Are Facebook and Twitter public utilities, and therefore subject to government intervention?
Well, first we have to become a free country again. We can’t rationally claim to be a free country at this time. We may not (yet) be a full-blown dictatorship; but whatever we are, we are not a free country.
The answer is not to become less free. The answer is not to pass laws saying, “Well, Facebook and Twitter, which started out as private companies, now are public utilities — by a decree of the government.” Freedom — free enterprise, private property, free markets — do not work that way.
The only solution to today’s censorship crisis is to reaffirm ourselves as a free country. I don’t know when or if that will happen, since even the Supreme Court seems largely to have deserted the Constitution. But the fact remains: freedom, not more statism, is the only solution.
It does conservatives and other non-leftists no good to turn Facebook or Twitter into government enterprises. How well does it EVER work out to turn anything into a government enterprise?
Notice that statists like Mark Zuckerberg are begging the government to take them over. A few months ago, when Biden’s press secretary bragged that they flag “improper” posts on Facebook and demand them to be taken down, Facebook freely acknowledged that they do this. In such an environment, you cannot say Facebook is operating as a private company. This is how “companies” operate under fascist regimes.
However, if we DID still have a free market, the only proper course would be to leave Facebook alone. They have a right to turn away any customers they wish, so long as they don’t commit fraud or violate written contracts.
Of course, a leftist company like Facebook does NOT wish to protect the equal rights of other private companies to do the same. If another company grew large while censoring left-wing views and leaving right-wing views unfettered, Facebook — like any leftist entity or individual — would support both legal and criminal charges against that company. That’s wrong, and of course it’s hypocritical.
If the government were to declare Facebook and Twitter public utilities that must be forced to post all views, then you can be sure that sooner or later a left-wing government will step in and ensure that only left-wing views are permitted. Zuckerberg and other leftist corporate fascist statists understand this — which is why they want the government to step in and regulate them. Because they know that the government will eventually and always be left-wing.
After all, we no longer live in a fully or even mostly free country. And the tyrants in control of both the government and the culture are all leftists.
Leftism is tyranny. It supports unlimited free expression for leftists; and unlimited censorship of any opposing views. Leftists control the government, so handing government ownership of social media companies will not make anything better. It will almost certainly make things even worse, if that’s possible.
Follow Dr. Hurd on Facebook. Search under “Michael Hurd” (Rehoboth Beach DE). Get up-to-the-minute postings, recommended articles and links, and engage in back-and-forth discussion with Dr. Hurd on topics of interest. Also follow Dr. Hurd on Twitter at @MichaelJHurd1, drmichaelhurd on Instagram.