October 28: Today's Take (v.2)
Musk Takes Twitter, Putin New World Order, GDP Grows, Should Any Government Make the Abortion Decision for a Woman?
Elon Musk wasted no time firing top brass at Twitter as he officially took over the company today. The CEO, CFO and other top executives have already been removed according Bloomberg. Today Musk takes Twitter private buying out stockholders in a $44 billion dollar deal.
While far from the largest social media platform, it retains a passionate and active user base. After the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Twitter was the first social media company to ban Donald Trump’s use of its app. Many on the right decried Twitter as a left-wing biased platform and champion the transfer to Musk.
Those on the left threaten to leave the app due to Musks stated political positions and his promise to reinstate Donald Trump and others it banned for life from the app.
Musk claims keeping a fair and open exchange motivated his bid, but his stated plan to cut the Twitter workforce by 75%, toying with a subscription charge, and expectations of profit from investors, Musk himself being the top shareholder, may have more weight in his decisions regarding the company.
Does Musk have a plan to identify and prevent Twitter from being used to plan violent political events and incite riots? Allowing bigots and antisemites a place to spew hateful words is one thing. Just ask Ye how that worked out for him. Assisting in actions that incite violence or helping to spread lies is a whole different matter.
How many users will fly after Musk takes control and how many defectors will come back to roost?
At the annual meeting of his Valdai Discussion Club, a Russian-based think tank, Vladimir Putin appealed for a new world order attacking the United States and Western elites. Both the left and right in the United States dangerously and increasingly refuse to interact with those with whom they disagree.
While perhaps not equally, both political parties seem willing to erode democratic values in pursuit of power and have succumbed to corruption magnified by the Citizens United ruling that has turned American elections into auctions going to the highest bidder. The Mueller investigation made it clear that foreign countries are valid bidders using protected dark-money to ensure their interests are protected by buying our elected representatives.
With country after country voluntarily choosing anti-democratic populist leaders does Putin suggest dictatorships should replace national allegiance? Will authoritarianism replace patriotism as the last refuge of the scoundrel?
•GDP Grows by 2.6% in Third Quarter
Gross Domestic Product increased by 2.6% in Q3 after two successive quarterly declines. Will the unexpected growth in the economy be enough to overcome the festering frustration with inflation on which many blame Biden, however undeserved or guilty?
Will voters see a way to overlook inflation as the main factor in their decision to vote in the rapidly approaching mid-term elections?
•Does Objection to Federal Government Interference in Abortion Imply that State Control is Preferred?
One odd argument presented for voting against women-rights candidates is that no one wants the federal government involved in a woman’s decision to have an abortion. Several candidates running in the November elections cite this a reason to garner votes including Senate candidates Mehmet Oz of Pennsylvania and Kathy Salvi of Illinois.
Should we conclude that the states making this decision for women is legitimate or that no government should make this decision for women?