Argumentative Essay On Government Power

In recent years there have been a few cases surrounding the issue of the amount of power the United States government should have when it comes to surveillance of the general population. When it comes to issues like this, as well as any argument, there are two sides: those opposed and those in favor. The opposed in this case are of the Orwellian mindset, preaching that increased governmental surveillance, even for the purpose of increased national security from foreign harm such as spies or terrorists, will be the gateway for an extension of power that eventually seep into all facets of everyday life, and by the time the population realizes the government’s power has extended beyond its limit it will be too late. On the other hand, those in

Since the term of 180 days is a rather arbitrary cutoff point for when messages are no longer protected without a warrant, there is no reason that time frame could not, or even should not be shortened, by which case the government could have access to almost every aspect of an individual’s private life as society becomes more heavily dependent on digital communication and storage of their personal information. Furthermore, as the decision governed by the court of appeals in the ACLU’s challenging of the phone record collection program, the United States government is not opposed to violating the rights of individuals for the sake of collecting data they desire, granted it be done in secrecy. It is for this reason the extension of executive power needs to be kept in check by the Constitution and the Supreme Courts if the rights of individuals are to be protected moving