Panelists answered the following: Do you believe the U.S. government’s surveillance programs are too intrusive?
Nants Foley: “I don’t have any problem with the NSA collecting information about me. I’m not doing anything shady. I do have a problem with the unilateral decision the government made that it was okay for it to do so without our knowledge.”
Jim West: “No. As part of the social contract I forfeit some freedom for some security. Since I’ll never be 100% secure, the government must be limited as to how much they can monitor my activities. But, as a middle-class septuagenarian I may simply have nothing left to hide.”
Marty Richman: “Yes, the government’s systematic warrantless spying is an outrageous violation of constitutional protections. All surveillance programs are abused to an extent; however, if you start out by spying on everyone just like dictatorial, fascist or communist regimes, freedom no longer exists and the terrorists have won.”
Ruth Erickson: “Yes, Big Brother is overstepping his bounds!”
Mary Zanger: “Yes. Our constitution guarantees us to be innocent until proven guilty. This intrusive government behavior assumes the opposite. Government spying assumes guilt until proven innocent. I feel less safe. I am astounded to know that my own government is behaving toward me as if I am ‘the enemy.’”
Richard Place: “To make it fair we should be able to get the same results published that the government gets by using it on all politicians and government workers. I wonder how much Facebook and iPhone savings could be generated in payroll savings then.”
