<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Plato90s:
The problem is the "we" in question that Spiff is speaking for.
The "we" in question does not represent the majority opinion nor does it represent the legal opinion.
The courts and legislatures have repeatedly upheld the right of police agencies to do things which you find to be intrusion of privacy and abuse of power. The mortgage parallel is very apt, because you do give up a huge amount of personal information when you apply for a mortgage. You've given consent to allow the mortgage company to check your financial background, credit record, etc...
Legally speaking, your viewpoint has no standing at all.
Moving on to your assumption that "The vast majority of those of us who choose to live in America do not want to live in such a society where the police or the government have such broad powers", it lacks even more standing because of you're actually way out in the left.
Starting with your stated Libertarian affiliation, we can see how much in line you are with "vast majority of America". Secondly, the TSA wasn't something that the Bush administration wanted to do. It's a budget buster, and they're doing it because the public (that's right, the vast majority) wants to see the gov't "do something".
So given how your views appear to be almost diametrically opposite from the observed behavior of the majority, I think it's presumptuous and just outright illogical to presume that you represent the majority opinion. Unless, of course, you define "us" as being "people who agree with Spiff" vs. the implied meaning of "us" = American citizens.</font>
Really? Poll the electorate and also the Supreme Court. Ask them if they would be in favor of warrantless searches without probable cause for the purpose of fighting terrorism and heinous/violent crimes. See what kind of response you get.
You do give the lending company a lot of information about yourself when you apply for and sign a mortgage. However, thankfully, your rights as a borrower are pretty clearly spelled out and you're able to strike certain clauses from the mortgage (e.g. sharing of your personal information) without having the lending institution end the contract. Scan your mortgage contract. I doubt you'll find the words "implied consent" anywhere therein.
Finally, when you claim "The courts and legislatures have repeatedly upheld the right of police agencies to do things which you find to be intrusion of privacy and abuse of power.", what police actions are you referring to?
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"Give me Liberty or give me Death." - Patrick Henry