The Link EXCLUSIVE - U.S. to let spy agencies scour Americans' finances By Emily Flitter and Stella Dawson and Mark Hosenball NEW YORK/WASHINGTON | Wed Mar 13, 2013 2:31pm EDT (Reuters) - The Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country, according to a Treasury Department document seen by Reuters. The proposed plan represents a major step by U.S. intelligence agencies to spot and track down terrorist networks and crime syndicates by bringing together financial databanks, criminal records and military intelligence. The plan, which legal experts say is permissible under U.S. law, is nonetheless likely to trigger intense criticism from privacy advocates. ++++++++++++++++++++ I have a question on right to privacy. What is that right exactly? I am moderately pro-choice meaning that I am okay with limited abortions but think that there are too many. In any case, Roe v Wade was decided based on right to privacy. I would think people's financials would be private and not for open review by the gov't. I don't get how this would be legal. Even the IRS doesn't comb through every transaction looking for problems.
during the warren court, some of its members tried to charm a right to be left alone out of a variety of sources both explicit and implied in the constitution in order to stop the constant encroachment under a number of presidents and congresses. when I was a baby prosecutor thirty years ago we had to be careful lest we violate somebody's rights. That is not a problem anymore thanks to the stream of government toadies crawling around in the courts since Nixon. The dems haven't been much better than the gop in this regard. They are all big government people now.
