John Stossel takes on global warming in the debut of his new show, "Stossel."
From John Stossel's blog: Fox News reports today that the Senate health “reform” bill is in danger from liberal Democrats. Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said: "I know health reform when I see it, and there isn't much left in the Senate bill." He’s right. It isn’t “reform”. But expanding the government’s role in healthcare isn’t reform either. And why does the media call what Congress does, health “reform”? The definition of reform is: making something better. I don’t know that what Congress does will make our system better. Much of what Congress does makes life worse. Tonight’s show (8pm ET / 5pm PT) is about government’s promises. The “reformers” say they will improve American health care, and slow the growth in costs. To believe that Congress will do this is magical thinking. They won’t keep costs under control. Medicare was supposed to cost $12 billion a year by 1990, but the actual cost was $110 billion. In the UK, the government-run system has tripled per-person spending since 1990 – a much bigger increase than is the US. My studio audience includes single-payer activists and members of the NYU Young Communist Club. They will give Whole Foods’ CEO John Mackey and me a hard time. Mackey’s stores were boycotted by “progressives” after he wrote an Op Ed that was critical of Government-Care. Hope you can join us tonight on Fox Business. If you cannot, the health care show will be re-broadcast Friday night at 10 (against my old program, 20/20!), Saturday at 7PM EST, and Sunday at 11PM EST.
John Stossel explores Ayn Rand's classic novel, Atlas Shrugged.
John Stossel takes on the cozy relationship between Big Business and Big Government.
John Stossel takes on the issue of whether we need the government to spur innovation in the energy industry, and asks if energy independence is unrealistic.
John Stossel takes on the "obesity crisis" in America.
John Stossel reports that the media have missed one of the biggest trends of the century - nearly everything has been getting better.
John Stossel asks if the growth of Big Government is leading us down the "road to serfdom."
Stossel looks at America's public education system and asks, "Are we imprisoning our kids?"
Stossel asks who owns your body and why should the FDA control what you put in your body?
Stossel asks if government prohibitions on drugs, sex, kidney sales, and polygamy do more harm than good.
Stossels asks whether government licensing is just a scheme to protect established businesses.
Stossel looks at Cleveland -- America's "Most Miserable City," according to Forbes -- and asks why cities like this are struggling so much what they can do to fix it.
Stossel looks at the unfunded liabilities behind Social Security and Medicare, and asks "Are we stealing from our children?"
Stossel takes on the "junk science" coming from the Left and the Right.
Stossel talks with a panel of experts about what it means to be a "libertarian."
Stossel looks at our gigantic tax code and suggests alternatives to this "tax insanity."
Stossel takes on some myths about capitalism, bottled water, private property, and the pesticide DDT.
Stossel takes on myths about free trade.
Stossel says "give me a break!" to government bullies.
Stossel looks at government's bans on betting.
Stossel talks about free speech and whether or not obscenity, flag burning, and hate speech should be protected.
Stossel takes on the big myths about "going green."
Stossel looks at Milton Friedman’s 1980 “Free to Choose” TV series and the lessons we could learn from it.
Stossel takes a look at the War on Drugs and asks if it is worth the fight.
Don't believe guns can be a "great equalizer" and empower people — especially smaller people, like women — to defend themselves against criminals who are bigger and stronger?
The show covers personal injury lawyers who say they’re protecting the little guy, but keep up to 40% of what they win. Stossel examines what these lawsuits do to the cost of products, which has a built in cost to cover what lawyers take.
Stossel takes a look at the new threats to freedom, like Congress's drive to create more Federal crimes. If you live an active life, build something, start or run a business, it's pretty much impossible to live without breaking some law.
We hear constantly about immigration and the problems immigrants create. But the media overlook one of our worst immigration policies: how America rejects skilled immigrants who want to come to the U.S. legally.
This time around, Stossel tackles a serious issue of "sex and the rules put around it in the US." The topic is serious and "for adults only" warning were issued before The show.
When a private company operates a public facility under contract to government, it must perform. If it doesn't, it will be "fired" — its contract won't be renewed. Government is never fired. Contracting out to private enterprise isn't the same thing as letting fully competitive free markets operate, but it still works better than government.
When President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA into law 20 years ago, he had good intentions. Everyone wants to protect the disabled, but did those good intentions have nasty, unintended consequences?
Everyone says he likes small business. Even big-government types. Then they find all kinds of reasons to make business owners jump through hoops for the right to operate.
On this program, John analyzes the results of the Tuesday mid-term elections in the USA, with the help of his guests. John attempts to answer the question, did some voters shy away from certain candidates out of ignorance and a misconception of what libertarians are really about? The core theme: did Libertarians get their ideas across to the public? Did Libertarians win? With Tea Party candidates and protesters getting much attention in this cycle, John also takes another look at the Tea Party and its ideology to see whether it really squares with that of most Libertarians. And, we hear from typically great guests, among them Ron Paul, Bill O'Reilly, and favorite Fox News liberal contributor, Ellis Henican.
Do you believe in psychics, astrology, ghosts? Polls show that about a quarter of Americans believe in such paranormal nonsense. But if any of that were true, you'd think the astrologers, or psychics, or ghost hunters would be eager to prove it, because, not only would they be proven right, they'd make a million dollars. That’s right, James Randi will pay them, or you, a million dollars. All you have to do is prove you have an ability that can’t be explained by science. Mr Randi says it is simple. Make a claim about your ability, and his group will devise a way to test it. If you can do what you say, he will give you a million dollars. He won’t even test you himself. He says some people have complained that he gives off “vibrations” that mess up the test. So far no one has collected. In fact, no one has even passed a preliminary test. On my show tonight James Randi will also demonstrate how some of these people, like the ones selling “power” bracelets that they claim can increase your balance or strength… trick you into thinking their products work. He’ll perform a test on me tonight, at 9pm on the Fox Business Network.
Who gives to charity? ...and other issues surrounding private charitable giving, its benefits, and what happens at the intersection of private charity and forcibly taxpayer funded social welfare programs.
This weekend is the Oscars! As a stutterer, I'm excited that the King's Speech is favored to win for best picture and best actor. It actually gets stuttering mostly right. Hollywood gets so much else wrong. For example: The movie makers obsess about the Oscars because movies that win make more money. Oscar nominees re-release their movie around Oscar season. They are smart capitalists. So, why then, are they so clueless about capitalism!? And hostile to capitalism?! This ticks me off. Movie villains used to be Indians, but then that became politically incorrect. Nazis were the villains after World War II, then Russians, then aliens and mobsters. Briefly Arabs were villains, but then that became politically incorrect. Today, it seems like most of the rapacious villains are businessmen. On my FBN show tonight, radio host Michael Medved talks about the ways in which Hollywood gets capitalism wrong. Famed director Oliver Stone is one of the biggest offenders. His Wall Street movies portray “greed” as evil, and he clearly does not get economics. In the first Wall Street, villain Gordon Gekko says business is "a zero sum game -- somebody wins, somebody loses. Money itself isn't lost or made; it's simply transferred from one perception to another." That’s just wrong. It’s a commonly repeated myth: “when the rich get richer, the poor get poorer.” But if you think of wealth as a pie, the rich aren’t taking more slices from the poor. The rich bake new pies every day. That’s how they get rich. Everyone gets richer when the rich get richer. Another big offender is director James Cameron. In the Alien series, it’s a greedy mega-corporation that seeks to capture the aliens. In Titanic, it’s a greedy businessman who pressures the captain to go faster despite the icebergs. Most recently, in Avatar, it’s an evil mining corporation that wants to destroy the natural habitat of the noble savages.
I revere the Founders. The media revere the “green” movement, the anti-war movement, politicians and activists like Erin Brockovich. The media are party clueless, and apparently, so am I. Did you know the Founders fought against dancing, interracial mixing and masturbation? Did you know Martin Luther King called rock 'n' roll evil and degraded black music? Did you know Erin Brockovich’s lawyer buddies made $100,000,000 suing PG&E? The movie was wonderful, and Julia Roberts deserves her Oscar. But the “true” story behind it is largely lawyer deceit. The California Cancer Registry analyzed cancer rates in the area and found no elevation in the level of cancer. But the power company paid the lawyers millions to go away, and Californians pay the cost in their electric bills. So why are the lawyers heroes?
Government does too much, but defense is what government is supposed to do: keep us safe from our enemies. But Ron Paul says our current government goes too far. This week, we debate that. David Henderson, an economist at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School says Ron Paul is right, but Colonel David Hunt with 29 years in counter-terrorism operations, says Rep. Paul's foreign policy ideas are naive. We'll continue the debate with former Navy officer Chris Preble from the Cato Institute. He says we could cut $250 billion out of the defense budget without harming national security. The Army's former head psychiatrist, Brigadier General Loree Sutton and Iraq veteran Mark Dust, the author of a blog about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, will talk about the "hidden" costs of war: mental trauma that veterans suffer. Today's vets are more stressed, says the general, because compared to Vietnam, Korea, and World War II vets, today's soldiers spend more days in situations where someone is trying to kill them. General Sutton consulted with Garry Trudeau, creator of the popular cartoon Doonesbury, to create military characters that deal with PTSD and brain injuries. Geraldo Rivera will discuss the perils of journalism in war. And finally, Judge Napolitano gives the constitutional argument for why terrorists should be tried in court and why the government has no right to kill some of the people it kills.
From John Stossel's blog: I argue that America has become a country where no one can know what is legal. Kids who open lemonade stands are now shutdown by police. I tried to open a lemonade stand legally in NYC. That was quite an adventure. It takes 65 days to get permission from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. With government adding 80,000 pages of rules and regulations every year, it's no surprise that regular people break laws without even trying. A small businessman spent 6 years in federal prison for breaking Honduran regulations (and, to make it worse, the Honduran government said he didn't). A family in Idaho can't build a home on their land because the EPA says it's a wetland-but it only resembles a wetland because a government drain malfunctioned and flooded it. TAXI TROUBLE: Want to start a taxi business? Too bad - it's illegal. Illegal, that is, unless you buy a government-issued "taxi medallion" that can cost as much as a million dollars. One city has a free market for cabs - Washington, DC - but lobbyists there are pushing to regulate. ILLEGAL FOOD: Increasingly, government tells us what we can and can't eat -- bans on trans-fat, happy meals, "raw" foods. California officials raided a raw food club, and arrested clerks for selling unpasteurized milk. Farmer Joel Salatin, author of "Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal," explains why Americans DON'T have the freedom to choose the food they eat. ILLEGAL DRUGS: Drug use is illegal - but should it be? Where drugs are legal, businessmen replace gangs as the dealers and pay taxes. Portugal decriminalized all drugs 10 years ago--including crack, ecstasy, and heroin. What has happened since then? We go to Portugal and get the facts from police, politicians, and drug addicts. ILLEGAL SEX: Our government bans prostitution because people think it's a dirty, dangerous business. But in brothels where prostitution is legal there is no crime or disease. On this show, three sex workers
Ok, most bankers aren't evil. Except the ones who who took on too much risk, assuming housing prices would only rise -- then lost billions of dollars and were saved by a taxpayer-funded bailout. They are evil. Maybe that's unfair. They just chased opportunity. I mostly blame the politicians who grabbed our money and bailed them out. Had they not done that, then the bankers would have just lost their own (and their reckless investors') money, not taxpayers' money. Most anger toward bankers now centers on the private equity guys who reorganized companies, fired people, and made a lot of money. This political ad, run by Newt Gingrich's supporters, portrays Bain Capital as evil. The ad is ridiculous. Fox Business reporter Sandra Smith and investment banker Paul Levy will explain how Mitt Romney's former private equity firm, and others, are part of the creative destruction that is needed for capitalism to work. They are not "vulture capitalists, " as Rick Perry called them. John Taylor, the President and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, says that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do more good than harm. I will vehemently disagree. Legalize insider trading and abolish the Security and Exchange Commission! So argues Robert Murphy from the Mises Institute. He says that insider information would lead to more accurate stock prices, and that the SEC does more harm than good. George Mason economist Russ Roberts is disgusted with crony capitalism, but Ben Barber from the progressive think-thank Demos says we can't completely cut government out of business. And finally, would you like to print your own money, just like our government does? I printed my own Stossel dollars. It's illegal to use that as currency, but former Federal Reserve economist David Barker argues that it should be legal--that competition in currencies would be a good thing.
Government vs. private initiatives are explored. Topics include the Dobb-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, job creation, affordable college tuition, the Americans with Disabilities Act and Head Start.
From John Stossel's blog: Political conventions make me cringe--so much pomp and grandstanding...so little substance. But we watch--so you don't have to. Our new special Correspondent Kennedy is in Tampa, covering Republicans from a libertarian perspective. After Romney speaks, Reason TV's Nick Gillespie, Mark Meckler of Citizens for Self-Governance, and Hadley Heath from the Independent Women's Forum will discuss what the Republican plan means for free markets...and free people. If you're watching the convention as you read this, we're still taking questions and comments on my Facebook page. I'll read some during the show.
From John Stossel's blog: We heard Romney's side. Now it's time for the President to make his case. Our special correspondent, Kennedy, is in Charlotte covering the Democratic convention. She asked Democratic delegates why being "pro-choice" just means pro-abortion. What about a woman's right to...own a gun? To choose her kid's school? To hire an unpaid intern? To choose whether to use recreational drugs? And so on... (I stole the idea for this comparison from CATO's David Boaz. I don't know how I'd do my program without him.) Our returning panel--Reason TV's Nick Gillespie, Mark Meckler of Citizens for Self-Governance, and Hadley Heath from the Independent Women's Forum--will watch Obama's speech and discuss what it means for those of us who love liberty. And if you're watching the convention coverage this week, please leave your comments and questions on my Facebook page. I'll read a few on the air.
From John Stossel's blog: You've heard Obama's and Romney's pitches. "We're moving America forward!" "We did build that!" I'm tired of hearing from just them. (The Romney and Obama impersonators pictured above are Mike Cote and Maxwell Price from Politicos Comedy) There are other voices we don't hear, because the media rarely covers them. Declaration of Independents author Matt Welch and Theresa Amato, who wrote Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-Party Tyranny, argue that we should pay more attention to third parties and their candidates. Then we're joined by three of them: Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson: "Free markets and limited government are the foundation of prosperity." Stewart Alexander from Socialist Party USA: "We support the needs of the working class people... make sure we don't have disparity in income between the rich and the poor." Virgil Goode of the Constitution Party: "We support limited government as outlined in the Constitution." The three candidates will state their case and question each other. I won't let the two guys pictured enough talk, because it's time we hear from the "others." I say: One of them would be a better president than Obama or Romney.
