My political views are extremely public. A government knowing my political views is only bad in a situation where they start yanking rights from minority parties or some such awfulness. If the government goes that bad no possible amount of secrecy will make any difference.

Well, looking at the history of just your country we see that in the past 100 years people have been deported and imprisoned without trial for their political views, that careers and lifes have been destroyed. You also see a (voluntary or not) political segregation ( http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/29/opinion/age-of-political-segregation.html ) and political parties in power restructuring voting districts to ensure they get the most votes no matter what, thereby invalidating your vote.

It leads to laws such as Indiana has just implemented, allowing people to discriminate against you because you don't think the same.

Basically I think society is moving forward at a pretty good clip and designing privacy laws around 18th century threats doesn't seem like the way to keep moving forward.

I don't trust them at all. I just don't see how it makes a difference. They're either going to get up to some shenanigans and we're screwed or they're not and them knowing where I buy my pancakes won't matter.

We have a constitution for a reason, and it's not so people can shrug and let the government walk all over them.

Clearly we see "walking all over them" differently. If I do something in public I don't think its an "unreasonable search" if someone in the government writes it down. And the Internet doesn't happen on a phone. It takes a fairly broad interpretation of the 4th to be offended by this.

The fact that the program was secret is a much bigger concern to me than the fact that it exists. Snowden is a hero for exposing it, but its existence is kind of expected, right? I think most of us younger people always believed that programs like this and even more extensive existed, so it isn't really news.

Being "walked all over" would entail being completely apathetic about having rights, and having those rights violated. I get it, some people just don't care; it's part of the same problem that responsible gun owners have to constantly face. "I don't need a gun, why do you?"

My straw man not withstanding, we live in a democracy. That doesn't just mean you go out and vote every two years, it means you act like a responsible citizen, both for your own benefit and your neighbor's.

I think most of us younger people always believed that programs like this and even more extensive existed, so it isn't really news.

I think most of us older guys lived through the height of the Cold War and had close experience with programs like this. The secret police forces in Eastern Europe for instance are about 20 years ago.

But, you might live in a democracy, stuff like this makes me weep for your country:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/11/us/politics/hedge-fund-magnaterobert-mercer-emerges-as-a-generous-backer-of-ted-cruz.html?smid=nytcore-iphone-share&smprod=nytcore-iphone&_r=0

Sold to the highest bidder.

Being "walked all over" would entail being completely apathetic about having rights, and having those rights violated. I get it, some people just don't care; it's part of the same problem that responsible gun owners have to constantly face. "I don't need a gun, why do you?"

My straw man not withstanding, we live in a democracy. That doesn't just mean you go out and vote every two years, it means you act like a responsible citizen, both for your own benefit and your neighbor's.

It's not that I "don't care" about the government violating my right to privacy. I disagree that they are indeed violating that right. If we had amendment that actually stated a right to privacy I'd feel a bit different. Or maybe a Madison quote about people who Google bomb-making.

I think most of us younger people always believed that programs like this and even more extensive existed, so it isn't really news.

I think most of us older guys lived through the height of the Cold War and had close experience with programs like this. The secret police forces in Eastern Europe for instance are about 20 years ago.

But, you might live in a democracy, stuff like this makes me weep for your country:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/11/us/politics/hedge-fund-magnaterobert-mercer-emerges-as-a-generous-backer-of-ted-cruz.html?smid=nytcore-iphone-share&smprod=nytcore-iphone&_r=0

Sold to the highest bidder.

That is an excellent example of a serious problem that I would put miles ahead of domestic spying.

Because originalism means so much to a living document.