I believe rebellion is the reason the government is so strong here. It scares the people in power, and when they stop the rebellion (which they almost certainly will as the country stands right now) they'll just jack up security even more and mass paranoia will ensue.
"The events of Shays' Rebellion over the coming months would strengthen the hands of those who wanted a stronger central government, and persuade many who had been undecided as to the need for such a radical change. One of the key figures, George Washington, who had long been cool to the idea of strong centralized government, was frightened by the events in Massachusetts. By January 1787, he decided to come out of retirement and to attend the convention being called for the coming May in
Philadelphia. At the
Constitutional Convention of 1787, a new, stronger government would be created under the
United States Constitution, a constitution that would give the president a striking amount of power."