From John Stossel's blog: A few things I heard at a rally of 10,000 union members in Philadelphia last month: Workers should have a "Second Bill of Rights"...people told me that everyone is entitled to a "living wage"... We (not our employers) own our jobs... "Slackers" should be helped rather than fired. On our show this week, my guests and I discuss unions and what they really do for workers. John Tillman of the Illinois Policy Institute talks about the Chicago Teachers' Union strike and what it says about union power. Our special correspondent Kennedy also went to that union rally in Philadelphia. She got a more hostile reception than I, probably because she tried to get some to sign her "Second Bill of Rights" for business owners. Georgia Congressman Phil Gingrey explains that government workers get something called "official time." This means that you pay... so they can work full-time for their union. Elizabeth and Mallory Factor, authors of the new book Shadowbosses, say unions manipulate government and rob taxpayers. Steve Malanga the Manhattan Institute points out that union pensions are bankrupting cities and states. But two states reformed their systems for the better- Utah Governor Gary Herbert explains how Utah put itself on a more fiscally responsible course.
From John Stossel's blog: This week I take my show on the road to the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, one of those "liberal" colleges. There the word "Freshman" is banned as sexist ("First Year", freshman are now called). It's a violation of the school's speech code to "explicitly or implicitly ask for sex" (So how does a student get there...). Hadley Heath, a UNC graduate, says that debate on campus is stifled and if you're not a liberal... better keep to yourself. Derek Spicer thought that his school- North Carolina State University- engaged in censorship in the name of "civility." He reached out to the people at FIRE, like Robert Shibley, for help to protect the students' First Amendment rights. Steve Cooksey had a nutrition advice blog. The state government threatened to put him in jail for giving personal advice without a license. Paul Sherman of The Institute for Justice, challenges government's many licensing rules. Stuart Campbell from Equality North Carolina, and Tami Fitzgerald from North Carolina Values Coalition, debate gay marriage. I'll bring up plural marriage. Buck Goldstein, author of Engines of Innovations, argues that big universities miss entrepreneurial thinking. What do the students think about free speech, free minds, and free people? Many were wise. We'll hear from them.
From John Stossel's blog: The "experts" in Washington made it their job to provide cradle-to-grave social services and wage a war on poverty. The result? Poverty decreased...and then stopped decreasing. U.S. poverty rate 1959-2010 U.S. poverty rate 1959-2010 Also, America will soon be bankrupt. My show this week is about changing course. Congressman Jim Jordan, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, has a plan to reform welfare. Dan Epstein of the taxpayer watchdog group Cause of Action says a "poverty industry" funnels taxpayer dollars to politically connected groups, even the supposedly defunded ACORN. NYC Human Resources Administration boss Robert Doar oversees 15,000 government workers who try to address poverty in my town. He says that tying work requirements to benefits will help people become self-sufficient. But when I sent my former intern Zoelle Mallenbaum to a city job center, Doar's bureaucrats seemed more interested in signing her up for food stamps or unemployment benefits than helping her find work. Tom Palmer, editor of "After the Welfare State," says young people must save for their own future because the money promised them by politicians will be long gone by the time they retire. So is there an alternative to America's welfare state? Michael Strong works to create alternatives. He has helped establish a "free city" in Honduras that will have minimal taxes and limited government, where people will be better able to prosper.
John Stossel goes behind the scenes to show viewers what goes into winning the presidency. From the message of the day and deciding on which TV channel a given advertisement will air, to the height of the podiums at the debates and the placement of signage at rallies, everything is micromanaged, rehearsed, planned, negotiated, regimented, and controlled.
From John Stossel's blog People hate greedy businessmen. Lots of people in business are greedy. But then again, aren't you greedy? Who isn't? Pursuing our self-interest makes the world go around. Don Boudreaux, an economist from George Mason University, debates liberal blogger Sally Kohn about the role of government. Financial advisor Robert Pagliarini says greed can even make us happy. John Aglialoro is the libertarian businessman behind the Atlas Shrugged movies. The second movie is bigger and now in theaters. John Tomasi, a professor at Brown University and author of Free Market Fairness, argues that free markets are more "fair" than the welfare state. Steve Forbes, author of Freedom Manifesto, and AEI President Arthur Brooks argue that capitalism is moral.
From John Stossel's blog: How can we trust what politicians say? They pander to voters, manipulate facts...and break promises. This week, I criticize President Obama and Mitt Romney for doing just that. President Obama claimed that he would cut spending - but then he increased it by more than $450 billion per year. Romney says he supports small government, but he opposes any cuts to the military, education, and the drug war. Ellis Henican and Ann Coulter defend their respective candidates. Mark Block, the "smoking man" from Herman Cain's much talked about ad, discusses off-beat ads and their impact. Andrea Tantaros used to be a spokeswoman for the House Republicans - she explains the need for "spin." Marketing expert Rohit Bhargava, author of Likeonomics, explains how politicians could learn from messaging by Costco and Domino's Pizza. I say it's all propaganda.
From John Stossel's blog: On this week's show, we debate myths. Myths like... The federal government must lead disaster relief. Congressman Ron Paul will tell us why we don't need FEMA to save us. Private companies like Wal-Mart do a better job, says economist Steve Horwitz but Tara McGuinness of the Center for American Progress says we need FEMA. It's wrong to take advantage of people by raising prices after disasters! Art Carden will explain why price controls set by government do more harm than price "gouging." Natural disasters can help the economy this myth is often repeated by media pundits. Economists David Henderson and Sallie James explain why it's wrong. Super-Pacs are evil. Undecided voters are idiots. Ira Stoll from the Future of Capitalism blog and Reason Magazine editor-in-chief Matt Welch defend outside money in politics and undecided voters. Polls aren't accurate. I will challenge Scott Rasmussen about the accuracy and fairness of his polls. Finally, I'll explain how I ripped you off to pay for my beach house.
From John Stossel's blog: Is President Obama's re-election, along with pro-big government Senators, a total loss for individual liberty? It does mean four more years of increased government spending and bureaucracy. Our special correspondent, Kennedy, was in Chicago on election night. She asked Obama supporters what his re-election means for freedom. Most respondents looked bewildered. Freedom? But there was some good election news. Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie, co-authors of Declaration of Independents, point out that freedom won in a few states. Some legalized marijuana and voted to allow gay marriage. Some candidates were elected to Congress who give some reason to be hopeful. Our all-star panel--David Boaz, Hadley Heath of the Independent Women's Forum, and columnist Deroy Murdock--tell us about pro-freedom candidates like Justin Amash, Thomas Massie, and Ted Cruz. Cruz? He wants a bigger military and a more expensive border fence! But Murdock points out "he's also somebody who believes in cutting taxes, limiting spending, balancing the budget--not creating boxes and boxes of regulations." Gary Johnson will join us. He got one million votes--more than any previous Libertarian candidate. Finally, I'll explain how we need to "fix" government the way we fix a cat or spay a dog. I stole that idea from PJ O'Rourke.
From John Stossel's blog: I peer into my crystal ball on this week's show to predict what President Obama's next term will bring. The media says we must obsess about a fiscal cliff! But Congressman Ron Paul says, "So what?" The cliff is trivial compared to America's unsustainable debt. Economist Russ Roberts agrees. Contrary to what most politicians say, sequestration cuts wouldn't be so bad. Even a defense budget reduction wouldn't put us in danger, according to Benjamin Friedman of the CATO Institute. More regulations! The economy has grown slowly under the weight of thousands of pages of rules added by the Bush and Obama administrations. Entrepreneur Bob Luddy and the former Lt. Governor of New York, Betsy McCaughey, explain how the rules kill economic growth. A Supreme Court upheaval! With four justices over the age of 70, how many replacements will President Obama nominate? Who he appoints will serve for as long as 40 years. Fox News judicial analyst, Judge Andrew Napolitano, speculates what that would mean for freedom. Marijuana crackdown! The citizens of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize pot, but if the feds treat state legalization the same way they have these past 4 years, more people will be jailed for doing something the President admits he did himself. Reason TV's Nick Gillespie and Theodore Dalrymple of the Manhattan Institute disagree about the war on drugs. More "green jobs"! The President wants what he calls clean energy, but the CATO Institute's Jerry Taylor explains that Obama, and most people, are clueless. He explodes myth after myth.
From John Stossel's blog: People who eat the wrong stuff may get sick. So I'm told government experts need to save us. Bunk. One of those "experts" is NY state legislator Felix Ortiz- he helped get trans fats banned in NYC, and now wants to ban added salt. He says his regulations save lives. Joel Salatin, farmer and author of Everything I Want to do is Illegal, says "food freedom" ought to be as important as freedom to speak and own a gun. Dr. Pam Peeke, author of The Hunger Fix, claims some foods are addictive, like coke and meth. But she surprises me by saying she's been "Stosselized" and now sees that government shouldn't get involved in food choice. Remember those "startling" ABC reports earlier this year about "pink slime" in our beef? They nearly destroyed a meat company. But what ABC called "pink slime" turns out to be regular beef- and perfectly safe. Media Research Center's Dan Gainor says this is yet another example of media hating and smearing business. Btw, if you want to obsess about what's in your food, be aware that the FDA says your food is safe if: • A jar of mushrooms contains less than 20 maggots • A box of raisins contains less than 35 fruit-fly eggs • A box of pasta has no more than 450 bug parts Bon Appetite! "Experts" claim to know which foods are best for us. Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories, and Peter Attia, co-founder of Nutrition Science Initiative, think that's nonsense. Many Americans who eat beef think it's unacceptable to eat dog or horse. It's illegal to eat horse in California and Illinois. Why do we eat what we eat? Chef Johnny Poche says many exotic foods taste great and are healthy. He cooks zebra and antelope for my audience members to try.
Politicians claim they make our lives better by passing laws. But usually the laws go wrong. Examples: Work rules protect employees from greedy companies. Wall Street Journal Reporter Anne Jolis says work rules destroyed jobs in Europe. Workers there get "vacation do-overs"- if they are sick on vacation, they get additional paid time off to make up for it. In Spain, employers must give 24 months of severance pay after they fire someone. No wonder companies don't hire. America doesn't have mandatory vacation time, but we still have 170,000 pages of rules. Dan Mitchell from the CATO Institute says those rules are a reason this economic recovery is slower than all the others. The federal Emergency Alert System (EAS) is necessary to warn people of danger. Despite spending millions on the EAS, it has never been activated nationwide or tested successfully. Jamie Barnett, former FCC Safety & Homeland Security Bureau Chief, called for the 2011 test of the system. Even though the alert didn't work in many areas, he still says it was "a success". In the private sector, that's what we'd call a failure. Public charter schools with fewer regulations will solve our problems. I was excited when the charter movement began- but now it's gone wrong too. Tracey Williams tried to open a charter school in New Jersey. She submitted six applications, and all were denied. Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform says this is typical. The government is in charge and government doesn't want competition. Government will investigate and tell us what to worry about. Paul Alexander, author of Panic! The Story of Germs VS People, points out that the EPA and FDA have studied the ingredients in anti-bacterial soap, toothpaste, and deodorant for 40 years. They still can't decide whether they are safe or effective. You will pay for the continued studies. The Dodd-Frank law protects us from evil banks. Louise Bennets from the CATO Institute shows how Dodd-Frank
From John Stossel's blog: I don't know if God exists. I'd like to believe, but... In this week's show, atheists and believers weigh in on some life's most important questions: How was life created? Why is there order in the universe? Does science eliminate the need for God? Lawrence Krauss and Michael Shermer say that humans invent religion to explain what they don't understand. But Ian Hutchinson and Dinesh D'Souza disagree--they're Christians who say their beliefs help make sense of what we know from science. Bill Nye "The Science Guy" argues that creationism should not be taught to children. Nidhal Guessoum, a professor of astrophysics in the United Arab Emirates, explains why Muslims have a particularly difficult time accepting modern science. And what would a world without God look like? Larry Taunton, author of "The Grace Effect," says that the 20th century was an experiment in secular governance--and resulted in the deaths of millions of people. When Christianity flourishes, he says, people are more benevolent and charitable. In the policy realm, Obamacare orders employers to pay for contraception for their employees, even if the employers have a religious objection. Tim Carney of the Washington Examiner says that's just wrong, but Fox News analyst Tamara Holder says it's a good thing.
From John Stossel's blog: Americans give a lot to charitable causes--much more than people in other countries. Good for us. And now there are new ways to give: Social impact bonds combine philanthropy and the profit motive. Goldman Sachs will spend $9.6 million to try to reduce recidivism among jailed teenagers in NYC. The program is run by the Osborne Association--David Condliffe explains that only if they successfully reduce recidivism will Goldman get back its investment, plus a return. Many business schools now teach courses on charity. Melissa Berman from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors instructs students in Columbia's MBA program how to identify and support effective non-profits. Howard Husock of the Manhattan Institute explains how good charity ideas spread. Renee Riddle's organization, Stars & Stripes Honor Flight, honors World War II veterans by taking them to their memorial in Washington, D.C. So many people have been inspired by their work, and by the documentary produced by Clay Broga, that they want to do the same for veterans of other wars. Today we have more direct involvement in where our money goes. Premal Shah, co-founder of Kiva, shares why microloans given from his site to entrepreneurs in the developing world have a 98% repayment rate. Crowdsourcing helps creative projects, too--Phelim McAleer was able to fund his documentary in defense of fracking thanks to $200,000 put up by strangers on Kickstarter.com. I'll explain why I give my money to NYC's Student Sponsor Partners, the Central Park Conservancy, and the Doe Fund. And in the most provocative segment, Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute argues that successful businesspeople who don't give to charity should never feel guilty about that.
From John Stossel's blog: The future looks bleak. Government grows bigger, debt grows, and politicians constantly pass new regulations. But there is good news. Technology helps us avoid clumsy government. Developments like the Internet bring us what I call "Freedom 2.0." Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales - who cites Hayek as an inspiration for creating Wikipedia - tells me about how the fewer rules he imposed on the site, the better it did. Economist Ed Stringham argues that the Internet proves we don't need much government regulation. The Internet will also make it easier for us to keep an eye on what government does, although Chris Horner says that our government uses every trick it can to avoid scrutiny. "Hating Breitbart" producers Maura Flynn and Evan Coyne Maloney say cell phone cameras create "Freedom 2.0" by empowering citizen journalists to expose groups like ACORN. And Instapundit.com blogger Glenn Reynolds discusses scandals exposed by what he calls "An Army of Davids" on the internet. And what if there were also a website that helped you buy illegal things, without government being able to stop you? Actually, there is, and it uses a nearly-anonymous online currency called Bitcoin to shield users' identities. Katherine Mangu-Ward explains. What will the future bring? Economist Jim Miller, the author of "Singularity Rising", says that genetics and smart robots could make us beautiful and wealthy - or lead to robots that destroy humanity. Freedom 2.0 starts tonight at 9pm on the Fox Business Network.
