I'm with Chris at Americablog on this one:
How would private security change the porno-scan or grope problem?
Leave it to Republicans to move this discussion into a new way to enrich their campaign contributors. The problem is the violation of rights, not the government. There's nothing that suggests private contractors will do a better job of protecting privacy and if anything, they will probably be worse since they will answer to a different boss who cares more about shareholders than procedures.
The immediate push from the right to privatize the screening process brought the same reaction from me: Huh? How does it matter to my genitals and my privacy concerns whether the person doing the groping is a corporate employee or a government employee? Is the hand that touches a government paycheck dirtier than the one that holds a corporate one?
Obviously, as Chris points out, it's a knee-jerk response from the conservative gang. Any issue that comes up with government meets with the same response: Privatize! (Which in this case takes on a whole different ironic meaning.)
Next up: Tax cuts will solve this once and for all.