Issue Position: Defund Mass Surveillance

Issue Position

When we abolish the Patriot Act and massively downsize the current redundant spy agencies into one, constitutionally limited agency, you get your privacy and dignity back.

This downsize means an end to warrantless wiretapping and a renewed protection of your right to maintain your privacy against any search or seizure without probable cause. Your private conversations will once again be private. Your personal life will be yours to share with who you want. Your citizenship will be restored as you will no longer be treated as a subject of sovereign? rule.

When we downsize our redundant spy agencies and eliminate warrantless wiretapping, we also eliminate the security theatre in this country. We can focus on the actual defense of our country, not the execution of searches on people without any probable cause other than that they decided to fly home for Christmas.

We can also turn our police forces away from victimless crimes like drugs and prostitution (the current most common offenses uncovered by these massive surveillance infringements on our privacy). We no longer have to give up our natural rights just so a man in possession of marijuana can be thrown in jail for years (paid for by our money). Our police forces can begin to focus on the backlogged rape kits that should have been processed years ago. They can help bring closure to the victims of terrible crimes, because their time won't be wasted on filling our prisons.

And of course, the millions(?) of dollars we won't be spending on (number) spy agencies and gross invasions of privacy will be money that you get to keep. You can use that money to pay your phone bill and privately call your family. You can use it to grow your business or support someone else's. You can use your money for whatever you want, not for whatever rights the government decides to betray each year.

I want to protect the individual right to privacy (expressed in the 4th Amendment). I want to bring America out of the Cold War spy practices and into a small, constitutionally limited, modernized structure. And I want to give you your money back.

I want a private America. And so, if elected, I will sponsor legislation to abolish the Patriot Act, massively downsize our current redundant spy agencies into one, constitutionally limited agency, defund all warrantless searches and seizures, and return that tax money to you.

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