The Patriot Act was an overnight revision of the nation's surveillance laws that vastly expanded the government's authority to spy on its own citizens, while simultaneously reducing checks and balances on those powers like judicial oversight, public accountability, and the ability to challenge government searches in court.
We, the people, ultimately control the government. Not the other way around. If we speak up, our voices will be heard. Things like the security of our country should not infringe upon the most basic civil liberties of its citizens.