From John Stossel's blog: When tragedy strikes, what do you do if your company is at the center of it? What if you manufacture the Bushmaster rifle? What if you run BP when it spills oil? On this week's show, Rohit Bhargava and Fraser Seitel explain crisis management strategy, like how Apple handled Steve Jobs' illness, and how the company that makes Skittles reacted after Trayvon Martin was killed holding them. The media exaggerate bad news. "The Skeptical Environmentalist" author, Bjorn Lomborg, addresses claims about genetically modified food, and global warming, as in this Newsweek article about "The End of Pasta." Julie Gunlock of the Independent Women's Forum points out how the danger of BPA products has been overblown by activists. Some people earn money thanks to people's (often irrational) fear of bad news. Janet Nelson of Epicenter Supplies and Aton Edwards of the International Preparedness Network are entrepreneurs who recommend "doomsday prepper" products like "bear repellant." Celebrities seem to live by a different standard. Sordid publicity makes them more famous. Just look at Kim Kardashian, or Lindsay Lohan, or Chris Brown. Kennedy, our show's special correspondent, and PR expert Howard Bragman explain why "bad news" affects careers differently in Hollywood. Finally, I'm grateful to Brian Doherty and Marianne Stebbins for reminding libertarians that our bad news - Ron Paul's defeat and Republicans' treatment of him - is just one step on the road to peace, freedom, and sound money.
From John Stossel's blog: This week, a showdown between the 2 states. Their differences reflect the battle for America's future. Moving to California was once the dream for many Americans. Its population grew at more than double the national average--until 1990. Last decade, 2 million more Americans moved out of California than moved in. They moved to states like Texas. In the last decade, Texas' total population grew at double the national rate. Why? Reason Magazine's Matt Welch and Chuck Devore of the TX Public Policy Foundation give a few reasons: Texans pay less in taxes. There's more job creation. And government takes less of your paycheck. Both states have too many government workers--in fact, Texas has more than California. But California pays them so much more that California's pensions are bleeding the state dry, says Dan Mitchell of the CATO Institute. Kevin James, a mayoral candidate in Los Angeles, says L.A. City Council members are given cars, and they earn more than $170,000 per year. California has bankrupt cities, like San Bernardino. 3/4ths of the city's money goes to what they call public safety--unionized cops and firemen. Politicians promised them more than they have, but the public doesn't seem to realize WHY their city went belly up. Our special correspondent, Kennedy, went to what she says looks like "ghost town" for answers. Texas doesn't win all the California-Texas comparisons. Government is more likely to seize your property in Texas. Scott Bullock from the Institute for Justice says that asset forfeiture is a big problem in Texas, as well as eminent domain abuse. But Texans do have the freedom to easily arm themselves, whereas California has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country. California plans stricter gun limits. By contrast, Texas politicians want to allow more teachers to be armed. California state senator Leland Yee debates these issues with Suzanna Hupp, a former Texas legislator whose parents
From John Stossel's blog: President Obama told John Boehner that America does not have a spending problem. But we do! I was astonished to learn that in 2006, when George W. Bush was President, then-Senator Obama was actually upset about our national debt. From the Congressional Record: "I rise today to talk about America's debt problem... Our federal debt has increased by $3.5 trillion to $8.6 trillion. That is ‘trillion' with a ‘T'...It took 42 Presidents 224 years to run up only $1 trillion of foreign-held debt. This administration did more than that in just 5 years." That's true. But Obama's administration ran up another $6 Trillion in debt! Government now spends $3.5 trillion every year. How is that not a spending problem?! On tonight's show, we bring in comedian Reggie Brown to re-enact parts of that speech by President Obama. Our special correspondent, Kennedy, went to the Inauguration Monday to talk to the President's excited supporters. They are excited that Obama now has a "mandate" to "do big things." Senator John Barrasso is less thrilled about executive power. His committee released a report about the "Above-the-Law" President. Mark Meckler and Starlee Rhoades tell us how states can take power back from the bloated leviathan in D.C. Obama's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has deported record numbers of illegal immigrants. But we aren't any closer to a practical immigration policy, according to Daniel Garza of the LIBRE Initiative. How will we fix our debt problem without addressing the spending problem? Jonathan Bydlak of the Coalition to Reduce Spending has a new "no-new-spending" pledge for politicians to sign. I think it's a better idea than Grover Norquist's no-new-taxes pledge.
From John Stossel's blog: Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest gambling day of the year. Have you placed your bets? Be careful, even friendly bets between friends are illegal in about half the states. Former professional poker player, Annie Duke, joins the show to argue that it's not the government's job to police decisions between consenting adults. Patrick Basham, author of Gambling: A Healthy Bet, says gambling is actually good for you. Big money is made in college sports, but the athletes don't get a cut. Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University Professor, says they should. Lance Armstrong is an evil jerk because he bullied and threatened weaker people, not because he used performance enhancing drugs. I say, if he used performance enhancers, so what? These drugs are similar to Lasik eye surgery and other ways people seek competitive advantages. Reason's Nick Gillespie argues that they make sports more interesting. Politicians like Chuck Schumer want to ban ticket scalping. Many Americans agree with him. But economist, JC Bradbury, says scalpers receive a bad rap for providing a service that people actually want. One of my favorite sports, MMA....is illegal in my own state! UFC Chief Operating Officer, Lawrence Epstein, talks about his battles with New York politicians. Finally, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, billionaire Mark Cuban, plays with this thought experiment: what if government ran sports?
From John Stossel's blog: This week, STOSSEL takes a special trip to Washington, D.C. to hear from more than 1,000 students who want to advance liberty. Former New Mexico Governor, Gary Johnson, and Cato Institute's David Boaz will answer student questions and discuss the future of the Libertarian party. Students ask Representative Justin Amash about the travails of libertarians in Congress. We'll also hear from Huffington Post's Radley Balko about out-of-control swat teams. The students grill Republican Ann Coulter about drug laws and gay marriage. Then they'll take on Democrat Dennis Kucinich for saying "Social Security is rock solid through 2032 without any changes whatsoever." Finally, former UN Ambassador, John Bolton, defends Obama's drone strikes.
President Obama says the sequester is like taking "a meat cleaver to the budget." I wish that were true. This week, I grab a meat cleaver and point out what ought to be cut. Despite the big spenders' hysteria about "long TSA lines, no meat inspection, abandoned children!", the sequester doesn't even cut the budget! It just slows it's growth. Where are the "draconian cuts?" Nowhere. Senator Rand Paul tells us that's why he voted against President Obama's sequester. He proposes actual cuts. Yaron Brook, of the Ayn Rand Institute talks about the immorality of government spending. Our show's special correspondent, Kennedy, discovers that college students are often clueless about the debt bomb my generation threw at them. Authors Joel Kotkin and Jonathon Last point out that there aren't enough workers to pay for us old folks, and if people don't start to have kids at a reasonable rate-"we're screwed!" But it could be worse. Economist Veronique de Rugy discusses the mess her home country of France has made for itself. Canadian-born Economist David Henderson says Canada solved its debt crisis and we should follow its lead. Matt Welch of Reason magazine shows how politicians distract us from the debt problem. Finally, although politicians say "we don't have a spending problem," some government programs are so bizarre that you can't believe they are real. Megyn Kelly and Greg Gutfield will join me as we compete to see who can guess which government programs are real...and which are fake.
From John Stossel's blog: Public schools do a lousy job... and reformers who try to make improvements run up against the "BLOB." It's this Jabba-the-Hutt like thing that can barely be budged - the teachers' unions, janitors' unions, the school board bureaucrat, etc. The BLOB says: "We don't do that here. We have to requisition downtown. We got to get 4 or 5 people to sign off, the deputy director of curriculum has to say this is OK, etc." The BLOB insists education needs more money, but as the chart shows, America has tripled spending, but math, reading and science scores haven't improved. Michelle Rhee wanted to make changes in Washington D.C. She'll talk about her new book, Radical: Fighting to Put Students First. I don't think Rhee was radical enough. Joe Del Grosso, the head of the Newark, New Jersey Teachers Union, hates for-profit competition, and I'm delighted that he'll come on the show to talk about it. Bob Bowdon, director of the educational documentary, "The Cartel," says Del Grosso's union uses its clout to raises prices and limits options. The BLOB may close the American Indian charter schools in California. But the schools succeed! Their students have top test scores! Troy Flint, of the Oakland board, says the school's founder, Ben Chavis is a crook who "profited" from the school. We'll let them debate. Some parents don't think it's worth it to fight the education BLOB. They escape it. "Unschooling" mom, Amy Milstein, and 14-year-old "unschooling" student, Jude Steffers-Wilson, talk about a program that lets students take the reins on their own education. President Obama says the smartest way to educate our kids is to start government-funded schooling early. Steve Barnett, of the National Institute for Early Education Research, says universal pre-school would be a good thing. But Darcy Olsen, of the Goldwater Institute, says it would not. Finally, teachers' unions say their rules are good. And if cities would let them train and ev
From John Stossel's blog: Tonight, students from around the world at the "Students for Liberty" conference discuss liberty, and specific issues that affect students. Many say they benefited from internships---but Ross Perlin, the author of "Intern Nation," says "unpaid internships are a form of mass exploitation." Obama's Labor Dept takes his side, and I say, that's absurd. Terry Michael, who works to find students internships in DC, explains why internships are a great way to get experience. Politicians like Governor Chris Christie say, "We need to...get you to college and get you graduated from college" --- but why? A third of college graduates now work at jobs that only require a high school degree. 16% of bartenders have college degrees. Dale Stephens' founded uncollege.org. He offers students ways to get ahead...without college. Then, Bob Dane, from The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and economist Veronique de Rugy debate immigration. Dane worries that more people will move to the U.S. - just to freeload. But De Rugy says it should be easier for immigrants to come to America. John Mackey, the author of "Conscious Capitalism" and co-founder of Whole Foods, says business is "the most powerful system for social cooperation." He says business is noble and people need to understand that. Finally, we talk to students about drugs and alcohol. They say regulations don't work---they have no problem buying booze or weed. So why the rules? Our special correspondent, Kennedy, says one reason they persist is because the young people are less likely to vote.
From John Stossel's blog: Tyranny is the stuff of dictatorships. We call this week's show "Green Tyranny" because government's regulations always go too far. At first, the EPA did good things. Environmental standards brought us cleaner air and water. Then government should have said, "stick a fork in it! It's done." But government never does. It just spends more and more. The Endangered Species Act seemed like a good idea. But now, Jim Burling from the Pacific Legal Foundation, says the ESA puts animals, like prairie dogs and frogs, above the interests of the people. Europe has spent billions to support "green" energy, but Bjorn Lomborg points out that Germany and Spain are now cutting back. Then, he debates Brian Wynne, the President of an electric car lobbying group (The Electric Drive Transportation Association). Celebs' like Justin Bieber and Leonardo DiCaprio jumped on the electric car bandwagon - but are electric cars really all that green? Lomborg doesn't think so. My mayor, Michael Bloomberg, now wants yet another ban-Styrofoam. He says it's "environmentally destructive." But Angela Logomasini, from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, argues that banning foam products hurts consumers without helping the environment. Science writer, Matt Ridley, argues that fossil fuels are actually good for the environment. Finally, a debate on global warming. If you can even call it that - We asked a dozen scientists who are concerned about man causing global warming to debate Roy Spencer, a skeptical climatologist at the University of Alabama. Most refused. Gavin Schmidt, a NASA scientist, was willing to talk, as long as it was not a debate. We found a weird compromise.
"The Chosen Ones" are people selected by government to get perks... special favors, tax breaks, cronyism... what I call crapitalism. As government grows and gives out more favors... it creates "A Great Deformation." That's the title of David Stockman's new book. He is upset about bank bailouts. Tim Carney, a reporter for the Washington Examiner, says Boeing, life insurers, and Big Pharma are crony capitalists. America's sugar producers declined to come on our show to talk about their special privilege. Sallie James, a trade analyst at the Cato Institute explains how Big Sugar wins, while businesses and consumers lose. Government tries to squash innovators like Uber, which offers a Smartphone app that lets you find nearby cars to ride in - but traditional taxi companies don't like the competition. Travis Kalanick, Uber CEO, will explain. Debbie Gibbs and Fast Amphibians make cool amphibious vehicles, but government regulations kept you from buying them for years and ban even cooler vehicles. Old manufacturers work with government to create the regulations. The establishment are the "Chosen Ones." Congressmen often choose who will be the "Chosen Ones." Sometimes they give special privileges to themselves. Kennedy gives us a look inside the Capitol ‘palace' - filled with custom made furniture, a senate barber shop, and secret gyms. Finally, something very different. Glenn Beck claims he is now - a libertarian. Is he?
From John Stossel's blog: Liberals are fond of quoting Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes who said, "taxes are what we pay for a civilized society"---but at the time taxes were just 10% of GDP. Now they are triple that. Is that civilization or theft? Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert says the current tax code is just too complicated. He wants the current code scraped---and replaced with a flat tax. American economic growth has stalled. Scott Hodge, the president of the Tax Foundation says America's hefty 70,000 page federal tax code is largely to blame. John Merline, a writer at Investor's Business Daily, says ObamaCare is a tax too---a complicated one. It's so complicated that H&R Block made this disgusting commercial about how they can help you with ObamaCare. The actress's grin infuriates me. Some in the IRS apparently think taking our money is funny. Our Special Correspondent, Kennedy, and Reason's Editor-In-Chief, Matt Welch, discuss the outrageous $60,000, taxpayer funded, IRS Star Trek video. While some celebrities, like Eva Longoria and Ben Affleck, say they don't want a tax cut, former Reagan economic advisor, Art Laffer points out how many celebrities-- and others--- run from high tax states. Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and even liberal Bill Maher said they would consider moving (or already have moved) because of California's high taxes. To demonstrate the tax code's absurdity we play a game of "Real or Fake." I'll face off with FOX and Friends hosts Steve Doocy and Gretchen Carlson to see if we can guess which taxes are real, and which are fake. Finally, Amity Shlaes, the author of Coolidge, discusses one president who actually cut the budget---and the deficit. What can we learn from him?
From John Stossel's blog: The education BLOB--- that immovable jelly-like ball of teachers' and janitors' unions, the school board bureaucrats, PTAs, etc.---just keeps growing. As the number of students increased 96%, the number of administrative staff has increased 702%. The BLOB eats most things that fight it. Ben Chavis founded The American Indian Charter Schools. The schools had very high test scores and they rated as the most challenging in the nation. But last month, the BLOB voted to close the chain, because Chavis broke some of its many rules. The BLOB complains that taxpayers don't spend enough on education. But, Neal McCluskey, the Associate Director of CATO's Center for Educational Freedom, points out that we spend more and more--- now, about $14,000 per student---for the same results. Wisconsin unions held big protests over Governor Scott Walker's collective bargaining reforms. Walker won, so what's happening in Wisconsin now? Kyle Olson of the Education Action Group explains that taxpayers pay much less, now that they are no longer forced to buy teachers' health insurance policies from a company founded by the union. Hollee Saville, a daycare owner in Minnesota, doesn't want to join a union...but now, the BLOB wants to force the state's daycare workers to unionize. The BLOB also wants national bureaucrats to decide what your kids learn. Lindsey Burke, Heritage Foundation's education expert, and Kathleen Porter-Magee, of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, debate "Common Core" standards that would require all kids to study the same things and take the same tests. Some schools do escape the BLOB's grip...but not enough. 55 million students attend school in America. How many have access to vouchers or tax credits? Just one million. You can barely even see the line on the bar graph. Only 2.3 million go to charter schools. The BLOB is still in control.
