How surprised are we to find that banks are foreclosing on people’s homes for no reason at all, and often on homes where they don’t even own the mortgage.

Of course, the criminal malfeasance of banks can barely be discussed in this country. I still hear economists blaming the recession on “spending beyond our means” rather than the credit default swaps. I still hear pundits talking about a culture of consumption but not a culture of institutional theft.

But hey, no worries, right? I’m sure the Obama administration will get right on this. He would never allow the American people to be robbed blind by huge wealthy corporations, right? Right?

Well, most people at the moment. My experience passing through on my recent book trailer jaunt was fine, but others have had painful and humiliating searches or been faced with the petty indignities of low-level bureaucrats anxious to exercise their power.

The media mostly brushes off these complaints. A large number of the public doesn’t care or is contemptuous of people’s complaints–one NPR caller responded to a question about backscatter machines by saying “Go to the gym and give them something worth looking at.” And the government has no plans to stop.

It’s because we, as a nation, expect politicians to protect us from terrorism.

When the guy who torched his underwear on the plane was arrested, the media and the public was boiling over with questions about how he got through security, who let this happen, what precautions were in place? Can the Obama administration protect us? Geo. Bush never allowed a terrorist attack on U.S. soil (except for that one)

Truth is, no politician is going to care about complaints of intrusive searches when the alternative (in their minds, at least) is an election season attack of being “soft on terror.” No politician wants to face those questions.