More Free Speech Though Less Government
 
Earlier this week it was revealed through leaked documents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that the agency pushed to censor content online. Earlier, Meta CEO and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg caused ripples when Zuckerberg claimed the FBI reached out to him in the run-up to the 2020 election, saying to be on the lookout for foreign disinformation. As part of this effort, the company targeted the infamous New York Post Hunter Biden laptop story. Zuckerberg said Facebook still allowed sharing of the story, but limited its algorithmic reach. Big tech opponents used this anecdote to further their crusade against Silicon Valley, and called for greater regulation and even the breakup of these companies. Unfortunately, most all of the approaches being bandied about would give the federal government more ability to regulate speech. In the instance of the Hunter Biden laptop story, among a host of others, we see the government’s inclination is more censorship, not less. Some approaches would give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the ability to dictate fairness online by initiating antitrust proceedings. Currently, the chair of the FTC is Lina Khan, who’s expressed a preference for censoring viewpoints that undermine “social justice.” This is hardly a recipe for more open discourse online. Big tech skeptics have been pushing a bevy of political “solutions” to their gripes. Some want to go beyond the antitrust route and revoke certain speech liability protections for platforms. This would actually incentivize more censorship, as tech companies would now be legally responsible for anything said on their sites. To avoid such liability, they’d have to become more censorious. 
 
For a good while, the correct, principled response to anyone calling for the sanction or breakup of big tech companies because of their content moderation policies has been simple. Facebook and Twitter – and every other social media platform out there – are private companies and should be free, under the law, to censor or not censor as they see fit. There are no First Amendment concerns. The anti-tech forces in Washington see this supposed link between the FBI and social media companies as proof that these companies are acting as arms of the government. However, this type of response misses the mark by a wide margin. Plainly and simply, government is force. Government edicts are enforced by the threat of force – and actual force if there is further disobedience. No interaction with the government can be said to be even-handed as the government makes, enforces, and adjudicates the rules of the game. A government without coercion can hardly be considered a government at all.
 
Under almost any other circumstance, a business leader whose practices were dictated in part due to FBI pressure would be viewed as a victim of sorts. However, big tech companies like Meta have become a popular target for politicians as of late. Those on the left zero in on these companies as the epitome of the corporate greed they bemoan and those to the right see them as tools of the left, trying to censor opposing viewpoints. Free speech is a valuable part of American society. It’s natural that responses be strong when it feels threatened. However, if elected leaders respond by limiting the ability of American companies to run their operations as they see fit, that will be just as big a blow to speech in the long run. If an example of government force is used to punish the free market, it will engender more cynicism towards Washington than that which already exists. In order to actually address the issues felt by many, we need to be clear on who the actual threat is, instead of zeroing in on politically convenient opponents.
 
Virgin Islands Energy Problems
 
I lived in the United States Virgin Islands when I was a child so I am very sensitive to what happens there. So are some members of Congress as it relates to energy issues, and in particular the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA). In fact, representative Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and senior Republican members of the House Oversight Committee want to know what is going on in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In a letter sent last week to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Inspector General, Rae Oliver Davis, leading Republican members of the House Oversight Committee, led by Donalds, demanded an inquiry into why four taxpayer-funded propane generation units are still not working. The four members of Congress wrote, “There appears to have been a woeful lack of preparation on the part of WAPA, in addition to a lack of oversight by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) pertaining to the acquisition of these four generators.”
 
The generators, purchased by USVI’s Water and Power Authority and paid for by a $75 million grant to the public utility by HUD, were scheduled to be operational in early 2022. The generators, from Finnish-based company Wartsila, have been sitting for almost a year and remain not connected to the Vitol propane system. WAPA executives have offered a series of confusing, bumbling explanations as to why the generators are still not operational. WAPA’s executives won’t publicly admit it, but they know they ordered the wrong units, which currently are unable to integrate into the Vitol propane system. After all, it wasn’t until November 2021—nearly 16 months after the contract was signed—that policymakers first learned of these mistakes. As the Representatives note in their letter to HUD Inspector General, “shockingly, there is no plan to correct these mistakes.” HUD’s Inspector General has opened two general audits into the USVI’s mismanagement of its federally allocated funding. The investigation aims to determine if the territory oversaw its HUD- funded activities effectively. Ms. Rae Oliver Davis should look no further than the Wartsila generators for her answer. 
 
Federal waste is a grave disservice to hardworking taxpayers across the country. Rep. Donalds’ letter is essential in achieving accountability into this generator fiasco occurring in the USVI, and could begin the process of recouping any wasted spending. HUD must get to the bottom of this concerning debacle, and TPA applauds Reps. Donalds, Grothmann, Cloud, and Gibbs for their support on this important issue.
 
BLOGS:
   
Monday: Tricks and Treats 2022  
 
Tuesday: TPA Slams President Biden’s Latest Comments on Potential Windfall Tax
   
Wednesday: TPA Submits Comments to FTC on Commercial Surveillance and Data Security
 
Thursday: TPA & Coalition to Congress: A Federal e-File System Creates a Conflict of Interest and Ignores Real Issues at the IRS
  
Friday: Op-Ed: Today’s So-Called Tech ‘Monopolies’ Were Yesterday’s Afterthoughts
 
 
MEDIA:
 
October 29, 2022: The Georgia Virtue ran TPA’s op-ed, “Spooky FDA Regs Hamper Halloween.”
 
October 29, 2022: Real Clear Science ran TPA’s op-ed, “The FDA’s Menthol Vape Ban Shows It Is Not a Science-Based Agency.”
 
October 31, 2022: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) interviewed me about cybersecurity weaknesses in government.
 
October 31, 2022: Patrick Hedger joined KWTO’s ‘Wake Up Springfield with Tim Jones’ (Springfield, Mo.) to talk about the tricks and treats of the federal government.

November 1, 2022:  WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) quoted TPA in their story, “Baltimore City, County seek voters' permission to take on hundreds of millions in new debt.”
 
November 2, 2022: Real Clear Markets ran TPA’s op-ed, “Today's So-Called Tech 'Monopolies' Were Yesterday's Afterthoughts.”
 
November 2, 2022: Dan Savickas joined ‘Need to Know with Jeff Angelo’ on WHO Newsradio 1040 (Des Moines, Ia.) to discuss Biden’s potential windfall tax.
 
November 2, 2022: The Daily Mail quoted TPA in their story, “Biden announces $13 BILLION package to bring energy costs down for low and moderate income families to help with winter bills: Critics call plan an election 'gimmick' with just six days until the midterms.”
 
November 2, 2022: Patrick Hedger joined the ‘The Lars Larson Show’ to discuss President Biden’s potential windfall tax.
 
November 3, 2022: Patrick Hedger joined ‘Fox & Friends First’ to discuss the Biden administration’s $13B energy package.
 
November 3, 2022: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) interviewed me about a new Baltimore City OG report about the Department of Public Works.
 
November 3, 2022: I appeared on WBOB Radio (600 AM AND 101 FM Jacksonville, Fla.) to talk about the economy and inflation.
 
November 3, 2022: Dan Savickas joined "Just the News, No Noise" on Real Americas Voice to talk about current antitrust bills.  
 
November 3, 2022: TPA was quoted in a story from Just the News, “Top Republican Congressman says Democrats claim to have monopoly on truth and people see through it.”
 
November 4, 2022: 1828 ran TPA’s op-ed, “Yesterday’s smoking debate showcased Westminster’s obsession with nannying.”