From John Stossel's Blog: Obamacare promises to cover the uninsured, and somehow... lower costs. How can it do both? Wyoming senator, and licensed orthopedic surgeon, John Barrasso, explains that Obamacare is incredibly complicated. Pediatrician Steve Auerbach says ObamaCare doesn't go far enough... and America needs more government control. He debates orthopedic surgeon Lee Hieb who says free market medicine would be much better. Congressman Ted Poe, R-Texas, shows me the government's gigantic book of medical codes. Medical code W6161XA means a patient has been bitten by a duck. But W6162XA means a patient has been STRUCK by a duck. Doctors must use these codes when billing insurance companies and Medicare. Next year, they will have to use a new code book that's 10 times bigger. Not all health care is dominated by government and other third-party deciders. Special correspondent, Kennedy, visited a cosmetic dermatologist and a Lasik eye surgeon. In those specialties, prices stay lower because patients pay for their own care. They shop around. Doctors work hard to win their business. Can we bring free market medicine back to more important procedures...like heart surgery? Dr. Keith Smith says we can. He founded a Surgery Center in Oklahoma where doctors rarely deal with insurance. Prices are much lower..and listed on their website. Even my dog, Luca, is threatened by government rules. Bureaucrats ordered veterinarian Ron Hines to stop giving online advice. His volunteer lawyer from the Institute for Justice, Jeff Rowes, took up the case... so Ron can help pets again.
From John Stossel's blog: Each state has different rules, regulations and taxes. It's confusing... but it's also a good thing. It creates competition. When one state does something stupid... people can leave that state and take their talent and money with them. Travis Brown tracked the movement of people between states for his book, "How Money Walks." Florida and Arizona are #1 and #2 in terms of gaining people... and wealth. Darcy Olsen, who runs the Goldwater Institute in Arizona, says Florida and Arizona win only partly because of good weather. Most of the gain comes from people moving to where the jobs are. Oklahoma didn't see many people move in... but then it lowered its tax rate. Speaker of the House, T.W. Shannon, said that turned things around, and now people want to live in Oklahoma. Erica Grieder, who wrote the book about Texas: "Big, Hot, Cheap and Right," says there is a lot Texas does... that the rest of the country could learn from. 24 states now have right-to-work laws, which say workers can't be forced to pay union dues. I debate David Madland of the Center for American Progress, who says right-to-work laws are wrong--America needs unions. Will Ruger co-authored the Mercatus Center's study "Freedom in the 50 States", which ranks how states compare in terms of economic and personal freedom. He and Veronique de Rugy explain the findings. Some states, like Colorado, are experimenting with a new liberty: the legalization of recreational marijuana. Special correspondent, Kennedy went to a weed rally in Denver to ask what this new freedom offers the state.
From John Stossel's blog: Grit is the stuff of life. Greatness is often achieved by overcoming obstacles. Patrick Dorinson, a radio host who calls himself the cowboy libertarian, says the nanny state robs us of our grit. Deneen Borelli , author of "Blacklash", says the left is driving Americans to a "government plantation." Lenore Skanayzy, labeled the "World's Worst Mom" because she let her 9-year-old son ride the subway on his own, says we can't protect our kids from all danger... and we shouldn't try. John Carney's business, Express Oil Change, was destroyed by a tornado. But Carney has grit. When city bureaucrats told him he wouldn't be allowed to rebuild on his property, he fought them, and rebuilt. Politically correct college administrators manage to get upset about student videos like this. Purdue University's "feelings police" said the video is racist. At least one professor and grad student claimed the video "replaces a multicultural reality with the idea of white supremacy." Greg Lukianoff from The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education says schools ought to honor free speech. Being offended is a normal part of life... and people need to get used to it. When this video of Rutgers University basketball coach pushing and cursing his players went viral, there was public outcry. Governor Chris Christie called Rice an "animal". Rice was fired. But Sue Porter, author of "Bully Nation" says society is too quick to get upset about what people call "bullying" and legislators and parents getting involved often does more harm than good. We close with thoughts from In Character, a journal published by the Templeton Foundation. It's "Grit Issue" was the inspiration for this show. Grit is what it took to create civilization - it requires delaying gratification, wanting something bigger than yourself...and in the case of America's pioneers... often starving, losing children, losing wives and husbands...to build communities... As John Wa
From John Stossel's blog: Government is at war against the little guy. Bureaucrats pass thousands of pages of regulations every year to "keep people safer" and "make the marketplace more fair." Today there are 170,000 pages of federal regulations on the books. Break just one rule, and government may wreck your life. So Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson started a "Victims of Government" website that features victims of overregulation. Michael Strong, CEO of FLOW, a group devoted to "liberating the entrepreneurial spirit" argues that problems are only solved when people are free to act without having to wait for government's permission. Strong's wife, Magatte Wade, who runs a skin care business, is from Senegal. She says Africa stays poor because its governments wage bigger wars against the little guy---getting a construction permit takes an average of 210 days. When makeup artist Wendy Robin started teaching students how to apply makeup-Nevada bureaucrats told her that she must get an expensive license, or close. She closed. Institute for Justice lawyer, Tim Keller says such licenses are simply restraint of trade. The Institute will fund a lawsuit to help Wendy keep her business open. Jia En Teo founded Roomorama, an internet site that makes it easy to rent out your apartment, or rooms in your house. Tourists love it, and apartment owners get to make some money. But two years ago, New York passed a law that makes most of what Roomarama does illegal. The sponsor of the law, Liz Krueger, claims such rentals disrupt neighborhoods. Once government passes a rule, the rule is usually permanent. but "Madmen, Intellectuals, and Academic Scribblers" authors, Edward Lopez and Wayne Leighton, point out that deregulation did happen once. Americans pay much less to fly and to ship things because the CAB and ICC no longer exist. We have cell phones because the FCC finally allowed spectrum to be auctioned off. The authors say such change happens only when the right peop
From John Stossel's blog: Much of what we think we know... is not so. People assume the auto industry hates regulation, but Heartland Institute energy analyst James Taylor says big oil companies like the regulations because the onerous rules keep competitors out. Obama says government's fuel efficiency requirements will save families $8,000 a year, but the regulatory director at George Washington University, Susan Dudley, says that these rules will actually cost us $60 billion. Bob Dinneen of the Renewable Fuels Association and James Taylor debate whether ethanol is good for the environment, or consumers. Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy and Jerry Taylor from the Cato Institute debate whether "energy independence" matters. And what exactly is in a barrel of oil? John Felmy, American Petroleum Institute's chief economist, points out that only about 50% of a barrel of oil is used to make gasoline. Special Correspondent Kennedy is a "hypermiler". She shows us driving techniques to maximize fuel efficiency. Finally, I explain why Bill O'Reilly and most people are wrong to complain about the price of gas. Gas is cheap. We should thank Big Oil.
From John Stossel's blog: "Austerity." The word means "self-denial" but politicians rarely "deny" themselves anything. Despite the media wailing about "austerity," there have been few real cuts. Few in Congress actually want to cut spending. Senator Rand Paul explains why he is one of the few who does. Leftists say Europe's poor economy proves that "austerity" fails. But Cato Institute economist, Dan Mitchell, says Europe didn't even give "austerity" a chance to fail. There have been no spending cuts. As the data shows, spending increased (except finally in Greece, where they had to cut). Bob Kuttner, author of "Debtor's Prison: The Politics of Austerity Versus Possibility", says government can spend its way to prosperity. He debates economist Mark Skousen. Radio host Dave Ramsey says debt is a behavioral problem and government must learn self-control. EconStories co-founders, John Papola and Russ Roberts, say the intellectual debate on "austerity" really began about 80 years ago. In their music videos, they bring Friedrich Hayek and John Maynard Keynes back for a stimulus vs. austerity rap battle. When I talked with people in Times Square most agreed that the Federal deficit is "scary," but when asked what they would cut... most had no ideas! The Feds spend almost 4 trillion dollars and most people have no clue about what to cut? Well, I have a few ideas. Who needs a commerce department? Commerce... just happens. The Education department? Department of Energy? Labor? Cut those too! If we cut government to the limited government the founders had in mind, poverty would become something so rare our kids would have to learn about it in history books.
From John Stossel's blog: The American government is at war. We have the War on Terror, the War on Drugs, and also wars against business, "hate" and food. WAR ON TERROR We now spend almost $800 billion on defense, about 1/5th of our budget. Former CIA Director James Woolsey says we should bankrupt terrorists by mandating that cars be flex-fuel vehicles . Chris Preble, Cato Institute's vice president for defense and foreign policy, says the U.S. military is so large, our allies free-ride off American taxpayers--instead of making their own militaries stronger. WAR ON BUSINESS When senators went to war against Apple for their efforts to avoid taxes, Senator Rand Paul told them, "you should have brought in a giant mirror, so we could look at the reflection of Congress because this problem is solely and completely created by the awful tax code." Good for Senator Paul. WAR ON "HATE" Jimmy LaSalvia, the co-founder of Go Proud-- a republican gay advocacy group, and Paul LeGendre, director of the Fighting Discrimination" Program at Human Rights First debate whether "hate crime" laws work. Kyle from South Park weighs in too. WAR ON DRUGS Dr. Carl Hart, the author of "High Price" says drugs are not as addictive or as dangerous as government and anti-drug groups make them out to be. WAR ON FOOD GMO stands for genetically modified food, and that does sound scary. What you might not know is that you already eat genetically modified foods. You think today's corn is natural?: No, this is a product of years of selective breeding. Corn used to be much smaller and much less juicy says Jayson Lusk, author of "The Food Police." Lusk debates Jeffrey Smith, who runs the Institute for Responsible Technology and says GMOs need to be banned. We have big government because when there's a problem, people instinctively say "yes, we can!" That's why I wrote, "No, They Can't." Government cannot and it shouldn't try. The more things it goes to war against, the more it g
From John Stossel's blog: My parents were born in Germany. They couldn't find work in Europe so they came here to pursue the American Dream. As a libertarian I say ... let people come! There should be free trade in labor as well as goods and services, that way everyone is freer and richer. But it's hard to have open borders when some people want to kill us. It's also foolish now that we are a welfare state, and some people want to come here to freeload. Former Colorado congressman, Tom Tancredo, wants to deter illegal immigration by forcing employers to use E-Verify to identify lawbreakers, while added more security to our southern border. When Special Correspondent Kennedy went to the border, she found the fence riddled with holes. Consumer Electronics Association CEO, Gary Shapiro, says it's not true that skilled immigrants take American jobs... they actually create them. 40% of America's biggest companies were founded by immigrants or their kids. That's why Max Marty and Dario Mutabdzija founded Blueseed. By next summer they hope to have a colony of startup company workers living on a ship just off California's coast... just outside the reach of American immigration controls. And outside other American laws. Shama Kabani, the Zen Marketing Group founder, is an immigrant success story. Inc. Magazine calls her "one of America's coolest young entrepreneurs." Then, a debate on immigration. Dennis Michael Lynch made the documentary "They Come To America 2," which argues that too much immigration harms America. Alex Nowrasteh, the Cato Institute immigration analyst, says the more immigration... the better. I say policing illegal immigration would be much easier if we didn't have so many laws, and such restrictive laws.
From John Stossel's blog: America is said to be a "free" country. But what if you want to have a drink? A cigarette? Make a bet? government wants to stop you, to protect you from yourself. DRINKING AND DRIVING: MADD vice president for public policy, JT Griffin, says we need stronger drunk driving laws but Radley Balko argues that the law should be based on "reckless driving," not blood alcohol levels. Special Correspondent Kennedy got drunk and then drove to test the test. GAMBLING: I love to gamble, but University of Illinois business professor, John Kindt, says gambling, especially internet gambling, should be banned. VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association CEO, Franklin Graham, says violent video games are murder simulators that lead to real murder. He wants to tax those games to protect kids. NUDGE LAWS: Michael Thomas, co-author of this Mercatus Center "sin tax" study, says taxing sinful behavior just drives markets underground. SEX: Dennis Hof owns the Moonlite BunnyRanch, a legal brothel in Nevada. He and BunnyRanch sex workers Brooke Taylor and Krissy Scott say legal prostitution is good, and safer. Former prosecutor Fred Tecce disagrees. To protect actors from STDs, Los Angeles passed a law requiring all porn stars to wear condoms. That's a great thing, says Dr. Jeffery Klausner, professor of public health at UCLA. But Criminal Defense Attorney Paul Cambria points out that the law just caused business to move to neighboring counties. We libertarians don't say there should be no laws. If you hurt others, government has a duty to punish you. But otherwise, government should leave us alone to do anything that's peaceful.
From John Stossel's blog: 65 years ago, the novel 1984 suggested the future would bring government spying through telescreens that were even in bedrooms. Big brother would be watching. Some believe recent revelations about the NSA tracks on our phone calls, and some emails, mark the start of that. Michigan Congressman Justin Amash says the NSA's actions are a threat to liberty. Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo supports NSA spying. I've taken heat from libertarians because I'm sympathetic to the congressman's arguments. I'm not yet angry about data mining for two reasons: 1. It might prevent terrorism 2. I can think of at least 100 other things that government does that enrage me as much, or more. Judge Andrew Napolitano tries to educate me on why I should be much more upset about the NSA. The IRS bias against conservative groups... that's a scandal clearly worth getting angry about. Brooke Rollins runs the Texas Public Policy Foundation, one group that was targeted. Increasingly, surveillance cameras watch us. Sheriff Russ Martin says the loss of privacy is worth it; we are safer because of cameras. But Ginger McCall from the Electronic Privacy Information Center says the cameras threaten our freedom of movement, and don't even work. People say " if you're not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about." But Oregon lawyer, Brandon Mayfield did nothing wrong. He spent two weeks in jail because he was mistakenly caught up in a terrorism investigation.
