A party is perpetually corrupted by personality. Whilst we absolve the association from dishonesty, we cannot extend the same charity to their leaders. They reap the reward of docility and zeal of the masses which they direct.
From Politics Essays Second Series by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Today, the executive has directed agencies to collect info on all the country's occupants in order to discern citizen from non. The executive is demanding that private businesses abide by his direction regarding who should be allowed to participate on their platforms. The legislative branch, for different reasons, is gathering round and sharpening knives to slice up Big Tech that, in their opinion, discourages competition and has no regard for privacy.
Both branches are at least in apparent agreement that Big Tech and social media should be nationalized. While not a big fan of any of the businesses being called to task, all of their activities have been known to the legislative and executive branches for decades. Privacy laws are weak and often unenforced. Data collection has aided political parties and the government as the surveillance state expands.
And while it would be nice if people were nicer, that there wasn't so much avarice, so much bitterness - without privacy, without freedom of expression, without free enterprise - there won't be much worth bragging about if these branches continue to expand their interference into legal activities.
So it is important to have platforms like this. Every opportunity to express oneself is a gift - and I will work to see that it continues to be a right.