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10.06.2011 0

Google’s Lurch to the Left Could Jeopardize Internet Freedom and Accelerate New Regulations

By Kevin Mooney — Google is learning how to play the Washington D.C. game in a big way. This means it will likely find a way to sidestep regulatory schemes that work to the disadvantage of taxpayers and consumers.

Federal records show that Google donated just over $800,000 to President Obama’s election campaign, federal records show. Executive Director Eric Schmidt campaign with Obama in the final weeks of the 2008 campaign and is reportedly in the running to become commerce secretary. Google has also boosted its lobbying efforts in recent years. The company spent over $5 million in lobbying fees last year, according the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP). 2011 donations include $90,000 to the Podesta Group, which is run by Tony Podesta, a prominent Democratic operative. Google has also been aligned with the far left group Moveon.org, blogger Michelle Malkin has noted.

Given the company’s overall political bent, it should not come as a surprise to find that it has reversed on potential policy changes that would allow for greater government control of the Internet. In a joint statement with Verizon, Google announced that it did not view open wireless rules has being necessary and that were now willing to accept “Net Neutrality” in some form. Adam Bitely, editor-in-chief of NetRightDaily.com, has called for legislation that would prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) re-classifications that could silence political expression. He should not expect any help from Google in this area.

There is certainly an element of self-preservation at work here. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued subpoenas to Google, which could potentially open the way to anti-trust investigations. Therefore, it may feel inclined to do the bidding of Team Obama. During an appearance on ABC-TV’s “This Week” in September, Schmidt called for additional stimulus money and government spending to revive the economy. Downsizing government and balancing the budget can wait, he told program hosts.

“The current strategy is ludicrous,” he said. “You have a situation where the private sector sees essentially no growth in demand. The classic solution is to have the government step in and, with short-term initiatives, help stimulate that demand. If they do it right, they’ll invest in income and growth producing things like highways and bridges and schools, new opportunities for the private sector to go then build businesses.”

After earning its reputation as innovative, dynamic forward looking company of the future, Google now seems determined to offer up retrograde economic ideas that have been discredited down through history.

The bottom line here is that because Google is cultivating the right friends in government, and is burnishing its left wing credentials, it will likely avoid having to operate within the parameters of the burdensome, over-regulated world Team Obama has constructed for their competitors over the past few years.

Kevin Mooney is a contributing editor to Americans for Limited Government. You can follow Kevin on Twitter at @KevinMooneyDC.

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