"Please spare me the impoverished argument about the free market and private companies not being bound by the constitution. Barring businesses from using online payment systems; removing companies from the App Store; banning people from social media — these are the equivalent of telling people they can’t open a bank account or start a bu…
"Please spare me the impoverished argument about the free market and private companies not being bound by the constitution. Barring businesses from using online payment systems; removing companies from the App Store; banning people from social media — these are the equivalent of telling people they can’t open a bank account or start a business or drive down a street."
I don't know what argument is about "the free market", but private companies are, in fact, private, and generally immune to government interference. To be sure, government can interfere, but it's not something to be done lightly, and I have yet to hear a method that stands a chance of changing things here for the better.
Furthermore, telling someone he can't open an account at your bank is something the bank should be able to do. If the applicant is from a protected class then it's a violation of the Civil Rights Act of '64, but otherwise I'd be interested to hear what the problem is. It's obviously not comparable to opening a business and driving down the street, which are essentially between you and the government.
And I don't know David Sacks, except that I just read an essay of his on the Persuasion site wherein he pushes a conspiracy theory. So, not a good first impression.
I actually do have a suggestion for reining in some of the craziness of our politics on social media. It's technically feasible, it scales and it's minimally intrusive: Ban memes. Treat them like child pornography. Yes, we'll miss out on some cute kitten pictures, but it'll be worth it.
"Please spare me the impoverished argument about the free market and private companies not being bound by the constitution. Barring businesses from using online payment systems; removing companies from the App Store; banning people from social media — these are the equivalent of telling people they can’t open a bank account or start a business or drive down a street."
I don't know what argument is about "the free market", but private companies are, in fact, private, and generally immune to government interference. To be sure, government can interfere, but it's not something to be done lightly, and I have yet to hear a method that stands a chance of changing things here for the better.
Furthermore, telling someone he can't open an account at your bank is something the bank should be able to do. If the applicant is from a protected class then it's a violation of the Civil Rights Act of '64, but otherwise I'd be interested to hear what the problem is. It's obviously not comparable to opening a business and driving down the street, which are essentially between you and the government.
And I don't know David Sacks, except that I just read an essay of his on the Persuasion site wherein he pushes a conspiracy theory. So, not a good first impression.
I actually do have a suggestion for reining in some of the craziness of our politics on social media. It's technically feasible, it scales and it's minimally intrusive: Ban memes. Treat them like child pornography. Yes, we'll miss out on some cute kitten pictures, but it'll be worth it.