From John Stossel's blog: America drowns in law. There are 175,000 pages of federal regulations that you must obey, or some lawyer can wreck your life. For every pound of good the regulations do, they do a ton of harm. 175,000 pages alone strangles life. George Washington University Law Professor John Banzhaf loves "public interest" lawsuits. His students sue bars that hold "ladies' nights." Chapman University business professor Tibor Machan says: "Is it right to manipulate people all the time? To treat them like they're little children... Who appointed you the czar?... The whole point of government is to protect our rights, not to order us around." ADA Exploitation: Most laws are well intended. But all laws get abused. "Disability rights" lawyers troll shopping malls seeking (or making up) violations from the Americans with Disability Act. David Peters tries to fight that through his group Lawyers Against Lawsuit Abuse. "Patent Trolls": I call them parasites. Patent troll Rob Berman will argue with me. Worker's Comp Abuse: Insurance companies hire people like Paul Colbert, Meridian Investigative Group CEO, to secretly videotape people who file phony claims. He usually finds deceit. Warning Labels: Companies pathetically try to protect themselves from lawsuits by smearing warning labels on everything. Bob Dorigo Jones runs the Wacky Warning Label contest. Our studio audience votes for the stupidest warning label out of these 5: The glass cleaner that warns "not for contact lenses... or direct use in eye." The rubber worm fishing bait that says "not for human consumption." The extension cord that says "wash hands after handling." The pedometer that says "not responsible for any illness or injury incurred while using the step counter." And the matches that say "combustion... results in carbon monoxide... known... to cause cancer, birth defects, reproductive harm."
From John Stossel's blog: This week my show comes from Las Vegas, Nevada, amidst FreedomFest, "the world's largest gathering of free minds." Over a thousand libertarian-minded people debate the question: "Are We Rome?" Matt Kibbe, Freedomworks CEO, says America is following in the footsteps of Rome. Carl Richard, University of Louisiana History Professor, cites America's blatant disregard for the Constitution. Steve Forbes, Forbes Media Editor-in-Chief, believes that Americans are now more aware and involved, and things like the tea party movement may prevent us from collapsing like Rome. Welfare: Larry Reed, Foundation for Economic Education President, explains that Rome became a welfare state. Emperors tried bribe the angry masses by giving away free or subsidized grain, salt, pork and olive oil. Charles Murray of the American Enterprise Institute says why he wants to get rid of the entire Welfare bureaucracy. Taxes: In Rome, taxes steadily rose. Citizens who did not pay might be sold into slavery. Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform President, says, "Property taxes were so rough that people were actually abandoning their property." Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal argues for a flat tax. Inflation: Roman emperors devalued their currency by putting less silver in their coins. A bushel of wheat that once cost 8 Roman dollars cost 120,000 Roman dollars by the next century. Ben Powell, Independent Institute Senior Fellow and Jeffrey Tucker, Laissez Faire Books Executive Editor, make comparisons to the American dollar. Spectacle: Rome's rulers also bribed the people with "bread and circuses." Kennesaw State University Economist, J.C. Bradbury, says that bribes continue in the form of subsidies for sports stadiums. Is America Rome? I don't think so. Rome's rulers were even more arrogant than ours: The emperor Elagabalus set up a brothel in the palace. Tiberius established an office of imperial pleasures, which gathered "beautiful boy
From John Stossel's blog: In 1950, when I was three-years-old, Detroit was the richest city in America. Now it's the biggest U.S. city ever to declare bankruptcy. FOX2 Detroit Reporter, Charlie LeDuff, says excessive spending will land other cities in the same position. Andrew Rodney, "Deforce" Filmmaker, says government central planning displaced neighborhoods taking ownership of their communities. Waste and Abuse: Shikha Dalmia, Reason Foundation senior policy analyst, says crony capitalism and union demands for increased benefits left the city bankrupt. Darcy Olsen, Goldwater Institute President, says Detroit's decline could have been avoided with privatized public services. Sandy Springs, Georgia, did that. Big Spending: Ken Sikkema, Former Michigan Majority leader, says politicians spent too much and expected bailouts to fix their mistakes. A Tour of Detroit's Ruins: About two thirds of its population have left town. The city is a mess. Whole neighborhoods have crumbled. Special correspondent Kennedy tours Detroit with community activists and sees what remains of the city. Hope: Rodney Lockwood, "Belle Isle" author, offers to buy Detroit's Belle Isle Park for $1 billion and turn it into a free market commonwealth. Although this would eliminate almost 20% of city's debt, Detroit City Council members like Andre Spivey say no! He says the parks and the $2.5 billion of artwork in the government subsidized museum shouldn't be sold. "They belong to the people!"
From John Stossel's blog: Often... what we think we know... is not so. WEATHER MYTHS: It's hurricane season and I'm told that because of global warming there are more hurricanes and that hurricanes are stronger, but that's just not true. Meteorologist Maria Molina debunks more weather myths. Then, Oceanographer John Englander, author of "High Tide on Main Street: Rising Sea Level and the Coming Coastal Crisis," and CATO Institute climatologist Pat Michaels debate global warming and the effect of rising sea levels. SHARK MYTH: Movies like Jaws taught me that when I swim, I should worry about sharks. Andy Dehart, from the Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto, says you are more likely to die driving to the beach. BEE MYTHS: If the sharks don't get you, the bees might. The media warns that killer bees are invading America. Bee removal specialist Mike Mollica says killer bees are very aggressive and more dangerous but they only kill 1 or 2 people a year. When the media isn't worried about bees killing us, they worry about bees vanishing. Wally Thurman from the Property and Environment Research Center says market forces have led beekeepers to simply breed more bees. FIRE MYTH: Myth: Firefighting must be done by government. Truth: More than 11,000 private firefighters under contract to the federal government in 2012 to fight wildfires. In some parts of America if your house catches fire, it's a private business that will come to put it out. Hugh Futrell is Assistant Chief of a privately run fire department in Georgia. DRIVING MYTHS: In summer, people drive more. The more you drive, the more you want to get the best possible mileage. Race car driver Lauren Fix debunks driving myths. HEALTH MYTHS: Myth: Peeing on jellyfish sting relieves the pain. Truth: It doesn't. Dr. Keri Peterson has talks about summer health myths. The world is full of crazy myths... In my book "Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity," I debunk more. For examp
From John Stossels blog: PAY GAP: Men get paid more than women. I separated the men and women in my studio audience and asked those with jobs to, anonymously, write down how much money they earned. For every dollar the men made, the women only made 83 cents. That's slightly more the national average of 77 cents. Martha Burk, author of "Cult of Power: Sex Discrimination in Corporate America," calls that "discrimination". Warren Farrell, author of "Why Men Earn More," once agreed with Martha. He was on the board of the National Organization for Women. Then he dug deeper into the data and changed his mind. Women make less because they make different choices. Sabrina Schaeffer, Independent Women's Forum executive director, says feminists are wrong to think of women as victims. She says women can "have it all." TITLE IX: Shawn Ladda, the former President of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, claims Title IX is what allows women to play sports in college. But now the law, because it requires gender equality, eliminates men's teams. BIOLOGY: Dr. Daniel Amen, author of "Unleash the Power of the Female Brain," says men and women's brains are different. No matter how sex-neutral parents try to be, boys and girls will behave differently. EDUCATION: Dr. Leonard Sax, "Boys Adrift" author, says today's schools are toxic to boys. MYTHS: Is it true that women are bad drivers? Not really. Men drive faster than women, are more likely to speed, drive drunk, run stop signs, and they crash twice as often as women do. Based on that, you gotta say, women are better drivers. Do men cheat more than women? Yes. A Kinsey Institute study found 19 percent of women and 23 percent of men reported cheating. But the numbers are close. Cheating isn't just a guy thing. More myths in my book about myths.
From John Stossel's blog: America is not a police state. But: SWAT Raids: There are an estimated 150 SWAT raids in America every day. "Rise of the Warrior Cop" author, Radley Balko, says America's police have been militarized. Ohio Sheriff Russ Martin disagrees. He says its useful specialization. Boston Bombing: After the Boston marathon bombing, police virtually shut down Boston. James Carafano of the Heritage Foundation says local officials and police were right to make that decision. Jim Harper of the Cato Institute says the shut down went too far. Police Ticket Quotas: Police officers in Auburn, Alabama were told they must write 100 tickets every month. But the department denied that it had ticket quotas. Officer Justin Hanner was fired after he secretly recorded his boss giving the 100 ticket command. Mandatory Minimum Jail Sentences: Greg Newburn, Families against Mandatory Minimum's director in Florida, says one-size-fits-all jail sentences are expensive and cruel. The Obama administration finally agrees. Karen Garrison's sons were locked up for more than a decade because of mandatory minimums. Prying Eyes: Julian Sanchez covers technology and privacy at the Cato Institute. He says cops can turn your phone into a listening device without even touching it. Civil Forfeiture: Increasingly in America, police use something called "civil forfeiture law" to take people's property even if they haven't been convicted. This gives police an incentive to make accusations in order to get stuff. Tulsa Oklahoma police officers drive around in a Cadillac Escalade. Government always grows. Even in stupid ways. During the Occupy Wall Street protests, barricades were placed around a sculpture of the Wall Street bull and police officers were stationed there. Even though the protesters have been gone for almost two years, the police are still there, and the barricades remain, forcing pedestrians to walk in the street, next to cars. The neighborhood associati
Government should help people make healthy choices for themselves. The post office should deliver the mail. Fracking is dangerous. Lawsuits protect consumers. Obamacare is good for business. Government must build infrastructure. Washington D.C. is about serving the public. What you think you know... is often wrong.
From John Stossel's blog: I hate Bashar Al-Assad and what he's done in Syria. But I also hate what's going on in North Korea, Iran, Somalia, China, Russia, The Congo and other places around the world. So when should America intervene? What's our responsibility as the world's biggest superpower? Congressman Steve Israel says Syria is a special case because they used chemical weapons and they must be held accountable. Zuhdi Jasser, the founder and president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, says America should take action in Syria. He debates Fox News military analyst Colonel David Hunt, who is more skeptical. Recent polls show more Democrats than Republicans support a military strike. Is this hypocrisy... liberals and conservatives changing their position depending who holds the presidency? Historian Thaddeus Russell explains why he answers "no." Karima Bennoune, author of "Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here," grew up in Algeria. She says both the right and the left don't know what they are talking about when it comes to the Middle East. Some Americans say, instead of bombing people... we should win hearts and minds with foreign aid, build schools, give them money and food. But Christopher Coyne, author of "Doing Bad By Doing Good" says we should stop all foreign aid. But who in the government should decide when we go to war? What does the constitution say? Judge Andrew Napolitano explains. Some call those of us who don't want to go to war, " isolationists". We libertarians are NOT isolationists. Let tourism flow. Let us trade with people of every nation. It's said, when goods cross borders, armies don't. There are times when we have to go to war. This is not one of those times. I want to be engaged in the world without being in charge of it.
