America isn't the America that was created some 225 years ago. The power of america has made us weak. People no longer know what freedom is, and few understand that freedom isn't free. The concept of having to fight for freedom is forign to most people. People are willing to sacrifice thier freedom in order to save the lives of a few hundred, maybe a few thousand people. (Which are really insignificant numbers when you look past how terrible it is)
The problem with freedom is that people sometimes will die. Deaths that could have been prevented by a police state. That doesnt make the coming police state a good idea.
The problem has nothing to do with the government. People take freedom for granted. The idea of giving up little bits of it here and there are okay with most as long as there is no immediate effect.
Like the social security card, which was originally "Not for identification", once a system is in place, and has been accepted, it will be twisted to be used for any possible purpose. Saying "It won't be used for anything that might invade your privacy" really means "We'll wait untill you get used to it before we do anything you wouldn't like now".