By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – When they say "Big Brother" is watching, they're not kidding.
It seems everywhere we go and everything we do is being recorded, documented and watched. We sit at stoplights, we can be seen. We eat in a park, we can be seen. Government officials say it's for the better of the American people as far as safety measures go, but local residents say it's an invasion of privacy that needs to be stopped.
This week, we hit the streets to ask readers if they think the government is going too far with rules and regulations. Their answer was very simple – yes.
Ruth Vassar of Niles said everything seems to be getting too out of hand.
"Especially in Michigan. Taxes are being raised on everything. People can barely afford to live as it is."
She added that it's not a good idea for anyone to be watching what we do because it's taking away from our privacy.
"That's something that shouldn't be taken away. That's something that everyone is entitled to," Vassar added.
Vernita Vassar also said it seems the government does what they want to do.
"That's just how they are. It's getting out of hand. It's ok to have some security, but now they start telling us what we can and can't do and it's not fair," she said.
Sandy Marshall also thinks it's none of anyone's business what we do, but she's also upset with the current medical coverage we receive as Americans.
"My granddaughter is 8 years old and was just diagnosed with diabetes. Her father's insurance doesn't cover anything and they are really struggling right now. The government is unfair. the rich stay rich and get everything and the poor stay poor and get what's left over," she said.
When it comes to privacy, Marshall said everyone should have a right to it, just like everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
"People shouldn't be sticking their noses where they don't belong. Pretty soon they will be able to watch us from inside our homes, they probably already do. It seems it's not what we say anymore, it's what they say."
Darrell Stroup lives in South Bend, Ind. and he said there is more of an effect from the government there, than there is here in Michigan.
"Property taxes, cameras at stoplights, it's getting outrageous. It's not anyone's business what we do. I think the country is ready to go back to the time when we truly were a free country. Big government is leading to communism. We pay money to buy things, but in reality we don't own anything because at any time someone can take away your things," Stroup said.