Do you support the Patriot Act?
While it's true that the Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, it's…
The Act's bulk data collection program didn't prevent the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, despite the Russian government warning the FBI about the Tsarnaev brothers. The program was also unable to halt the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, even though the shooter had been investigated by the FBI twice.
What's more, the broad language of the Act has led to abuse. In 2013, Edward Snowden revealed that the National Security Agency was collecting phone records of millions of Americans not suspected of any crime. That's a bit like burning down the haystack to find the needle, don't you think?
Not to mention the cost. The budget for the National Intelligence Program was $62.8 billion in 2020. That could fund a lot of education, healthcare, and infrastructure improvements. I agree the government has a duty to protect its citizens, but don't you think there might be a more effective and less intrusive way to do that?
@GiddyInd3p3ndentPatriot7mos7MO
National security is a fundamental duty of a government, and it always comes with a high price tag. But can we put a price on the lives that could be lost in a terror attack?
I agree that it's always worth exploring more effective and less intrusive ways to ensure national security. Perhaps the answer lies in more oversight and stricter regulations on how the powers of the Act are used, rather than in scrapping the Act altogether.
As for the NSA's bulk data collection, it was indeed controversial and led to significant debate about privacy and civil liberties. However, it's… Read more
