Facebook Moves Towards Free Speech; Canada to Become a "Second California"?

Daily Digest
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Originally published at: https://peakprosperity.com/daily-digest/facebook-moves-towards-free-speech-canada-to-become-a-second-california/

US Politics

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is reportedly set to benefit from Illinois’ pension system, potentially receiving over $5 million due to existing loopholes. Johnson, a former teacher and union employee, has accrued significant pension credits, which could allow him to retire with substantial benefits. This situation underscores the financial challenges facing Illinois’ pension funds, which have unfunded liabilities exceeding $28 billion. Previous mayors have called for constitutional reforms to address these issues, urging current leadership to consider advocating for change. The Chicago Teachers Union has defended the pension benefits, arguing they are earned through public service, while critics highlight the need for systemic reform to prevent economic strain on taxpayers.

Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is reportedly dismantling its fact-checking program in favor of promoting free speech. This move follows years of content moderation, which some have criticized for stifling open debate. Meta plans to introduce a Community Notes system, allowing users to provide context to posts, and will focus on reducing over-enforcement of content restrictions. These changes are said to align with the new administration’s support for free expression and aim to restore trust in Meta’s platforms. While free speech advocates praise the shift, fact-checking organizations express concern over potential misinformation, highlighting the complexity of balancing open discourse with information integrity.

Canadian Politics

President-elect Donald Trump has proposed the annexation of Canada, envisioning it as a “second California” for the United States. This idea raises concerns about the ideological shift it could bring, given Canada’s more left-leaning political landscape. With a population of 40 million, Canada supports policies such as government-run healthcare and strict gun control, which differ significantly from American conservative values. The potential annexation could alter the U.S. political balance, adding numerous electoral votes for Democrats and challenging Republicans to adapt to a more liberal electorate. Canadian reactions are mixed, with many expressing concern over losing national identity, while some Trump supporters view it as an opportunity to expand American influence.

Economy

Bitcoin continues to distinguish itself from other cryptocurrencies, maintaining a clear mission as a decentralized monetary system. According to Dylan Lir, Head of Market Research at Bitcoin Magazine, Bitcoin’s stability and straightforward value proposition have attracted institutional capital, setting it apart from the broader crypto industry’s identity crisis. While other cryptocurrencies reportedly struggle with marketing and purpose, Bitcoin’s legitimacy is reinforced by significant investments through ETFs, highlighting its status as a serious digital asset in institutional portfolios. Recent filings for Bitcoin ETFs by major asset managers like BlackRock underscore its growing acceptance, contrasting with the regulatory challenges faced by other cryptocurrencies.

Sources

Chicago Mayor’s Pension Windfall: How Loopholes Could Lead to a $5.5M Payday

Loopholes give Chicago mayor pension of $3.8M-$5.5M

Source | Submitted by Barbara

Mark Zuckerberg’s U-Turn: Meta’s Shift from Fact-Checking to Free Speech Sparks Debate

Meta’s sudden dismantling of its fact-checking program – announced by Zuckerberg as a “cultural tipping point towards prioritizing speech” – reads like a quiet footnote to what history may record as one of the most staggering violations of fundamental rights in recent memory.

Source | Submitted by AaronMcKeon

Trump’s Northern Dream: Annexing Canada as America’s ‘Second California’

Annexing Canada Would Be Like Adding a Second California

Source | Submitted by Boomer41

Bitcoin’s Unwavering Mission: Why It Outshines the Crypto Identity Crisis

Bitcoin’s clear purpose and proven track record make it uniquely positioned as the only serious digital asset in institutional portfolios.

Source | Submitted by VTGothic

Meta Shifts Gears: Ditching Fact-Checkers for Community Notes and Easing Content Restrictions

These changes are an attempt to return to the commitment to free expression that Mark Zuckerberg set out in his Georgetown speech.

Source | Submitted by Mavryk

Meta’s New Meta: Facebook Ditches Fact-Checkers, Embraces Free Speech in Policy Overhaul

If you can say it on TV or in Congress, you should be able to say it on Facebook and Instagram.

Source | Submitted by Chris Martenson

In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Illinois Policy Institute, Chicago Teachers Union, FactCheck.org, The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), The Guardian, Fraser Institute, Bloomberg.

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No, Canada would not be the 2nd California. It would be the third New York.

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Meta moves toward Free Speech, except for…

Facebook’s guidelines overhauled except one…

The updates preserve a number of older restrictions that Meta has had in place for years. The current version of the policy maintains prohibitions of HOLOCAUST DENIALS, blackface, and insinuations about JEWISH PEOPLE CONTROLLING THE MEDIA. It also adds a specific ban against comparing Black people to “farm equipment.”

Nicole Shanahan points out…

Interesting timing. Four years after censoring a sitting president, Zuck suddenly announces these reforms—right after the same man he banned from his platform gets re-elected by the people. What about the thousands who were censored and humiliated for speaking truth to power? Where does that leave them? “The axe forgets, but the tree remembers.”

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As CEOs and mayors(who nowadays compare to stock corporate CEO compensations) trendy compare everything, how would they compare to japanese double or triple size city mayors…

225k population Japanese city article

Listing from 2022. Looks 100-200k$ range in Japan.
Note president in nordics can earn 100k a year(official of course + tax free, as we know they have additional lucrative means after that role with books and speaking gigs)

Chicago is 3-10mn population depending on definition.
That equals Yokohama or Osaka.
Although has to be noted, since 2008 and especially since 2019 due to US printing, everything, also these VIP compensations in US, have skyrocketed but many other places in world like Japan, same hasnt happened not to any similar degree.
Also I would add “job” in big city is much less of singular person… nobody would think Trump alone runs country, he has couple dozen people now working for him in new administration let alone army of other deepstate bureaucrat officials. Small city of 100k people is surprisingly small in administration vs NYC style place.

Also I would bet, unless they are utterly corrupt, Japanese mayor would work as long days as needed every single day as is culture there. In west the higher up in public side, the harder it is to reach them… who knows they might be golfing or in summer house when it is work time or watching kids college level sports game.

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I am glad to see the article outlining some key considerations for Americans about annexing Canada–the author makes many good points that occurred to the better half and I as soon as we heard about Trump’s comments. As an American who moved to Canada over a decade-and-a-half ago, I can say with some confidence many Americans just do not know much about Canada nor its people. I think they see that superficial layer of mass consumerism that is alive and well up here and think that Canada is just good ol’ USA North. It is not. Underneath that thin materialistic layer are some major differences culturally.

A key thing to keep in mind is Canadian history. Wind things back to the American Revolutionary War. Fighting the British was not supported by everyone living in what would eventually become the early United States of America. A significant percentage were supporters of the crown and did not want to be involved in the fighting or its potential negative impacts. They moved out. Many headed north, into what would eventually become the dominion of Canada. Thus, a self-selected conservative mindset—one not fixated on revolution/breaking away from the crown—ended up in the northlands. This left a higher concentration of the more revolutionary minded to the south. This separation of political mindsets has strongly characterized both countries since. Though I note that some of the strength of the traditional Canadian “support the crown” mentality has probably been softened in recent decades by a multicultural policy combined with support for much immigration.

Another interesting facet of Canada is Quebec, where French is the official language. As a result, Canada is a bilingual country, French and English. Is the USA ready to bring on another language? Also, Quebec has had a history of separatist thinking with the idea of forming its own country. In this regard, this is one province that has somewhat of a US-style rebel undercurrent, though this secessionist way of thinking—Block Quebecois—is considered on the more extreme side of the political spectrum even in Quebec.

In any event, I have a feeling that the US annexing Canada would probably cause more problems than it would solve.

-best

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