>Ultimately the issue is that people want this. People are scared of terrorists. People do want the government to bend the rules to track them down. That's exac

>Ultimately the issue is that people want this. People are scared of terrorists. People do want the government to bend the rules to track them down. That's exactly what democracy is supposed to be. The actual fear these days is pretty low. The government manufactured consent for "chasing terrorists" by 9/11 and is now relying upon political inertia to keep and gradually expand those powers. >In short, politicians do what their voters demand. Or rather, politicians try to shape voter opinion in such a way that they accept the reforms being rammed down their throats without too much protest.