Last week, I received a fund-raising letter from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In the letter, Paxton repeatedly proclaimed his support for liberty. Yet, his track record belies this claim.
For example, Paxton defended the Trump administration’s use of eminent domain to seize private land along the state’s southern border to build a wall. He defended his position by proclaiming that it was a national security issue. He conveniently ignored that fact that seizing private property threatens the security of every individual American.
To Paxton, and indeed most conservatives, property rights and individual liberty can be cast aside when it fits their political agenda. Consider Paxton’s desire to regulate Big Tech.
In a press release in September, Paxton wrote,
Attorney General Paxton led a 10-state coalition that filed an amicus brief in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Florida’s law that regulates censorship on Big Tech platforms by requiring them to apply their content-moderation practices in a consistent manner and to provide disclosures to affected users. The brief explains why relevant provisions of Florida’s law are fully compatible with the First Amendment, which guarantees Americans’ right to freedom of speech, expression, and political beliefs.
In other words, requiring private businesses to provide a forum for ideas that they don’t agree with is compatible with free speech. This makes a mockery of free speech.
Freedom of speech means that individuals can express their ideas without reprisal from government. Freedom of speech does not mean that private businesses must provide a platform to express those ideas. Property owners have a moral right to determine what ideas that they will allow in their paper, website, or lecture hall.
Contrary to what Paxton and others claim, Big Tech’s suppression of conservative ideas is not censorship. Individuals remain free to express their ideas through a multitude of other forums.
Forcing Big Tech to provide a forum for conservative ideas is simply the flip side of prohibiting Big Tech (or anyone) from expressing conservative ideas. Government should be neutral on the issue of expressing ideas. It should not be dictating what can or must be expressed.
Paxton declares that he “will always stand up against those willing to sacrifice your freedom for bureaucratic ease.” Unfortunately, Paxton is willing to sacrifice your freedom when it fits his political agenda.