From John Stossel's blog: SPACE TRAVEL: People once assumed that only government would, or could, launch people into space. NASA got us to the moon, after all. But that was more than 40 years ago. In the remaining years they haven't sent people to anyplace new. But Bas Lansdorp, of Mars One, plans to send people to Mars in just 10 years. 165,000 people have already signed up. OTHER INNOVATION: James Canton, Institute for Global Futures founder, says the future will bring us many wonderful things, like robot doctors, and Elon Musk's Hyperloop- the high-speed train that promises to get you from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes. SOCIAL MEDIA: Matt Kibbe runs Freedomworks and uses social media to spread liberty online. Freedomworks runs Facebook posts like this one, showing that Congress passes bills without reading them, and exempts its own staffers from laws. 24-year-old Julie Borowski posts YouTube videos about liberty. They are viewed by hundreds of thousands of people. BITCOIN: Government prints so much money that I fear I may have to pay for my retirement with bills like this-- a billion dollar bill from Zimbabwe: Our dollar hasn't been devalued that much. But how can we hedge against inflation and other government manipulation? Jerry Brito of the Mercatus Center says one option is to invest in Bitcoins. 3D PRINTING: 3D printing lets you create all kinds of things right at home. That's wonderful! Except 3D printing upsets some people because it will soon allow most anyone at home to print a gun. In Texas, Cody Wilson did just that. He calls his printed gun "The Liberator." Special Correspondent Kennedy went to visit him and shoot one of his guns. CITIZEN WATCHDOGS: Can innovation stop America's politicians from spending us broke? Adam Andrzejewski thinks so. He started a website that allows users to track government spending MY TAKE: In a free market, a symphony of desires come together... and are met by people constantly expanding their bra
From John Stossel's blog: THE BLOB: America's school children have been trapped in a government-run monopoly, a so-called "public" school system that bores them to tears. Attempts at improvement are stopped not just by teachers' unions, but by the BLOB, an alliance of administrators, politicians, bureaucrats, PTAs and Big Government advocates that stifle almost all innovation. The BLOB demands more money, but schools don't stink because of a lack of money. We've tripled what we spend on K-12 education yet test scores don't go up. The good news: there are all kinds of alternatives now that allow kids to escape the government monopoly... HOMESCHOOLING: Former Presidential Candidate Ron Paul created The Ron Paul Curriculum for homeschoolers. 16-year-old Veronica Andreades and 12-year-old Jeremiah Burch discuss the perks of being homeschooled. SCHOOL VOUCHERS: Most Americans are assigned to a school based on where they live; how crazy is that? What if you were assigned to your local grocery store? Prices would be higher and there would be little choice (just like government schools). Luckily, some states now allow some poorer people to transfer to a school outside of their neighborhood. Louisiana parents love a voucher program that allows kids to leave failing schools, but the Obama administration just sued to stop the program, claiming it interferes with school desegregation efforts. Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise says U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder thinks students should be trapped in failing schools. MEXICO TEACHERS' UNION: Union teachers in Mexico not only cannot be fired, they have been able to sell their teaching jobs, or give them to family members! But now a new government changed the rules. So union teachers in Mexico are demonstrating, sometimes rioting. Mary O'Grady of the Wall Street Journal explains. UN-SCHOOLING: The most radical form of schooling is something called "un-schooling." Special Correspondent Kennedy went to visit a scho
From John Stossel's blog: Keep the government shut? That sounds nuts, but remember that this is just a partial shutdown, and my hope is that this pause in some government spending -- will be a teaching moment. More people may realize that lots of what government does is not so important and given that America's going broke, we ought to cut some of it now, permanently. THE SHUTDOWN: Senator Mike Lee proudly says he kick-started the defund Obamacare movement that led to the shutdown. Economist Ben Powell agrees with my hope that a government shutdown will be a good thing. PRIVATE SECTOR: Companies lay workers off all the time. At the beginning of the year, American Express announced it would cut over 5,000 jobs. It's the creative destruction that helps them innovate and stay useful. Why is it so hard for politicians to make similar decisions? Former NFL defensive lineman turned entrepreneur, Tyoka Jackson, will explain how private businesses constantly make the tough choices, choices that government won't make. MEDIA BIAS: Some say the media hate Republicans, and it's true that they have "A Slobbering Love Affair" with Barack Obama. But I think the media also has a slobbering love affair... with big government. Bernie Goldberg and I debate the media's coverage of the shutdown. IMPERIAL WASHINGTON: Tourists visit Washington and admire the beautiful buildings. When I visit Washington, I see politicians and bureaucrats serving themselves. Cato Institute's Executive Vice President, David Boaz, explains why 4 out of 5 of America's richest counties now surround Washington D.C. GOP: I hear Republicans want to cut government. But Reason's Editor-In-Chief Matt Welch says the GOP wimps out when it comes to making real cuts. MY TAKE: When asked why Democrats won't negotiate over spending, Nancy Pelosi told CNN's Candy Crowley, "Because the cupboard is bare. There's no more cuts to make." They spend $3.7 trillion, and the cupboard is "bare"? Give me a break. To
From John Stossel's blog: Are you a victim? I'm a stutterer. Had today's disability laws existed when I began working, I wonder if I would have overcome my speech problem, or just given up and collected a government check. Government assistance is supposed to help people in need. But that's not what usually happens. Government assistance creates more victims. VICTIM TV: I won 19 Emmy awards for exposing sleazy companies. The public should be warned about scams, but the media always goes overboard. Gavin McInnes, columnist for Taki's Magazine, hates the media hype. However, former teacher Jedediah Bila says the media has done the right thing in raising awareness of bullying. MINIMUM WAGE: $7.25 an hour is the current federal minimum wage. California just raised its state minimum wage to $10 an hour, and most people around me in NYC say, "that's not enough! It's not a living wage!" Yaron Brook, President of the Ayn Rand Institute, says this is a foolish way to think - a minimum wage takes jobs away from the young, poor and uneducated. RACE CARD: Deneen Borelli, author of "Blacklash," is upset about what victimhood has done to the black community. She argues that focusing on past abuses is terrible for blacks. Jennifer Gratz, XIV Foundation CEO, took her case all the way to the US Supreme Court after she was denied admission to the University of Michigan due to affirmative action. She won. But affirmative action continues. WELFARE: Welfare is supposed to help people in need; give them a chance to get back on their feet. But CURE Founder Star Parker, a former welfare recipient and author of "Uncle Sam's Plantation," says that's not usually the case. UNFIT FOR WORK: With more disability laws, more Americans say they are disabled. Cato Institute budget analyst, Tad DeHaven, writes about the rising cost of social security disability insurance, and how the law encourages dependency by sending checks to people who claim to be unable to work because of a
From John Stossel's blog: The debt limit was raised again, but this doesn't address America's real problem: unsustainable government spending. THE PROBLEM: Dan Mitchell, a senior fellow at CATO, and Abby McCloskey, program director of economic policy at AEI, spend their work days analyzing the budget. Both will discuss how government "solutions" are the real problem. DANGEROUS DEBT: It's hard to wrap one's brain around almost $17 trillion of debt. Movie producer Seth Meier and actor Brian Stepanek made a video that does a great job explaining the government's debt problem. They compare Congress to a man going to a bank to ask for a loan. On YouTube, it's been watched more than two million times. GENERATIONAL THEFT: The biggest reason our debt is such a threat to America's future is that people my age refuse to die, and we demand the "entitlements" we were promised. National Review Senior Editor Ramesh Ponnuru talks about what this debt will do to younger generations. SPENDING PROBLEM: Bob Beckel, co-host of "The Five," will try to help me understand why many Democrats say America "does not have a spending problem." DEFAULT: Most Americans hardly noticed the partial shutdown. But we're told default-not paying our bondholders in full, or delaying payment-would be a catastrophe. Would it? I'm skeptical. It would be best if government cut spending, but assuming they won't, all the options are bad: 1.Don't pay Medicare and Social Security. 2.Inflate the currency. 3.Stiff (or give a haircut to) the bondholders. I hope we never default, but I'd think it would be the least evil of the options. Russia defaulted. Argentina defaulted. Both recovered relatively quickly. I think we'd recover. But Garett Jones, an economist at George Mason University, argues that default would be terrible. MY TAKE: Now we've almost $17 trillion in debt, and when my age group retires, the debt will grow by more than a trillion dollars every year. That's a disaster. T
From John Stossel's blog: FED 101: I've done hundreds of TV shows, but always avoided one topic: the Fed. It's so complicated! Luckily, there's a new documentary out about the Fed called, "Money For Nothing." Filmmaker Jim Bruce explains what he learned by making his movie. TOO BIG TO FAIL: When the housing bubble burst, many Americans believe the Fed saved us from another depression. But George Selgin, an economist at the University of Georgia, says it didn't, and the result: "too big to fail," is a bigger problem. INFLATION: James Rickards, author of "Currency Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis," studies the history of nations that cheapen money. This happened to Germany post World War I, where inflation got so bad individual shoppers needed wheelbarrows to carry cash to buy groceries. Will this happen to America? END THE FED?: Dr. Ron Paul explains why he thinks America should "End The Fed." DEFENDING THE FED: Austan Goolsbee, former Chairman of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, says the Fed saved us from a great depression. I will argue with him. FED FICTION: Brad Thor centers his bestseller, "Hidden Order," around the Fed. Thor says the secrecy that shrouds the Fed makes it a fascinating topic. MY TAKE: Today, we give a small group of old people the power to spend trillions of our dollars -- often in secret. The last two Fed chairs, appointed by both Republican and Democratic presidents, have increased central planning of our economy more than ever before. This is not a good thing. I want to believe the Fed governors know what they're doing, but no 12 people know enough. When central planners try to manage an economy, they make things worse.
From John Stossel's blog: THE PROBLEM: Rep. Michael Burgess, a doctor turned congressman, says America is supposed to be different from Europe. But most discussion about Obamacare starts with the assumption that government, or someone else, should pay for our healthcare. Former Lt. Governor of New York, Betsy McCaughey, shows how that raises costs. WEBSITE WOES: John McAfee, the engineer who founded the world's largest security company, McAfee, says incompetent government contractors got the job because they have expertise in government, not software. Canadian journalist Brian Lilley explains why he wasn't surprised when he learned that Canadian-based company, CGI, was behind the website flop. He says they are part of the Obama administration's network of cronies. SILVER LINING: Avik Roy, who does healthcare research at the Manhattan Institute, and I discuss why in some ways, Obamacare may accidentally end up being a good thing. GET COVERED: Many celebrities are gung ho for Obama and have participated in the #GetCovered campaign. Reason Magazine's Senior Editor Peter Suderman says that celebrities don't realize that they're asking their young fans to sign up to pay for old folks like me. SINGAPORE: Singapore spends much less than the U.S. on healthcare, yet people there live longer. Why? William Haseltine, President of ACCESS Health International, says it's because people pay for more services themselves. MY TAKE: Most current talk about Obamacare is about the website. It is a mess, but that misses the larger problem with Obamacare-central planning. Central planning rarely works well, and usually brings us crummy products like the East German Trabant. This Halloween, nothing scares me more than big government micromanagement.
From John Stossel's blog: PRIVATIZE EVERYTHING: Leonard Gilroy publishes the Privatization Report for the Reason Foundation. He explains how private companies often perform government services, including state parks, hospitals and recycling, better than government does. PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE: Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich disagrees. He says government workers can work just as efficiently. I'll debate him. PRIVATIZE PARKS: Dan Biederman, a public space redeveloper, converts government parks into nicer privately managed ones. One example is Bryant Park in New York City. LIBERATING LIBRARIES: Special Correspondent Kennedy checks out private libraries in California. A private library manager does a better job. ORGAN SELLING: 100,000 Americans are on a waiting list, desperately hoping someone will donate a kidney. Many will die while waiting. Sigrid Fry-Revere, president of the Center for Ethical Solutions, went to the only country in the world that legalized organ selling. She says the market works. PRIVATIZE ALL GOVERNMENT?: Economist David Friedman, son of famed economist Milton Friedman, says we should go further with privatization. We should gradually get rid of all government. I have reservations. MY TAKE: There are some things government ought to do, but just a few things. Most of life works better if the central planners butt out, leaving individuals freedom of choice. That happens when we leave things in private hands. Markets aren't perfect. But they allow for a world where prudence is rewarded and sloth is punished-a world in which people are more likely to take risks and innovate. That's a world where more people prosper.
From John Stossel's blog: IS THIS AMERICA'S LIBERTARIAN ERA? For the first time, several libertarians are members of Congress, and more Americans say they want government "to do less." Reason editors Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie say America has entered into a "libertarian era," and libertarians will be taken seriously. I sure hope so. RON PAUL REVOLUTION: Former presidential candidate Ron Paul did more than most anyone to get Americans interested in liberty. He says libertarians might be the future of the GOP. CONSERVATIVE RESISTANCE: Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard, says the libertarian surge is a "blip" and libertarians are naïve when it comes to foreign policy. We'll debate. NEXT GENERATION: Students for Liberty Co-founder, Alexander McCobin, says the student libertarian movement is growing, and is already bigger than college Republicans and Democrats. Students for Liberty recently held conferences in Chile, Venezuela and Nigeria. Students Barbie Sostaita and Matthew La Corte say they see more young people and their colleges taking an interest in the ideas of liberty. They give me hope. THE LIBERTARIAN CELEBRITY: There are a few: Vince Vaughn, Drew Carey, Kurt Russell and Tom Selleck. I'll try to book them in the future. Tonight illusionist Penn Jillette talks about how he got turned on to these ideas. MY TAKE: I didn't even know what "libertarianism" meant when I started reporting. I was one more liberal consumer reporter. Bashing business and calling for more government regulation won me 19 Emmys. But then I learned that government regulations drown life in red tape, and didn't even stop scams. By contrast, market competition policed business, rewarded good ones and punished bad ones. Competition protects consumers better than government. Life is best when government backs off, and allows people to do anything that's peaceful.
From John Stossel's blog: MEET THE VICTIMS: Marty the Magician uses a rabbit in his act, so the USDA told him he needed a written "disaster" plan to deal with potential problems like hurricanes and tornadoes. Marty is just one of many victims of government's endless rules. ENTREPRENEURS: Bill Main started a clever business called Segs in the City. It's a guided tour on Segways in Washington, D.C., but government says you need a license to talk on these tours. ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated more than 1,500 acres in Louisiana as critical habitat for the dusky gopher frog, even though no frogs currently live anywhere near the land. I talk to the landowner who says designation makes it almost impossible for him to use his land. GUN RULES: The Constitution says individuals have a right to bear arms. But some cities make it nearly impossible to carry one. I test the system by applying to carry a gun in New York City. Will they accept my application? MOUNTAIN MAN: Eustace Conway runs a popular camp in North Carolina called "Turtle Island" where he teaches people how to live like a pioneer. Local government shut him down because it didn't meet building and health codes. In the end, he's so popular, that he wins. MOVING COMPANIES: RJ Bruner started one. People loved his service and his company grew... until state regulators told him to stop. He needed a "Certificate of Necessity and Convenience". Basically he needed to prove his business was needed and won't hurt existing businesses. TECH TROUBLE: I become a taxi driver using an innovative phone application called Lyft, which connects people with a car with people who need rides. Passengers are kept safe because users give them ratings. People love it. But the regulators crack down. THE GOOD NEWS: Technology also helps people rent out extra rooms in their apartments to make extra money, through websites like Airbnb and Roomorama. Regulators are fighting this, t
From John Stossel's blog: GOVERNMENT CHARITY: Newsday columnist Ellis Henican says what most Americans believe: it's mostly government's job to help the poor and those in trouble after disasters like Hurricane Katrina. We'll debate. GIVE DIRECTLY: Michael Faye co-founded the nonprofit organization GiveDirectly, which weirdly, gives $1,000 directly to poor people in Kenya. He says this form of charity works. I'm skeptical. But it's better than government aid. OBAMAPHONE: Jillian Kay Melchior of the National Review recently reported on free government cell phone fraud. She got three Obamaphones, even though she isn't "eligible." BUSINESS OR CHARITY?: Billionaire Ted Turner once told me that his fellow billionaire Warren Buffet was "cheap" because he didn't give much to charity. But Ben Powell, director of the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech, says entrepreneurs help people more through innovation and job creation, than through charity. I think he's right. END FOREIGN AID?: Gregory Adams, director of Oxfam's aid effectiveness program, says governments should spend more on foreign aid. But Magatte Wade, an African entrepreneur, says foreign aid does more harm than good. BLEEDING HEART LIBERTARIANS: Jason Brennan, a Georgetown University professor, promotes the website Bleeding Heart Libertarians. He says libertarians should embrace the concept of social justice. MY TAKE: I didn't always give to charity, but when I started getting paid to make speeches, I decided to donate that money. It changed my life. I realize I like giving money away. It makes me happy. But which charities should I give to? Charity rating websites are helpful but not definitive. They get lied to, don't include all charities, and the definition of "program" is fuzzy. I give to charities I can see, like Student Sponsor Partners, Central Park Conservancy, and the Doe Fund. I can watch them and judge how they're spending my money. Maybe that's the best gauge; give locally.
From John Stossel's blog: Happy Thanksgiving! On this week's show, I give thanks for property rights, because without them, we would be poor, cold and hungry. People like the idea of sharing and communal property... But communal property leads to what economists call "the Tragedy of the Commons." I first heard that phrase in a story about shepherds who lived around a grassy area they called a commons. Since the shepherds shared this free, green grass, they grabbed as much of it as possible. They brought many more sheep to graze. Soon... all the grass was gone. The sheep died, and the shepherds had nothing. Then they divided the commons into parcels. Each shepherd owned one. Each had an incentive to limit the number of sheep that grazed on his grass. Prosperity happened, and everyone lived happily ever after. We see this battle between private property and the "tragedy of the commons" happen again and again, with the pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving; with stewardship of American buffalo and African elephants; with the poverty of native Americans on government-run Indian reservations; and with our most common shared space: public parks. In New York City, Central Park and Bryant Park were desolate places... until their management was taken over by private organizations. Daniel Biederman, whose company revitalized Bryant Park and did the same for Boston Common, the nation's oldest public park, will debate public vs. private with Boston journalist Shirley Kressel, who says privately run parks are a mistake. I'll also talk to one of the most impressive people I know: Economist Hernando de Soto. His work on property rights has arguably done more to help lift people out of poverty than anyone. He'll explain why property rights and the rule of law are the necessary precursors to prosperity... and how America developed rule of law through "tomahawk rights" and "corn rights".
