This was a lot, however I will return in form.
First off you must know damn well we legally can't collect on any American asset, American citizen, American incorporated businesses, ETC, ETC. WE do not collect on US nationals or their assets unless court ordered to, in which case we already have more then enough evidence to convict. You know this or you are full of shit. USSID SP0018 in case you forgot, of course unclass.
Mass collection is unnecessary. I agree and to add nor is it possible. Does "American Intelligence" acquire the library of congress in data daily? Yes however, 99% of it is never seen. It is simply the static when trying to hone in a signal and is treated as exactly that. Nothing more. It would be impossible to store any shred of this data that is not mission essential as we would have to build a new server warehouse every 8 hours 24/7 365 just to hold it. Like you said this is way to much a burden for tax dollars. Impossibly so. To think we do anything other then store crucial data concerning HFT and wiping the rest is ludicrous. I was had a guy say we also collected on all of Europe too. Lol that's like 3x the data.
Technologically speaking we are superior in ever asset, across all spectrums. Doesn't even mean military. We can talk medicine, Higher education (universities) or even military prowess (of course we understand cyber data and that China attacks us blah blah times a day, I started receiving training in this in early 2003 that was over a decade ago.....). I have to strongly disagree with all of this.
Over militarization. This has it's points. After all https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_R._Ford-class_aircraft_carrier these mothers fuckers here are the most powerful military asset in the know universe. Not only is one completed and is just waiting commission but another one is being built as we speak. That's nothing tho, 10 that's right 10 of these mother fuckers are already funded and planned for. It is a lot I agree, however most would hate on this then read an article about Russia or China's "carrier killer missiles" and be like" See they gunna kill us we have to stop fucking with them, they stronger then us now".... See the problem? Is it over militarization when we already in debt or is it fucked media misleading you into a fear that is not real? For instance we have 18 trillion in debt, however just in the last qtr American government made made 3 trillion, just in taxs alone, nothing to do with the trillion in off shore investments we make monthly. The states (the 50) themselves made 1.7 trillion. That's just in one quarter. The point I am trying to make is the debt is in no way as big a deal as ,for some reason, most would want you to believe. Basically we got the money to "over militarize".
I am glad you put FBI and NSA together a few times "FBI/NSA" as that is exactly what it is. Every intel branch works together even with local law enforcement. To blame it all on NSA is stupid every echelon of enforcement for the Military to the sheriffs department work in some form of unison. If helicopters and shit happen at your house NSA prob had little to do with it, unless known and sponsored terrorist lived there.
Over blowing? I don't know what shop you worked in, nor where and well nor does it matter. I didn't last long myself (for similar problems I'll get to) only about 7 years. However my site alone stopped 3 major terrorist attacks. That's while I was there, my SME even signed off on one of the critics. So again we all got different jobs there some more important then others. YOu may have well not ever seen anything like that, but you know damn well its need to know so if your shop didn't deal with stuff like that then how could you know? However, to say its over blown? That's not accurate at all because you would have no knowledge of what other shops did unless your skills were needed. Congress probably doesn't even know how much shit almost happened.
I am going t wrap this up as like I said I have had this conversation with many people, I didn't exactly expect for someone who worked the field to respond in kind , however each their own. I can only speak of my service and what we as a unit accomplished.
The drinking. That is real. Its a stressful job, 10 hour shifts 12 when surge. Can't talk about shit with family, can't smoke weed. Lifes can be lost just because you misclick a number. Its fucking stressful as fuck and of course alchol was the awser for most of us. That's why I don't work there anymore either. YOu either rise high enough that the grime doesn't get to you, or you get out. That is the only way I have seen it go. However, the grime is nessicary and not one thing, choice, nor action I ever made hurt any American, it only killed/captured those that pledged to kill us all.
Sorry you feel so disenfranchised. I can say I understand to some extent, but to say I would take any of it back? Fuck no I served my country and made sure that people sleep safe at night while forgotten men did violent things on their behalf. The whole point? That they never even knew it happened, the slap in the face... lol they don't even know it ever happened.