I'm really glad people are noticing the staff shortages and not shooting the messengers at the frontline. 
Understaffing has been chronic in the border agencies for some years now, but IMO the government counts on passengers and crew blaming 'lousy lazy public servants' and not looking any deeper, therefore failing to notice the constant budget cuts and lack of available processing staff. They count on this when failing to provide the basic staffing levels to process pax/crew at the major airports.
Federal public servants are prohibited by law from speaking out in the media about operational matters, and while the CPSU tries hard they often become just another voice in the malestrom that's critical of the federal government.
If Customs/AQIS can't even find staff to perform the basic compliance task of processing low risk law abiding passengers...who's hunting the non law abiding people? The drug traffickers, child pornograhy traders, wildlife smugglers, professional quarantine smugglers, gun runners and other charming Persons Of Interest? If there aren't even enough passport stampers/noodle police (love that 
) to process a flight crew, who's Protecting Our Borders/Way of Life from the real bad buggers?
Last edited by Worrals in the wilds; 7th Aug 2011 at 05:47.