The Federal government is collecting every email you send. The government is recording every phone call you make. It is collecting all the metadata (telephone numbers, length of call, call location, etc.) of every phone call American citizens make. Government analysts can listen to Americans’ phone conversations without first obtaining a search warrant.
Are you troubled by the fact that the IRS uses its vast powers to discriminate against various political views (pro-life, pro-Israel, limited government) and is leaking private information? Do you think government analysts should be talking about private marital conversations over the water cooler? Do you trust the integrity of every government employee with access to this type of sensitive information? Do you consider this type of surveillance to be “modest encroachments on privacy”? This is not a partisan issue – if we the people do not object to this surveillance, then future administrations will have the power. Are you comfortable with a Jeb Bush (or Hillary Clinton) administration having these powers?
The government claims these broad surveillance powers are authorized by the PATRIOT Act. When the PATRIOT Act was reauthorized in 2006, then Senator Obama said that the government did not “need to invade our privacy without cause or suspicion” in order to “protect our people from terror[.]” More recently, President Obama stated that he welcomes a national debate about whether these intrusions on Americans’ privacy are justifiable. Take him up on his offer.
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If you have any concerns about the government’s surveillance of you, contact your Congressional Representative – or your Senators – and let them know that you are concerned. If you want to know more, ask them to hold public meetings to discuss the issues. If we do nothing, our elected representatives will believe we don’t care. Do you care?
