Isn’t Life Strange?

Think the Patriot Act is an invasion of privacy? As the saying goes, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” It appears the federal government isn’t quite finished with invading the privacy of law abiding citizens. Take a look at this article.

Washington, DC - Hidden deep in Senator Christopher Dodd’s 630-page Senate housing legislation is a sweeping provision that affects the privacy and operation of nearly all of America’s small businesses. The provision, which was added by the bill’s managers without debate this week, would require the nation’s payment systems to track, aggregate, and report information on nearly every electronic transaction to the federal government.

FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey commented: “This is a provision with astonishing reach, and it was slipped into the bill just this week. Not only does it affect nearly every credit card transaction in America, such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express, but the bill specifically targets payment systems like eBay’s PayPal, Amazon, and Google Checkout that are used by many small online businesses. The privacy implications for America’s small businesses are breathtaking.”

I have only one question. Why does the federal government need to have detailed records of what people buy and who they buy it from?

We’re dangerously close to living our lives under the constant scrutiny of Big Brother.