From John Stossel's blog: HOLLYWOOD HYPOCRITES: Kevin Sorbo, former star of the TV series Hercules, pushes back against celebrities who say they "know how to fix the world." Jason Mattera, author of Hollywood Hypocrites, confronts celebrities like "environmental activist" Harrison Ford (he owns seven airplanes) and Robert Redford (after his Bill Ayers movie). He chases them down with his camera and "ambushes" them because, he says, the liberal media won't confront them. CELEBRITY ECOCRITES (my word for Eco-hypocrites): James Hirsen, author of Hollywood Nation, says environmentalism is like a religion to celebrities, and their leader, Al Gore, is one of the biggest hypocrites of all. ANTI-CAPITALISTS: Special Correspondent Kennedy points out how celebrities contradict themselves by constantly attacking capitalism, even though the film industry benefits from it. ANTI-GUN ACTORS: Former screenwriter, Michael Medved, says that although many actors call for gun control, they sure don't control guns in their own movies. REAL OR FAKE?: Sometimes celebrities do things that are so bizarre, that if you didn't see or hear it, you wouldn't believe it was real. I quiz new Fox Business hosts Kennedy, Matt Welch and Kmele Foster. You can play along. Which of these is real? - Actor Adrian Grenier has a website promoting an environmentally friendly compostable tennis shoe. - Since President Obama's limousine only gets 8 miles per gallon, Ed Begley, Jr. started a petition to get the President to trade in his limo for an electric powered version. GOOD NEWS: A few celebrities who have revealed themselves to be libertarians or libertarian/conservatives: Vince Vaughn, Drew Carey, Penn Jillette, and a few others. They give me hope.
From John Stossel's blog: MARKETS UNDER ATTACK: "The problem with Obamacare isn't too much socialism, it's still too much capitalism," says Bill Maher on HBO. On MSNBC, Lawrence O'Donnell said, "We need to take the political sting out of the word socialist." No. We need to remind Americans that socialism and all forms of big government lead to stagnation and poverty. I'll debate Congressman Charles Rangel, who tells me not to make laws sound "negative." FREE MARKETS HELP POOR PEOPLE: Economists Abby McCloskey and Victor Claar point out 500 million people have lifted themselves out of poverty in the last five years, thanks to the worldwide movement toward freer markets. RAISIN REGULATION: Unfortunately, in America, markets become less free. One example: something called the Raisin Administrative Committee demands raisin farmers give the government almost half their crop. Marvin Horne, owner of Raisin Valley Farms, said no. The government says he owes 1.2 million pounds of raisins. MARKETS NOT CAPITALISM: Gary Chartier, co-editor of Markets Not Capitalism, says there's actually a lot to hate about "capitalism" when the word suggests capitalists using political connections to get special privileges. KIDS AND CAPITALISM: 13-year-old Lauren Hudson and her father Rob Hudson co-wrote a book meant to teach students capitalism. They say capitalism is not taught in schools. ECONOMIC FREEDOM: Johan Norberg, of the CATO Institute, made a documentary on economic freedom. He went around the world to see how it improves poor people's lives. MY TAKE: Sadly, in some ways, America has become rule-bound, like India. I tried to open a business in Calcutta, but quickly gave up. The government there is so hostile to markets that they have a thousand rules. That's why India stays poor. Places with fewer rules, like Hong Kong, prosper.
From John Stossel's blog: Was this a good year for freedom? I look at the good, the bad and the ugly in 2013 with David Boaz of the CATO Institute, Sabrina Schaeffer of the Independent Women's Forum and Nick Gillespie of Reason TV. THE GOOD: A few freedom fighters in Congress pushed back against big government. One who probably did the most is Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. He talks about his new plan for "economic freedom zones." THE BAD: After the Newtown school shooting there was another big push for gun control. My friends, and even my own wife, asked me, "How could you not say there should be more rules against these weapons?" THE UGLY: Many people really believed that ObamaCare would cover more people with more insurance for more things and still be "affordable." Now some of the truth is coming out. Boaz says people should realize that the "government can't create more things for more people and have it cost less." But many people never realize that. REGULATION NATION: Jeff Rowes, of the Institute for Justice, talks about three new cases where the "little guys" are crushed by government regulation. One example: A Florida town forces a couple to rip out their vegetable garden. NAUGHTY OR NICE?: I play Santa and report on who was naughty and who was nice this year. For example, Nancy Pelosi was naughty because she said government does not have a spending problem. The rest of my Naughty or Nice list tonight. MY CHRISTMAS WISH: In 2013, our rulers added to the massive pile of rules that we must obey. My wish this Christmas is that reporters stop whining about the "least productive" and the "do nothing" Congress, and instead, celebrate the fact that politicians not passing more laws means more freedom for Santa, and for the rest of you.
From John Stossel's blog: WAR ON INEQUALITY: Today, the richest 1 percent of Americans own 1/3 of America's wealth. This video, which highlights that, has been viewed more than a million times. Bob Beckel, co-host of "The Five," will try to help me understand why inequality is just wrong. LESSONS FROM COMMUNISM: Philosophy professor Tibor Machan grew up in Soviet-controlled Hungary. He says Beckel and the left talk a good game, but they don't help the little guy. WEALTH HYPOCRISY: Many people I talked to in Time Square said it was unfair that CEOs make millions. But they didn't hate celebrities and sports stars who are even richer. J.C. Bradbury, author of The Baseball Economist, explains why. WELFARE FOR THE RICH: Stephen Moore of The Wall Street Journal proposes something called the "Millionaire Subsidy Elimination Act." He says government should cut handouts to people who make more than $1 million. I agree. Actually, government should cut all handouts, but simply stopping giving stuff to millionaires would be a good start. MINIMUM WAGE: Carrie Sheffield from Forbes and Rich Benjamin from Demos debate the minimum wage. Sheffield says we need to let the market decide what wage is correct, while Benjamin says government must intervene. WHAT'S RICH?: Radio host Dave Ramsey says if your household income is $34,000 a year or more, you're in the top 1 percent of income earners in the world. So in America, even "the poor" are rich. LIFE ISN'T FAIR: What is fair? Why just talk about money? Is it fair that Jennifer Lawrence is good looking? Is it fair that LeBron James is 6' 8"? It didn't seem fair to me that I was the shortest kid in middle school. Inequality may seem unfair, but the alternative is government force, and that leaves everyone poor. The truth is that the fate of most of the poor does not depend on government. The world's best poverty fighter is a free market.
From John Stossel's blog: CLIMATE CHANGE: Bill Nye the Science Guy, who says he is "frantic" about climate change debates skeptic Marc Morano of ClimateDepot.com. GREEN GIVEAWAYS: President of the WorldWatch Institute Robert Engelman defends subsidies for wind and solar power. WAR ON COAL: Bill Bissett of the Kentucky Coal Association says we have clean air now, and the coal industry gets zero credit for the progress it has made. West Virginia coal miner Mark Nelson talks about lost jobs. AN INCONSISTENT TRUTH: Radio host Phil Valentine made this movie to rebut Al Gore's documentary. Valentine calls Gore a hypocrite. THE MORAL CASE FOR FOSSIL FUELS: Alex Epstein of the Center for Industrial Progress says he loves fossil fuels because they create cheap, plentiful and reliable energy. MY TAKE: As the world got richer, the air got cleaner. The pollution we should worry about, like soot, particulates and sulfur, is down. Greenhouse gases may prove to be a problem, but we don't yet know that. The world has real problems like malaria, malnutrition and desperate poverty. America is deep in debt, and fewer jobs get created because we have too many rules. We don't need more micromanagement from the EPA, we need less. Let's chill out about global warming. Then free people will create a better world.
From John Stossel's blog: PREVIEW: President Obama gave a preview of what he will talk about at his State of the Union. He said, "Tomorrow night, it's time to restore opportunity for all." Wow, I wish he'd just stop regulating opportunities away. ALL-STAR PANEL: I will be joined by a politician who I wish would get to give the State of the Union address... former Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, along with Independent Women's Forum's Hadley Heath and The National Review's Charles Cooke. They will discuss the State of the Union speech through a lens of liberty. RIGHT AND LEFT LIBERTARIANS: Deroy Murdock, a nationally syndicated columnist, and Thaddeus Russell, author of A Renegade History of the United States, will discuss the right and the left Libertarian views on the State of the Union. KRONIES: President Obama will undoubtedly call for more government programs to fix problems he sees. Often this involves "investments" in things like green energy, which has been a recipe for cronyism. I will talk to John Papola, the producer of the "Kronies" video. MY STATE OF THE UNION: I will give the State of the Union speech that I wish President Obama would give. Here is part: I cannot imagine what I was thinking entrusting government, which cannot balance its books and routinely loses track of billions of dollars, with even greater power over healthcare than it already possessed. If something as simple as a website for Obamacare is too much for government to get right, imagine what government will do to complicated medical pricing and insurance plans. It would be better to end government involvement in healthcare altogether and let people shop around for the best free-market plans.
REPUTATION VS. REGULATION: Libertarian radio host Jason Lewis and Liberal radio host Alan Colmes debate whether reputation or regulations better protect consumers. I'll trust reputation over government any day. THE FUTURE OF TRUST: The Web provides new ways for businesses and individuals to make decisions based on reputation. Xin Chung of TrustCloud says his website collects data you've generated online, including: LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, giving everyone a "trust score," and making online reputations portable. DINNER PARTIES: Guy Michlin, founder of the website EatWith, says his website's ratings and reviews for cooks and guests let both sides feel safe. EatWith, like Lyft, Uber, Side Car, Roomorama and AirBnb, is part of the wonderful new "shared" economy. TECH & EDUCATION: K-12 education is a government monopoly where every teacher is paid the same. Glenn Reynolds, author of "The New School," says the Internet will revolutionize K-12 education and pop the college bubble. INTRADE 2.0: Ignorant regulators shut down the prediction market website where people could bet on almost anything. Intrade CEO Ron Bernstein says he plans to start Intrade again. Good. BITCOIN: Entrepreneur Margaux Avedisian says Bitcoin has the potential to disrupt the way we spend money. Michal Handerhan of BitcoinShop.us sold me gifts last Christmas. They arrived. MY TAKE: Like politicians, I once believed that more laws were the answer to consumer problems. But I soon saw that government regulators added paperwork, but otherwise made almost no difference. Competition in the free market protects consumers better than government ever will. Leave consumer protection in the hands of millions of free people, freely making choices, and letting others know about their experience.
From John Stossel's blog: PLAYING FAVORITES: Politicians say "we're all equal" and pretend that they represent everyone, but in fact they constantly pick winners and losers. Newsday columnist Ellis Henican admits that leads to cronyism, but says "you can't use that as an excuse to not do important things for our society." Mattie Duppler of Americans for Tax Reform and I argue that he's wrong. RUNAWAY PRODUCTION: "Zombieland" movie producer Gavin Polone explains how filmmakers and politicians collude to rip off taxpayers. PHILLY FIGHT: The City of Philadelphia says it has the right to use "eminent domain" to take a building from artist James Dupree so a developer can build a supermarket. Ryan Briggs of the Philadelphia City Paper explains why that's cronyism, and wrong. RAISED IN PRIVILEGE: In Hollywood, kids of famous people get good roles: Charlie Sheen, Angelina Jolie and Drew Barrymore were all born into the industry. Adam Bellow, author of "In Praise of Nepotism," defends nepotism. LESSONS FROM EUROPE: Anne Jolis of the Wall Street Journal says European politicians are worse than ours. A Hungarian firm received $560,000 from the EU to develop a hydrotherapy system for dogs. Tyrolean farmers got money to "reconsider their relationship with the landscape and become more aware of their emotional reactions to it." MOVE THE CAPITAL: Nebraska Senatorial Candidate (R) Ben Sasse says we could reduce cronyism and the evils of bloated government by moving the capital to Nebraska. MY TAKE: There are only two ways to do things in life: voluntarily--or by force. Washington is dangerous because it can force people to give money and privileges to politicians' cronies. They force us to subsidize farmers, green energy companies, race tracks and congressional staff. That's why it's evil when government gets bigger, and gives even more special privileges. It's one more reason to shrink the $3.5 trillion beast.
ISFLC: This week, I do my show in front of 1,500 college students at the International Students for Liberty Conference in Washington, D.C. ECONOMICS 101: Economist Don Boudreaux says it's not government, but the market that helps the poor. In 1958, "The typical American worker back then had to work 30 hours to buy this vacuum cleaner. Today, a worker has to work only six hours to buy a much better vacuum." Abby McCloskey of AEI talks about how a minimum wage raise would actually hurt the poor. CONSTITUTION 101: How often is the word "democracy" used in the Constitution? Answer: never. Tim Sandefur, author of "The Conscience of the Constitution," says that's because the Constitution focuses on restricting government to secure individual liberty. FREE SPEECH 101: Robert Shibley of FIRE talks about rules limiting speech on campuses. At Wellesley College, some students demand that the Sleepwalker statue (below) be removed. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY 101: Kmele Foster of The Independents started his own consulting firm as a sophomore in college. He says college graduates should be entrepreneurial, even though most universities don't teach entrepreneurial skills. PERSONAL LIBERTY 101: Nearly all of the campuses in the University of California system have banned electronic cigarettes. Katherine Mangu-Ward of Reason Magazine argues that adults should be able to choose what they want to put in their own bodies-even if that includes "vaping" e-cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol, meth, cocaine, etc. COMMUNICATIONS 101: Cathy Reisenwitz, Editor-in-Chief of Sex and the State, says libertarians should "check their privilege" when they talk to liberals. They talk to women about making birth control available over the counter, and to Blacks about school choice. Julie Borowski of FreedomWorks disagrees, and says we shouldn't "box" individuals in order to reach them. MY LESSON: If you learn anything at Stossel U, it should be that the best type of government is limited
From John Stossel's blog: GENERATIONAL THEFT: Thanks to Medicare and Social Security, my generation takes money from younger people, who have much less money than we have. Jonathan Bydlak of the Coalition to Reduce Spending wants this spending reduced. Mike Konczal of the Roosevelt Institute says government should spend more. OVERPOPULATION MYTH: The birth rate in America is below replacement level, and some people think that's a good thing, because they worry about overpopulation. Jonathan Last, author of "What to Expect When No One's Expecting," explains why that fear is absurd and why we need new births (new brains, new inventors, new wealth-creators) to pay for my generation's retirement. BABY BOOMERS: P.J. O'Rourke, author of "The Baby Boom," says Baby Boomers are "spoiled, self-indulged and self-obsessed, but that selfishness led to tremendous creativity." CURMUDGEON CRUSADE: An amazing thing has happened. This woman has been reborn in the body of Bill O'Reilly: Carrie Nation of the Women's Christian Temperance Union helped bring America alcohol prohibition. O'Reilly claims marijuana, violent video games and too much texting corrupt our youth and weaken America. He should chill out! Youth violence has dropped over the past 20 years. Teen pregnancy also declined, and fewer teens have sex. MILLENNIALS: Charlotte Hays, author of "When Did White Trash Become the New Normal?" says young people don't get jobs because they don't do what they need to do. "The Gen Y Guy" Jason Dorsey says millennials have skills that we geezers don't understand. THE CULTURE OF OUTRAGE: I was disappointed to see Miley Cyrus "twerking" at the Video Music Awards. Michael Moynihan of The Daily Beast calls this moral panic, and says it gives the media something to hype. Is Cyrus's act different from Madonna's or Elvis Presley's iconic swiveling hips? At the time, even Frank Sinatra objected to that, saying "His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac
From John Stossel's blog: END OF AUSTERITY?: Rep. Mike Pompeo says it's ridiculous that President Obama's recent budget focuses on spending more money. Romina Boccia of the Heritage Foundation agrees. She debates Bryce Covert of ThinkProgress, who says government should spend more. UNIVERSAL PRE-K: Part of President Obama's massive spending plan is "free" pre-school for all Americans. He claims every dollar we spend on that now will save $7 later. The president got that number from a study by Nobel prize winning economist James Heckman. I say the $1 to $7 claim is ridiculous. I'll debate Heckman. ENTITLEMENTS: A year ago, the President agreed to make a more accurate cost of living adjustment for Social Security. Under the new budget the sensible agreement vanished. Evan Feinberg of Generation Opportunity says we're doomed. MILITARY SPENDING: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel wants to reduce the size of the military to pre-WWII levels. Former presidential candidate Dr. Ron Paul says the military should shrink, but these reductions are "smoke and mirrors." By the way, President Obama's budget actually proposes increasing military spending by $28 billion. More, always more. INFRASTRUCTURE: President Obama says his new budget "will create new jobs in manufacturing and energy and innovation and infrastructure..." Economist Ben Powell points out that government spending takes money out of entrepreneurs' hands, money that would create better jobs somewhere else. MY TAKE: Canada cut spending, and Canada's economy boomed. Even Sweden cut, and grew faster than the rest of Europe. When the Cold War ended, the first President Bush reduced military spending, and a Republican congress kept President Clinton from increasing spending too much. Our economy boomed. When people are free to spend their own money, life gets better. Will politicians ever learn that? Probably not. They love spending other people's money.
