Does anyone believe the government has too little power over our lives? Consider last week’s SWAT team invasion of a private home in Stockton, California after a warrant obtained by the Office of Inspector General, acting on behalf of the department of education.
How about the FBI, which is giving significant new powers to its 14,000 agents? Those powers will allow them more leeway to search databases, go through your trash and use surveillance teams to scrutinize the lives of people who have attracted attention.
At first you might think this is okay since it might be a good way to expose terrorist plotters, but we had better be careful about threats to the Fourth Amendment which protects our home and property.
The founders wanted to control the powers of government and enhance the freedom of the individual. These examples of expanded government intrusion into our lives does not bode well for liberty.
This article published on June 14, 2011.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.
