It should not have to be done by a "massive bureaucracy."
Prior to 9/11, it was done by the airlines, airports, and largely private security agencies.
Then they decided American airline security needed to be a massive single monolith, so they put one in place. And during the Bush administration with a Republican House, just to make it clear.
As yet there is very little evidence that doing this has improved real security all that much. Tests of the system often show major weak points.
Personally, I haven't had much trouble with the system, mainly because I go prepared for it. My wife's metal implants need extra time.