John Stossel devotes his latest column to explaining why he’s not as fearful of government surveillance as many of his libertarian colleagues seem to be.

It does make a difference if cameras are controlled by a city government or a private department store. No store can lock me up. But I hate to get bogged down in the surveillance debate when there are so many other ways that government clearly threatens our freedom and our finances, while accomplishing nothing.

Thinking about the NSA revelation, I also thought about other things my government does that I really hate. Within a few hours, I had a list of 100 — it was surprisingly easy. I encourage you to start a list of your own. Here are just a few example of horrible, destructive government:

– Government (federal and local) now employs 22 million Americans. That’s outrageous.

– Government runs up a $17 trillion deficit and yet continues to throw our money at things like $100 million presidential trips, million-dollar bus stops and pork projects, as well as thousands of programs that don’t work.

– It funds a drug war that causes crime and imprisons millions, disproportionately minorities. That’s horrible.

– It spends your money on corporate welfare. And farm subsidies. And flood insurance that helps higher-income people like me build homes in risky spots.

– Government keeps American Indians poor by smothering them with socialist central planning. It does this despite the fall of the Soviet Union and the obvious failure of socialism everywhere. That’s evil.

– So are “too big to fail” bank bailouts. And other bailouts.