Most of us know the Biblical tale – located in 1 Samuel 17:41-52. In which the much smaller David – managed to slay the much larger Goliath.
Modern day Washington, D.C. is about as anti-Biblical as one can get – without going full-on Sodom and Gomorrah.
Although with Epstein Island – many DC denizens and their many cronies were getting pretty close.
One lesson to be taken from the Biblical David’s victory – is that might shouldn’t always make right. That better ideas and thoughts, planning and execution – should be able to overcome mere muscle.
The point of our representative Constitutional republic – was to ensconce in government and law that civilizing concept. That bigger – isn’t always better. That brute force – can’t be the nation’s sole governing principle.
Except in DC – for decades now – brute force has been all that matters. Might – and only might – has made right.
DC’s power brokers aren’t aren’t warriors – they’re lobbyists. They aren’t wearing armor – they’re wearing $10,000 suits and $5,000 shoes. And they’re being paid many millions of dollars per annum – to dictate terms and policy to our alleged representatives.
And who is paying these lobbyists all this money? The nation’s corporations. And, of course, the bigger the companies – the more they can spend to further bend DC to their will.
You no longer gain private sector marketshare by having better ideas and better execution. You gain it – by better manipulating the public sector.
This monetary “might makes right?” Means DC allows the biggest bribers to write the laws and regulations – to better advantage themselves and disadvantage their less-able-to-bribe-DC competitors.
And when our alleged public servants are tired of being in government – in subservience to the bribers? They go to work for the bribers – and get huge sums of money to do it.
Partly as thanks for a job already well done.
The Obamas’ $50 Million Netflix Deal: Cronyism Comes Full Circle
And partly to bribe the next round of bureaucrats for even more cronyism.
Revolving Door: Big Gov and Big Biz Are Terminally Entwined
Lather, rinse, repeat….
Goliath smashing David – over, and over, and….
Almost nowhere is this more nakedly obvious than in the Tech sector. (Don’t take my word for it – ask the Obamas.)
The Big Tech companies – thoroughly dominate DC.
Tech Giants Broke Their Spending Records on Lobbying Last Year
Let us look at some Market Caps, shall we?
Apple: $3.36 trillion
Microsoft: $2.99 trillion
Alphabet (Google): $1.86 trillion
Amazon: $1.80 trillion
Meta (Facebook): $1.26 trillion
That’s a current combined cap of $11.27 trillion. The current US economy is $25.74 trillion. These five Big Tech companies – all by themselves – are 43.8% as big as the entire US economy.
So guess what? Whatever Big Tech desires – DC delivers.
What Big Tech doesn’t want – DC doesn’t do.
We’re now three decades into the Internet. And we still don’t have any law at all – limiting in any way – how Big Tech abuses the massive amounts of our digital data they collect.
Still No Federal Data Privacy Law
Big Tech doesn’t want any limits on their massive data selling business. So DC hasn’t imposed any.
And if public pressure ever reaches a point where DC has to finally pass such a law? Guess who will be writing it? Hint: It won’t be our alleged representatives.
Big Tech Is Pushing States to Pass Privacy Laws, and Yes, You Should Be Suspicious:
“The swift passage in March of a consumer data privacy law in Virginia, which Protocol reported was originally authored by Amazon with input from Microsoft, is emblematic of an industry-driven, lobbying-fueled approach taking hold across the country.
“The Markup reviewed existing and proposed legislation, committee testimony, and lobbying records in more than 20 states and identified 14 states with privacy bills built upon the same industry-backed framework as Virginia’s, or with weaker models.
“The bills are backed by a who’s who of Big Tech–funded interest groups and are being shepherded through statehouses by waves of company lobbyists.”
And what Big Tech wants – DC does over and over again until it sticks. No matter how much it stinks.
FCC Votes To Adopt Net Neutrality Again – April 25, 2024
“Again,” you say? Yes, indeed. Various Democrat-led Federal Communications Commissions (FCCs) have been trying to illegally jam Net Neutrality down our throats – for almost fourteen years now.
And when I say “illegally” – I mean it:
“Congress has never passed a law containing ‘Network Neutrality,’ ‘Net Neutrality’ – or anything remotely resembling the massive increase in government power it all represents.”
And it ain’t just me saying it’s illegal.
The FCC’s Net Neutrality Rule Is Blocked, Again – August 1, 2024:
“This time, net neutrality will be blocked until the court says otherwise after reviewing the petitions from broadband providers who opposed the rule. Those internet service providers (ISPs) successfully showed they would likely succeed on the merits of their challenge, the panel of judges wrote.
The court thinks the challenge to Net Neutrality – will win on the merits. Which is a reasonable conclusion to reach – given judicial precedent:
“Way back in December 2010, the Barack Obama FCC imposed Net Neutrality for the very first time….
“About which then-FCC Chairman Julius “Seizure” Genachowski was…’confident’….
“Except that confidence – was (shocker) unfounded….
“‘Court Strikes Down Net Neutrality:
“‘(T)he three judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals…(said) the FCC acted outside its authority by enacting the rules.’”
Despite that judicial rebuke, the Obama FCC imposed Net Neutrality AGAIN. Which the Donald Trump FCC then reversed – saving the courts the trouble.
Why does DC want Net Neutrality so bad? Because Big Tech wants Net Neutrality so bad.
Why does Big Tech want Net Neutrality so bad?:
“Because Net Neutrality is the government mandating ISPs charge these massive bandwidth hog Big Tech companies…NOTHING for all the bandwidth they hog.
“Net Neutrality – is the hugest of all government zero-price-controls.
“And guess who gets to pay massively more for their Internet service – to government-mandated-augment the massive profits of massive Big Tech? You and me.
“Our relatively infinitesimal usage – will cost exponentially more. So the likes Amazon, Google and Facebook – can pad their fat bank accounts.”
And why is DC willing to step all over ISPs – and We the People – to service Big Tech?
Because ISPs don’t have anywhere near the Market Caps Big Tech does. And We the Victims certainly don’t rate any DC consideration at all.
Verizon: $173.22 billion
Comcast: $153.39 billion
AT&T: $150.36 billion
Charter: $46.74 billion
Frontier: $8.71 billion
The top five ISPs – are $532.42 billion. Again: The top five Big Tech companies – are $11.27 trillion.
The top five ISPs – are approximately 1/22 of the top five Big Tech companies.
So in DC?
Big Tech Goliath smashes David – which is us – over, and over, and….
Editor’s Note: This also appeared in Townhall.