Novel+in+Current+History

=The U.S. Government and its Laws=

The United States of America has gone into what is known as the “War on Terror.” This War on Terror has encompassed the everyday lives of the citizens of the U.S. whether they know it or not. In the recent years following the 9/11 incident, the U.S. government has passed many Acts and laws in which it uses to keep on eye on the American people, and to protect the country from suspected terrorist activity. The Patriot Act, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, the wiretapping of Americans and the death of Habeas Corpus are all different actions taken by the government to secretly lessen the rights of the American people.

The Patriot Act “dramatically expanded the authority of American law enforcement for the stated purpose of fighting [|terrorism] in the United States and abroad. It has also been used to detect and prosecute [|other alleged potential crimes], such as providing false information on terrorism.” ("USA PATRIOT Act"). In other words, the Patriot Act gave the government the right to take in and prosecute U.S. citizens for suspected terrorism against the U.S. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act and wiretapping of Americans run hand in hand in this matter. They both allow the government to stretch their claws into the depths of the personal lives of Americans across the country. By having this power, the government can take personal and private conversations and information, and use it against a citizen as evidence for an act of terrorism (the Patriot Act). The worst action carried out by the United States government was its complete disregard for Habeas Corpus.

With the end of Habeas Corpus, the President of the United States of America, gained, “…the power to detain citizens and non-citizens suspected of connection to terrorists or terrorism as an [|enemy combatant]. As such, that person could be held indefinitely without charges being filed against him or her, without a court hearing, and without entitlement to a legal consultant.” ("Habeas Corpus"). This is the complete annihilation of the rights of citizens in the U.S. Citizens now have no safety, for they can be taken to jail for a suspected “reason” which could turn out to be nothing at all.

These actions of the government were all put into place with the complete disregard for what is good for the people of the United States. These measures were taken to guarantee a supposed safety for the people, but how much safer is it really? The people can now be jailed for no apparent reason, and their rights are slowly being stripped away. These laws and acts are not in the benefit of the people, they simply benefit the government and its own agenda.



[|Patriot Act]

"The **Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001** ([|Public Law] 107-56), known as **USA PATRIOT Act** or simply the //**Patriot Act**//, is an [|American] [|act] which [|President] [|George W. Bush] signed into law on [|October 26], [|2001]. The Act passed in the [|Senate] by a vote of [|98 to 1], and in the [|House] by a vote of [|357 to 66]. Although the bill enjoyed widespread Congressional and Presidential support it is a very controversial [|federal legislation]. Originally passed after the [|September 11, 2001 attacks], the Act ([|full text]) was formed in response to the terrorist attacks against the United States, and dramatically expanded the authority of American law enforcement for the stated purpose of fighting [|terrorism] in the United States and abroad. It has also been used to detect and prosecute [|other alleged potential crimes], such as providing false information on terrorism. Federal courts declared some sections unconstitutional because they interfere with civil liberties. It was renewed on [|March 2], [|2006] with a vote of 89 to 11 in the Senate and on [|March 7] 280 to 138 in the House. The renewal was signed into law by President Bush on [|March 9], [|2006]. Some of the more controversial provisions of USA PATRIOT act were largely inspired by the [|RICO act], which restricted due process for individuals involved in organized crime, racketeering, and drug trafficking. The USA PATRIOT Act essentially extended the qualifications to those involved in terrorism.

According to a [|Gallup poll], the public is wary about the Act. In January 2002, 47% of Americans wanted their government to stop terrorism even if it reduced civil liberties. By November 2003 this number had dropped to 31%, indicating increasing concern about expanding government powers and/or reduced fear of terrorism. From 2003 to 2004, nearly a quarter of all Americans felt that the Act went too far, while most felt that it was either just right or did not go far enough. By 2005, the people polled were statistically divided half and half for and against the Act."

[|Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act]

"H.R. 22 would change the laws that govern the operation of the United States Postal Service (USPS), particularly those regarding the cost of pensions and health care benefits of retired workers and the requirement to hold certain funds in escrow. CBO estimates that enacting this legislation would result in on-budget savings of $35.7 billion and off-budget costs of $41.6 billion over the 2006-2015 period. (The net expenditures of the USPS are classified as "off-budget.") Thus, CBO estimates the net cost to the unified budget would be $5.9 billion over the 2006-2015 period. All of those effects reflect changes in direct spending. In addition, we estimate that implementing H.R. 22 would have discretionary costs of about $1.6 billion over the 2006-2015 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. (Enacting the bill would not affect federal revenues.)

Enacting H.R. 22 would not affect how much the federal government spends on pension or health care benefits for USPS retirees. By increasing how much the Postal Service pays to finance those benefits and by eliminating the current-law escrow account requirements, however, the bill would increase future budget deficits as measured by the unified federal budget. Eliminating the escrow account requirement for the USPS would allow that agency to increase spending for capital improvements or other projects, pay down its outstanding debt, postpone or diminish future rate increases, or some combination of these options. Enacting the bill also would reduce direct spending by making the costs of the Postal Rate Commission and the USPS Office of the Inspector General subject to appropriation."

[|Wiretapping of Americans]

[|The Death of Habeas Corpus]

"The [|November 13, 2001 Presidential Military Order] gave the [|President of the United States] the power to detain citizens and non-citizens suspected of connection to terrorists or terrorism as an [|enemy combatant]. As such, that person could be held indefinitely without charges being filed against him or her, without a court hearing, and without entitlement to a legal consultant. Many legal and constitutional scholars contended that these provisions were in direct opposition to habeas corpus, and the [|United States Bill of Rights]."

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