“Intelligence agencies, as a necessary evil, should only exist in 20 year blocks, then be replaced with another.”
They are an anathema to a free society where the Government is loaned power from the people. We did not have them until our government was contaminated by British input from WWII.
We had military intelligence that was focused on foreign military capabilities and actions.
Intelligence agencies in the British model which we have do everything in secret. The secrecy -directly- causes that agency to become despotic. The reason is that they believe they have superior information that is not available to the public. So for reasons we are not allowed to know, they begin to decide everything FOR us. And then next step is manipulating the population to achieve what they think is important. This unleashes a firehose of propaganda.
They do not have a place in a republic.
One look at what's happening supports your analysis... The old KGB only allowed people to vote for their choices - and if the wrong person 'won' they would cancel the election. That appears to be what DC goons and thugs call 'MAH DEMOCRACY...'
I can't argue against this. I was a fan, conceptually, when I was younger and thought that these were agencies that worked to 'protect' America. I have long since ceased to think this.
When you give significant power to people like Strzok, who have deep disdain for the citizenry (who they see as low life Walmart shoppers), you have set up a parallel government of people who are never voted for / vetted by the public - yet have the power to alter the course of the lives of millions. That doesn't fly in a free nation.