Who will protect us from the guardians?!

Rasmussen Reports runs a continuing telephone poll that doesn't get nearly the attention it deserves. Among its last week's findings was this: Fifty-seven percent of American voters believe it is likely that NSA data will be used by other government agencies to harass political opponents.

Unfortunately, Mr Rasmussen doesn't run similar polls in Venezuela, Cuba, or Russia, let alone the Islamic Republic of Iran. But I find it hard to believe that the ratio of dissenters would be much higher in those countries than in ours. Think of it! Mistrusting the IRS is one thing--it does, after all, pick most of our pockets every year. Mistrusting the National Security Agency is also understandable, given that nobody really knows what it is or what it does. But that a significant majority of Americans don't trust the rest of the executive branch is almost incomprehensible. Do farmers believe that the Agriculture Department will hand out richer subsidies to Democrats than to Republicans?  Do we think that mail from the party in power will be delivered faster than mail from the out-party? That the FBI will crack down harder on conservative criminals than on "progressive" ones?

This is really scary stuff. Mr Rasmussen has some comments here.