The Secret PATRIOT Act and the End of Limited Government in America
Milton Friedman once said that there is “nothing so permanent as a temporary government program.” I would add to this: there is nothing so permanent as a war on terror. Ask the British or the Israelis or any other government which has decided to wage a similar war.
The 2001 signing of the PATRIOT Act marked the beginning of a “temporary” and unofficial state of emergency for the American people. During this state of emergency our liberties, privacy, and due process would all be sacrificed in order for us to wage war on terrorism at home and abroad.
Now Congress is poised to reauthorize the PATRIOT Act, and a handful of senators concerned about the government’s ongoing overreach are attempting to at the very least slow the process down and make the law more transparent.
Rand Paul (R-KY) has been one of the fiercest critics of the Act in the senate, and yet it appears that Senate