The USA Patriot Act, which stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 was created after the events of 9/11 to help the government strengthen domestic security by expanding the power of government institutions to allow them the necessary tools to better track down threats to public safety. It gives them the authority to monitor citizen communications, collect bank statements and credit reports, and track suspicious internet activity. The Patriot Act should be supported as it is for the safety of the American public to help in the fight against terrorism. First and foremost, Patriot Act was created in the best interest of the safety of US citizens. Since the Patriot Act is controversial for …show more content…
However, the argument to do so is that times have changed. 9-11 was the largest, deadliest terrorist attack on American soil in the history of our country. We were able to enjoy the freedoms that we did, for as long as we did, because we did not face the same dangers that we face now. So which do we fear more? The government “spying” on average citizens, or a terrorist attack in a major city? On the other hand, opponents of the Patriot Act claim it violates our rights to privacy. Likewise, arguments over the patriot act are multifaceted and complex and both sides have valid points. Contenders of this act are justified in that they fear “big brother”, they fear this is a slippery slope which could move us closer to other countries where the government exerts total power over its citizens. What the opponents do not take into account is that we have more to fear from these countries that wish to kill us than we do from our own government and sometimes change is necessary to keep the threat of other countries at minimum. To explain, the patriot act only requires us to give up some of the rights we have