The Morning Rant: Minimalist Edition

Anyone who trusts the government to respect his privacy and his rights is a fool. And all governments (federal, state, local) are the same...an insatiable desire for power and control and -- this is the big one -- knowledge of our innermost secrets, or how many garbage cans we fill each week. It doesn't matter; they want it all. Every bit of data that describes us!

Medical records and toll records and what we buy and banking data and how any people live in our homes and who we call and what websites do we frequent and....

They can build a complete record of our lives with enough of that data, and the vast majority of it isn't anyone's business but our own!

However, when the federal government funds a welfare program, it is entirely reasonable that they have access to at least some of that data about the recipients, because that is our money, and the federal government had better be damned diligent in minimizing misuse and outright theft.

Why? Because if you take a handout from the government, you lose privacy. Sorry, but that is just the way it is. I have no idea why the expectation of privacy extends to those who are willing to give up their autonomy and accept assistance from the public.

Trump knocks down barriers around personal data, raising alarm

On May 6, the U.S. Department of Agriculture asked states to hand over the data of 42 million people receiving SNAP benefits, including their names, dates of birth, social security numbers and addresses. This request is currently paused amid legal challenges.

Of course the reality is probably different. I'll bet those SNAP recipients don't much care, and this is simply the ACLU and other leftist organizations using lawfare to attack the Trump administration.

But it does expose the larger point that in most cases the government has no need for most of the data they accumulate about us, and in many cases it flies in the face of our constitutionally protected rights. Collection of weapons purchase data is an affront to the 2nd Amendment, yet the federal government and the blue states are busily building a massive database of legal gun owners.

I wonder why? Whatever could they do with that information?

The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world not destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside ... Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them ... the weak will become prey to the strong.

[Crossposted at CutJibNewsletter and X/Twitter] And the Apple and Spotify feeds for CJN's podcast should be working!

posted by CBD at 11:00 AM

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