If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. — James Madison

My Take – It is incumbent upon us to limit the scope and power of our government to only that which is absolutely necessary.  Every time we give a new power to the government, it takes what we think we are giving it and then expands it into every nook and cranny that it can find.  Did the people who supported RICO legislation or the Patriot Act think they would be used as cudgels to beat down the people?  Probably not, but that is what has happened.  When we give more power to flawed humans, we should expect them to misuse it and be watchful for when they do.