[Yardstick]

Generally a good argument. The problem is these companies aren’t just independent actors. They’re being pressured by leftists in government to restrict speech by conservatives. These companies are powerful enough on their own but it’s the sense that they’re connected to even greater powers — namely the ideological left and the part of government controlled by the left — that makes this feel like a big deal. It makes it seem unwise to just sit back and wait for the market to innovate around this problem.

[DoodleBob]

Thank you. And to be clear, I'm not recommending we just "sit back." There are SEVERAL avenues that us pitchfork and torch-bearers should deploy, that do not involve expanding Leviathan's power. If every Deplorable, right now, canceled their FB and Twitter accounts AND enacted controls to obtain their personal data, while moving to competitor platforms, it would be YUGE. Indeed, imagine Trump moving off Twitter.

I recall the Netscape vs Explorer fights in the mid-1990s, with demands for Microsoft to be broken up. They weren't, firms innovated, and now we have a multitude of browser AND O/S options.

It is curious that the same apparatus that can't balance its budget, is investigating Trump over Russian election interference, mangles health care delivery, is peopled with scores of Deep Staters, and hosts a plethora of other errors, is suddenly viewed as a necessary and benevolent savor against FB et al.

If we play with fire, we shouldn't cry when we get burned. Thanks for listening.