Wait, what? At every airport I've flown out of in the US (SFO, SJC, LAX, BWI, IAD, DCA, LAS, BOS, JFK, STL, AUS) just to name a few) in the past few years, the TSA has looked at both my ID and boarding pass before letting me through security screening. And I haven't had to show ID at the gate since right after 9/11.

The one time I lost my ID (LAS in 2007 or 2008), I was allowed through security, but only after extra screening.