Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee imply that censorship was in play when Facebook reportedly censored a post criticizing President Joe Biden’s inflationary student loan forgiveness plan based on so-called community standards.
The common-sense post simply said “If you take out a loan, you pay it back. Period.”
On Wednesday evening, House Judiciary GOP took to Twitter, with related screenshots, to inform nearly 240,000 followers that “WOW: Facebook says our post about paying back loans violates their ‘community standards.’ Big Tech’s at it again.'”
The progressive social media platforms generally have consistently faced accusations of selective or arbitrary enforcement of often vague terms and conditions, especially against an ideologically driven backdrop.
WOW: @facebook says our post about paying back loans violates their “community standards.”
Big Tech’s at it again. pic.twitter.com/Oo5lESfxwU
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) August 25, 2022
“Conservatives had long complained about being censored by giant tech companies they say silence their political views online,” Fox News explained. “The post came after Biden announced a massive plan to ‘forgive’ student loans for certain borrowers.”
A continuing theme in these controversies — which could increase as the November elections get closer — is that if the federal government under the Democrats is subcontracting content moderation to these private-sector platforms, which have become the contemporary equivalent of the town square, First Amendment free-speech protections for users apply.
The Facebook page in question seems to be now visible, however, and it currently lists nearly 900 comments and is approaching 5,000 likes.
Facebook exec Andy Stone admitted on Twitter later Wednesday evening that “There is nothing about the content of this post that violates our policies, people should not have been prevented from sharing it and we’re working to fix it now.”
There is nothing about the content of this post that violates our policies, people should not have been prevented from sharing it and we’re working to fix it now.
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) August 25, 2022
Time after time, glitches or inadvertent errors that lead to suspensions, even if temporary, seem to only go in one direction.
Shadow banning, a more-stealthy form of censorship, is another technique that has occurred on these platforms.
FL Republican’s stern message to Twitter over timely suspension: ‘You can’t silence me because I’m a black conservative’ https://t.co/yiK6nuZKUx
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) August 24, 2022
House Judiciary GOP described the loan giveaway as a “total disaster for real America” and also quipped on Twitter that “Joe Biden’s student loan ‘forgiveness’ will make inflation worse and benefit wealthy coastal elites — not the middle class. Such a deal” and “RT if you think forgiving student loans for a wealthy ‘gender studies’ major with no job is a dumb idea.”
🚨 MUST READ HERE.
Joe Biden’s student loan “forgiveness” plan is a total disaster for Real America. https://t.co/T2VIAtw6BL
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) August 24, 2022
The House GOP Twitter feed also shared numerous tweets from GOP lawmakers (see examples below) who have blasted Biden’s economically irresponsible, election-year gambit to stick the taxpayer with the cost of canceling $10,000 of debt per eligible student ($25,000 for Pell Grant recipients).
This includes hardworking individuals who paid their own way, including paying off any money they borrowed, who were gainfully employed and received tuition reimbursement from their employer as a company benefit, or who pursued productive careers without obtaining the formal education credential.
Biden's student loan payoff scheme seems like an expensive way to buy the votes of middle-class liberals who financed useless, woke college degrees.
As if they weren't already going to vote Democrat.
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) August 24, 2022
Who said it?
“People think the President of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness; he does not. That has to be an act of Congress.”
Wall Street Journal? Tucker Carlson? Darrell Issa?
Try Nancy Pelosi. Watch her do nothing as Biden does just that.
— Rep. Darrell Issa (@repdarrellissa) August 24, 2022
$3 billion more to Ukraine, and ~$300 billion in “loan cancellation.”
Today is further proof that the Biden admin cares about foreign borders and coastal elites – not the Americans being crushed by inflation, crime, and a border crisis.
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) August 24, 2022
Didn’t go to college?
Worked your way up the old fashioned way?
Made a good living for your family?
Well, as a reward, Joe Biden will let you pay for the student loans of the wealthy “gender studies” major.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) August 25, 2022
It’s not even clear if Biden has the legal authority to issue an edict of this nature, so legal challenges are likely.
According to some economists, the administration’s plan could embolden college administrators who have presided over an ever-expanding campus bureaucracy to boost tuition even higher.
As many have argued, if similarly situated students feel they’ve been ripped off, they should sue the universities either individually or through the class-action process and try to collect against the massive endowments that some of these institutions are sitting on.
Fox’s heavy-hitters go hard on Biden’s student loan ‘scam’; It’s breaking the law, bribing voters! https://t.co/TF4sHGLyVn pic.twitter.com/5wZE0epI7A
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) August 25, 2022
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Robert Jonathan is a staff writer for BizPac Review. He is a longtime writer/editor for news aggregation websites and has also developed content in the legal and financial publishing sectors as well as for online education. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law, “a law school the basketball teams can be proud of.”
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