A. Barton Hinkle: Yes, America, You Are Being Watched

The NSA's notorious metadata program is just one of the many ways the government is now keeping tabs on us. The Labor Department maintains a nationwide registry of new hires, Homeland Security compiles data on credit card transactions, rental car information, and email contacts. Just recently, a federal court ruled police departments did not need a warrant to obtain your cellphone records. There is a simple, overriding theme at work here, observes A. Barton Hinkle: We are being watched.