on luggage with the use of a scanner. The scanners used different colors to define different shapes. I am color blind. I failed the exam.

I contacted the EEOC. I knew there were many other functions within the TSA which did not require staring at a scanner for eight hours each day. I had a case, but decided not to file. I read a lot about the TSA. It was just another inefficient and underpaid government agency. Not for me.

Today, as I approach the age of 80, I regret to inform you that I no longer trust anything or anyone associated with our government. That includes large corporations, our military leaders, and the mainstream media.

What I can guarantee you, is that if a company, a political party, or any service agency spends millions of dollars advertising on television, they cannot be trusted and are most likely attempting to sell you an inferior product. This is especially true with pharmaceutical companies whose products often produce side effects which are worse than the disease. Sometimes they cost men and women their lives.

Be careful, my friends. Trust no one and believe nothing until you have fully investigated the person or product to the best of your ability. This is when the internet becomes useful.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Follow my blog and be an informed American

Sources: https://www.occ.gov/news-issuances/news-releases/2024/nr-occ-2024-137.html

https://www.reddit.com/r/Veterans/comments/ukr2wv/whistleblower_usaa_actively_lying_to_regulators/