The Bill of Rights

The government has instilled in the Bill of Rights basic freedoms which we are to live by.  There is freedoms in the Bill of Rights which prevent the government from taking away the freedoms which we have.  The first amendment gives us the right to freedom of speech and religion so the government can not tell us what to think and say.  The fourth amendment says “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”  This prevents the government from monitoring our everyday life.  However many people are worried about the government abusing this power and
 

One way in which the government may try to implement control over people is through the use of national id cards or biometrics.  Biometrics is the use of chips in humans to monitor where they are at all times.  The id cards are cards which contain all the personal information of an individual person including social security number, fingerprint, ect.  The fiction novel Transfer was written about a national id card which contained all information and neglected the use of cash.  There are many pros for an id card like this.  There would be no need to carry around money because all money transfers would take place with the card or through ultraviolet tattoos on the forehead.  Another benefit of this is the reduction of crime.  Most crime occurs for money, and one of the biggest crimes involving money is the drug trade.  Without any paper money, there will be no benefits to the drug dealer to sell the drugs.  So, the government would save a great deal of money fighting drugs.  There would also be a great deal of money saved though government programs such as social security and welfare.  In the present system, there is a great deal of money spent on envelopes, printing checks, and mailing checks.  All that money would be saved by directly depositing the money into peoples accounts.   There would also be a great deal of money saved by not having to worry about taxes every year because the money for the taxes would come directly out of the accounts.  This would also eliminate the idea of illegal aliens and identity theft.  There would be no way to survive without a tattoo or identification card.  It would be possible for one to get their id card stolen, but there would be no way to steal ones tattoo.  So, there are many benefits to a national id.
 
 

While this whole system seems like a good idea that would save a lot of money, it is also taking away from the privacy of individuals.  The government would know every person’s every move and everything they buy.  A more extreme example is in the novel 1984.  “Big Brother” watches everything which goes on.  There are listening devices and cameras located in the houses of every citizen.  They must conform to the laws of the government and do what is ordered of them.  This is the extreme control of the government which violates every amendment of the Bill of Rights.  There is some privacy invasion which is now used by our government.  The increase of cell phone use has lead the government to listen to cell phone conversations.  Every wavelength has the ability to be monitored and the government listens in on random conversations.   The purpose of America is that people are free and can do as they wish.  When the government puts controls on people and monitors their movement, then they are violating our basic rights as Americans.

There have been laws passed by the Department of Justice to monitor the privacy of individuals.  There is the Privacy Act of 1974.  This law states that people have the right to see the information which the government has on them, and they are able to see who else has access to this information.  The information is not accessible if pertains to the CIA or to a criminal investigation.  The Freedom of Information Act says that people are allowed to see the actions of the government unless it is classified, or involved in a criminal investigation.  These laws are to try to protect people’s privacy by letting people know about their files in the government.

The government has the power to tap into the phone lines of anyone in America, and the CIA is able to find out any information on any person.  They can bug any house they choose, and there is no one who can stop them.  No one would be aware if the government was following their every action.  However, no one knows whether or not the government truly does this.  Hollywood has help to build up this fear through movies.  An example is this clip from Enemy of the State which shows the possibilities of what the government could do.
 

There is great debate to whether or not there should be government control over things.  Government control may save a great deal of money and reduce crime, but is it worth it.  America was founded on privacy and freedom.  The more control that the government has; the more it is moving away from the heart of the Bill of Rights.  Government control may be good to an extend, but who is there to prevent the government from yielding to much power.  The only thing that can stop them is themselves.  So, if the government is given some control, there may be no way to prevent them from abusing their power.
 

For some sites on privacy go to:

For some articles on "Big Brother" and the National Id go to: