If the government decides they need to take my stuff away from me to check it, they better make sure that I get it back correctly. In this case the TSA handed the laptop to someone other than the owner.
If this happens, clearly the process has a defect, and needs to be corrected, or, even better in this case, abandoned completely.
>If the government decides they need to take my stuff away from me to check it, they better make sure that I get it back correctly.
Absolutely! But if you keep expecting them to do that without being careful and paying attention to your own stuff guess who foots the bill? This could've been all mitigated by OP being slightly more careful. Why do I say this? Because it's easier to ask someone to pay attention to their stuff than it is to ask the government to change its practices (bureaucracy etc). It's not victim blaming, it's about finding the most practical solution to prevent this problem from happening again.
Obviously being careful with your belongings, as with your personal safety, makes a lot of sense to avoid harm.
However, clearly, if someone steals your things, or attacks you, it is irrelevant if you did or did not take care of your stuff: The blame lies with the perpetrator of this action, not with the victim.
That they forgot their laptop at the x-ray machine, does not entitle anyone else to just take it.
If this happens, clearly the process has a defect, and needs to be corrected, or, even better in this case, abandoned completely.
Don't blame the victim.