Why is it important that the protections of the Fourth Amendment are personal?

Question

Why is it important that the protections of the Fourth Amendment are personal?

Answer 1

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

I believe the part about being secure in their persons if fact is very personal.For example drug tests.How is this not a violation of the 4th amendment?Are they not searching my person? It is important to protect this right so that we do not live in a police state.While I am a conservative on many issues some of the provisions of the patriot act frighten me.It is an absolute violation of the 4th amendment to listen to a person's phone call without a warrant.

Answer 2

All the Amendments to the Constitution known as the Bill of Rights apply to the individual. The Constitution was designed to assure the power of government remain in the hands of all individuals to prevent tyranny.

Our brilliant Founding Fathers knew that power corrupts. Therefore they gave us a Constitution that spread the power of government as thinly as possible in a effort to prevent any one group or individual from becoming too powerful, thus preventing tyranny.

That is why we are supposed to have a small central government with more power at the state level (closer to the individual) and the basis of power is the individual citizen.

Our Founders assumed we would be self reliant, self sufficient, provide for our own welfare and if we used our freedoms to harm others, we would be dealt with by the court system.

When will we start to be responsible citizens and follow the Constitution?