April 11, 2018

      The recent testimony of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is being portrayed as the response of our political class to invasions of user privacy. But this is really about the political classes’ realization that Facebook has the power to organize voters and skew elections based on the preferences of Zuckerberg and his minions.

      By Zuckerberg’s own admission, the tech industry is liberal. Thus Facebook, along with Twitter and Google are censoring conservatives in an attempt to restore liberalism’s previous monopoly on information. Pro-life and anti-gun control posts are squashed. A popular pro-Trump duo of African-American women, Diamond and Silk, has been deemed “unsafe.”

      The tech industry also avails preferred politicians to its data. President Obama used data given to his campaign by Google and Facebook to target specific voters. Google executives visited the Obama White House and astonishing 427 times. Chris Hughes, one of Facebook’s founders, set up the initial web site to fund raise for President Obama and used Facebook data to target donors and voters.

      The New York Times marveled at Obama’s genius at using the latest technology, but once it became apparent President Trump did the same thing, they became apoplectic, even blaming Facebook for selling ads to the Russians that attacked Hillary Clinton. But then Facebook executive Rob Goldman pointed out that the Russians purchased few ads, purchased ads for Bernie Sanders too, and spent most of their money after Trump already won.

      The liberal media pirouetted and attacked Facebook for allowing Trump to use the data produced by a British marketing company called Cambridge Analytica, who collected data via Facebook through surveys. This time the liberal media drew blood. Zuckerberg quickly learned Political Groveling 101 while liberals called for his head. To add insult to injury, Facebook stock tanked 20%.

      But even prior to these events, Zuckerberg was perplexed by the Trump victory and actually went on a listening tour to Trump country. While the political class opined that Zuckerberg was pondering a run for the presidency, it is also possible that Zuckerberg simply wanted to figure out why all the polling and data analysis predicting a Hillary victory were wrong. He may have concluded that Hillary Clinton was correct. These people are truly deplorable hayseeds and the way to beat them is to deny them access to information.

      Thus Zuckerberg had Facebook create what are called algorithms to prevent the dissemination of conservative posts. An algorithm is a set of computer code that directs output using what are called “If-Then Statements.” Perhaps an example will make this clear.

      Let’s say a web site asks you to type either 1 or 2 into entry point. You type in the number 1. The code that controls the site has a line that says

         If userinput = 1 then print “You typed 1”

      Algorithms can consist of thousands of If-Then Statements or their variations to analyze millions of data points. Facebook is constantly reviewing posts by users and collecting data. Even if you consider yourself nonpolitical, Facebook can determine your political orientation. For example, if you post a Vegan recipe, Facebook increases the probability that you will vote Democrat. If you post a picture of your daughter’s First Communion, Facebook increases the probability that you will vote Republican. Other data glistened from your posts – your age, your gender, your race, the car you drive, not to mention your actual statements – allow Facebook to pigeon hole your political orientation.

      Once this is done, a Facebook algorithm says

       If user = Conservative then block conservative postings
      If user = liberal then allow liberal postings

      This algorithm can be crucial in the close election, in that it energizes the liberal base more than the conservative one. Facebook surely knows this, which is why many former Hillary and Obama staffers are now on their payroll. Big tech is determined to never allow another Donald Trump to occur.

      How this will play out remains to be seen. But conservatives who wish to remain politically viable should not be calling for the regulation of Facebook. This is a battle they will never win. Rather, anti-trust litigation must be pushed and Facebook, along with Twitter and Google, should be broken up. Monopoly in any industry –especially information – is not good for the country.

August 14, 2017

     The Connecticut Democrats have rubber stamped a deal for public sector unions that will not only require massive tax increases in three years, but require significant increases now. Independent budget analyses reveal that even with the so-called public sector concessions; Connecticut’s budget is $3.5 billion in the hole over the next two years. Increasing the sales tax, legalizing marijuana, building another casino and increasing licensing fees will still leave a deficit of $1.0 billion, if not more. The reflexive liberal solution to “tax the rich” with higher income and estate taxes has been tried and has actually decreased revenue. The wealthy, the productive, the retired and the young are abandoning our beautiful state in droves. Thus, in the political corridors of power, tolls are seen as inevitable.

     This will be a disaster. Because of improved technology, tolls are much easier to collect. No traffic-congesting toll booth is necessary. All that is needed is a structure over a road that detects what are called transponders, an apparatus that is placed on the windshield that sends the toll due to an interstate collecting bureaucracy called E-ZPass. A bill is then sent to the driver. Most drivers now have E-ZPass but for those who do not, a picture of the license plate is taken and a bill is sent to the car’s owner. If you think that Connecticut bureaucrats have it made now with their fat salaries, six-figure pensions and Cadillac health insurance; wait until this confiscatory gold mine is foisted on the taxpayers.

     Most states institute tolls with the goal of achieving 4 cents per mile from drivers. Not in the Peoples Republic of Connecticut. According to plans already drawn up by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT), the goal will be 10 to 20 cents per mile. Do the math and assume 15 cents a mile. If you drive 10,000 miles a year, that’s 1,500 smackers. And once the liberals and unions see the cash coming in, get ready to be further hosed with escalating rates. Free health care, free daycare, free college tuition along with more bureaucratic sinecures with six-figure pensions will be on the agenda. And don’t think you can avoid these tolls by taking alternate routes. The State DOT intends to put these tolls on side roads too, not just major arteries. Remember, all you need is a structure over the road.

     You may be thinking that at least everyone has to pay. Don’t bet on it. What happens if you don’t have E-ZPass and drop your toll bill in the circular file? Basically nothing. Yes, the state may make you pay your bill when you re-register your car, but what if you don’t bother? Many states with tolls don’t try to collect this money and have no mechanism for sending the bill to a collection agency.

     Now you are undoubtedly consoling yourself with the thought the political hacks that foisted this literal highway robbery on you will also have to pay it themselves. Au contraire! The politically-connected will be issued what are called “non-revenue transponders,” just like in another Democratic stronghold, Massachusetts. As the reader may have guessed, these political hacks get to drive around exempt from the tolls – just like the politicians who gave us Obamacare are exempted from it. The political class knows how to protect themselves.

     Some of my otherwise sane fiscally-conservative friends like the idea of tolls, arguing that they have to pay them in other states while citizens from these states get a free ride in Connecticut. This makes no sense. Just because other states are ripping you off, why do you want to be ripped off in your home state too? These same friends also believe the money coming in from the tolls will repair our roads and bridges because the politicians will put the receipts in a “lock box” and only use the money for infrastructure repair. If you believe this, I will gladly sell you the Statue of Liberty for a mere $1,000. Some argue that at least tolls will stabilize Connecticut’s finances. But once the Democrats control a political bailiwick, the finances are never stabilized as their base wants more and more and more.

     So don’t believe any of the promises of our politicians and their acolytes in the liberal media when they extol the wonders of tolls. More money will be extracted from your pocket, and you will get nothing in return. That is unless you are one of the many public retirees who flee the state to avoid the taxes and tolls that are bankrolling your pension and health care.