From John Stossel's blog: GENDER INEQUALITY?: Liberals brag that Obamacare "fixed" health insurance: Women no longer pay more than men. Fox News Contributor Jehmu Greene asks me sarcastically, "Do you want to live in a country where you charge women more than men?" But actually, I do. Women go to the doctor more than men. They incur higher medical expenses. Insurance should reflect real costs! Greene debates Heather Higgins of the Independent Women's Voice. PAY GAP: President Obama says that women make only 77 cents for every dollar men make, even though he knows the 77 cent statistic misleads. Amy Holmes of The Blaze explains why the 77 gap isn't real. FEMINISTS' WAR: Naomi Schaefer Riley of the New York Post says the real war on women is waged by feminists who assume women are just as eager to have casual sex as men. LEAN IN: Jane Hight McMurry, author of "Navigating the Lipstick Jungle," and Suzanne Venker, author of "The War on Men," debate whether women can "have it all." WAR AGAINST BOYS: Fifty-seven percent of bachelor's degrees and 60 percent of master's now go to women. Christina Hoff Sommers, author of "The War Against Boys," says women are not victims - boys are now second-class citizens in classrooms. MY TAKE: When I had kids, I tried to eliminate sexism. In my daughter's books I changed every "he" to "she," and I wouldn't give my son toy guns. But it didn't matter. My son still played war, and my daughter dressed up. Men and women are different, and we should celebrate that rather than claim women are victims. Equality means equal opportunity, not equal everything. Difference is good.
STUPID SUBSIDIES: Senator Tom Coburn says he wants to clean out government spending. His annual "Wastebook" of stupid subsidies includes $150,000 for a puppet show on Long Island, and $1 million to study the influence of romance through novels and film. Coburn retires from the senate this year but he tells me someone will continue his work after he leaves. CORPORATE WELFARE: Mattie Duppler of Americans for Tax Reform talks about why stupid subsidies like the puppet show are minor compared to ripoffs like corporate welfare. She likens recipients of government handouts to "ticks that suck the populace's blood." FARM SUBSIDIES: Farmers receive $19 billion in farm subsidies each year. Blake Hurst of the Missouri Farm Bureau explains why he deserves your hard-earned money. He says these special breaks on crop insurance help "provide a safety net under a very risky industry." I try not to scream while telling him why he's wrong. EDUCATION: Neal McCluskey of the CATO Institute says spending on education continues to skyrocket while achievement is "like Death Valley. It's totally flat on a chart." REGULATION NATION: Jeff Rowes of the Institute for Justice lists some government regulations that suppress innovation, like the pill-camera that could substitute for colonoscopies. WAR ON DRUGS: I again try not to scream while debating former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, who argues that we shouldn't end the disastrous Drug War. MY TAKE: Big government destroys jobs, our self-respect, and our future. When government is big, we the people become smaller. When we're trapped in the web of their rules, we don't innovate; we become more passive and dependent. Now that spring is sprung, let's clean out government!
FDA DELAYS: It costs a billion dollars to get a new drug approved by the FDA and can take up to 15 years. I debate former congressman Dennis Kucinich, who supports these onerous regulations. FDA VICTIMS: Jenn McNary's two sons suffer from the same life-threatening disease but only one is allowed an experimental drug that so far, has helped him. McNary joins Darcy Olsen of the Goldwater Institute, who argues that people who are dying should have the right to try any drug, even if it's not government approved. BAD INCENTIVES: Every year, police seize over $1 billion in assets without any proof of guilt. They keep much of the loot. Eapen Thampy of Americans for Forfeiture Reform explains why this is a scam. REGULATOR BULLIES: The FTC accused music teachers of "anti-competitive practices." Gary Ingle of The Music Teacher's National Association says it's "very difficult" for a small organization like his to take on the government and win. CHARTER SCHOOLS: I say NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio is a cruel bully because he resists charter schools. Kevin Chavous of American Federation for Children agrees. Noah Gotbaum of NYC Community Education Council says charter schools' bosses are bullies. DRONES: Adam Thierer of the Mercatus Center says that despite the perception of drones as "nefarious things used to rain death and destruction," they actually have many positive commercial and peaceful uses. But the FAA wants to ban these good things. MY TAKE: Government is so big that is has 22 million employees. 22 million government workers ban medical devices that might make our lives better, take about half our money, and jail more citizens than even China and Russia do. This is not a good thing. Voluntary is better than force. Free is better than coerced. We're better off when government is small and people are left to do as they please, unbullied.
GAMBLING FEVER: Les Bernal of Stop Predatory Gambling says gambling hurts people. Patrick Basham of Cato disagrees - he says it's "healthy." I wouldn't call it healthy, but should it be banned? ONLINE GAMBLING: Should we be allowed to bet from our bedrooms? Many Americans are upset about plans to legalize that. But Former congresswoman Mary Bono says legalize away; banning things never works! BITCOIN BETTING: The U.S. government shut down popular internet poker sites. But now new offshore sites allow Americans to bet online. Naomi Brockwell of the New York Bitcoin Center explains how Bitcoins make that betting possible. WALL STREET GAMBLERS: Picking stocks is one way to gamble where the odds favor us. If you throw darts at a page of stock symbols, you will probably make more money than you'd make investing in managed mutual funds. Fox Business Network's Charles Payne disagrees and doesn't like me calling stock investments "gambling." He explains why. LOTTERY SCAM: State lotteries are a ripoff. The betting odds are terrible.But most states - the same states who ban internet gambling sites - run lotteries. Ben Domenech of The Federalist explains the hypocrisy. MY TAKE: Politicians who support gambling talk about the tax revenue betting will raise. But that's not a gain for the people. We're better off when more revenue is in private hands, not when government controls it. I wish they'd legalize for the right reason: adults ought to be able to do anything we want with other consenting adults. Anything that's peaceful.
THE "FLAT TAX" SOLUTION: The tax code is thousands of pages no one understands. Forbes Editor-In-Chief Steve Forbes explains how to fix it: get rid of the whole thing and start over with a simple flat tax, no charitable deductions. Won't people give less to charity? Forbes argues they'll actually give more because they'll have more money. FAIR SHARE DEBATE: Do the rich pay their fair share? Reporter David Cay Johnston says no. William McBride of the Tax Foundation says the rich pay enough. They agree that the code itself is repulsively complicated. MANIPULATIVE TAX BREAKS: Politicians use taxes to manipulate us. Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute complains, "What the tax code is doing is trying to choose our values for us." TAXING THE LITTLE GUY: Professor Brian Brenberg of The King's College says the tax code hurts the little guy: "big businesses have a lot more resource to throw at these 75,000 pages than small guys do." VOTE WITH YOUR FEET: If you hate your state taxes, you can move. 50 different states have 50 different tax codes-this is great competition. "How Money Walks" author Travis Brown shows a cool way to see who moves where with their wallets. THE SIN TAX: Government regulates your choices by taxing "sinful" behavior like smoking and drinking. But Reason.com Editor-In-Chief Nick Gillespie lists basic and bizarre reasons why this is wrong. MY TAKE: Complex Taxes are a threat. It's not just the tax, the complexity itself is a terrible thing. America suffers when government turns taxes into a manipulative maze.
EARTH DAY MYTHS: Our president says "we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels and become the first country to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015." Nonsense. James Taylor of the Heartland Institute debates Paul Gallay of Riverkeeper. EARTH DAY REALITY CHECK: Environmentalist Bjorn Lomborg says global warming is a "real problem." But the world has much bigger problems. We need to get our priorities straight. FARMER VS. THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: Government got "clean water" right; rivers and lakes are cleaner than they used to be. But they always go too far. Farmer John Duarte joins lawyer Tony Francois of the Pacific Legal Foundation to talk about how "clean water" bureaucrats act like tyrants. NUCLEAR ENERGY: Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore used to fight nuclear energy. But now he says "nuclear energy is the most important energy source for the continuation of civilization." I argue: if it's so great, why do we need to give it loan guarantees? HUMAN RACISM: Alex Epstein of Center for Industrial Progress celebrates Earth Day this year by fighting what he calls "Human Racism." Epstein says global warming alarmists target all human beings. STOSSEL'S TAKE: This Earth Day, instead of attacking those who sell fossil fuels, I applaud them for overcoming constant environmental hysteria and providing affordable energy that allows us to fight poverty, the real threat to the people of the world.
THE DEATH OF PRIVACY: I love the internet. It makes my life better. But there's a tradeoff. Eric Yaverbaum of SocialMediaMags.com says social media freaks him out because "your life isn't private anymore." TERMS & CONDITIONS: Do you agree to the "terms and conditions" on a website without reading them? I do. I doubt that anyone reads them. Terms And Conditions May Apply director Cullen Hoback explains what "people give up when they agree to these things." HACK ATTACKS: Crooks can sneak into your computer and watch what you do. Today's computer viruses are less likely to try to harm your computer, more likely to steal private information. Robert Siciliano of McAfee says everyone needs "a good anti-virus program" to "keep the bad guys out." GPS: Now the government wants to know where you drive. And how you drive. Tech Reporter "Cyberguy" Kurt Knutsson says "Big Brother has been chomping at our heels and our privacy for years now." DATA COLLECTORS: Advertisers track what I do on the web and then run ads targeted at me. This infuriates people but I agree with Kate Kaye of Advertising Age, who says "less fear-mongering" is in order OFF THE GRID: Are you sick of constant emails, texting, and internet noise? Paul Miller of The Verge "just wanted to quit and get away" so he went off the grid for a year. He says he felt lonely, out of sync, and couldn't work: "everybody's job requires them to at least have email now." MY TAKE: For all the privacy I've lost, I'd never give up my smartphone or favorite websites to get it back. Facebook, Amazon, Cato @ Liberty, and Reason.com provide me with so much good stuff. What bothers me is that people say, when it comes to loss of privacy, business worries them more than government. Why? Businesses can't use force; businesses can't forcibly take our money and put us in jail. But government can. Government spying is a much bigger threat than anything business might do.
RACIST SPEECH: Should LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling be fined and banned from the NBA for something he said in private? The Independents co-host Kmele Foster says "outrage is appropriate" but we need perspective. ATTACKS ON GAY MARRIAGE: Former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich lost his job because he donated money to a campaign that opposed legalizing gay marriage. Is this a good way to punish "bigots?" Austin Petersen of The Libertarian Republic says yes. Fox News contributor Deroy Murdock says no. PC UNIVERSITY: Students on campus are told, don't use phrases like "that's so gay" or "man up." FEAR OF OFFENDING: Most white people now say "African-American" instead of "black" because they don't want to offend. But Vice Magazine co-founder Gavin McInnes says he likes offending people. IT'S WORSE IN CANADA: Sun News Network host Ezra Levant explains why limits on free speech are so much worse in other countries. MY TAKE: "Kindly Inquisitors" by Jonathan Rauch convinced me of the need for more free speech -even hate speech. He says, "America was a society permeated by hate." This changed because people were allowed to say hateful things. That led others to fight the bigotry. The best way to convince people to become less bigoted is to allow all sides to speak openly. Then the best argument will win.
DEATH OF THE AMERICAN DREAM: The left-wing media likes to say the American Dream is dead. But conservative David Goldman of PJ Media surprised me by saying he too thinks much of the American dream is dead. YOU DID BUILD THAT: The president claims it's government's job to help businesses succeed. But they do the opposite. Angel investor Miles Spencer succeeded without the help of government and he's helped other businesses succeed as well. GOVERNMENT BULLIES: 11-year-old entrepreneur Chloe Stirling was told she couldn't sell cupcakes without a permit and a government-certified kitchen. She may actually get that law changed soon. BUSINESSMAN FIGHTS BACK: Greg Garrett is an oyster farmer who has the resources to fight the bureaucrats and 750 pages of regulations. So far, he's won. DO COOL SH*T: Miki Agrawal says some of you should quit school, or quit your job, start a business, and "live happily ever after." It is "risky and hard to do." But she did it and says it's well worth it. EXCHANGE BAR & GRILL: A third of new restaurants fail within a year, but New York City's Exchange Bar & Grill found an edge by changing drink prices based on supply and demand -- like the stock market. We asked Reason TV's Naomi Brockwell to check it out. STOSSEL'S TAKE: Did you know that I started Facebook?! Well, sort of. When I was in college at all-male Princeton, I tried to make money by adding photos to a snarky guide to neighboring girls' schools and called it "Who the Girls Are." I should be the Facebook billionaire! Unfortunately there was no internet back then. My business failed. But that ability to try something, and try again, is something I'm told is unique to America. It's part of what made America successful.
TIL DEBT DO US PART: I'm grossed out by how much money people spend on weddings. The Wedding Channel claims that the average spent today is more than $29,000. "Miss Manners' Guide To A Surprisingly Dignified Wedding" author Jacobina Martin says weddings have gotten out of control. HELPING MARRIAGE: Government gives your tax dollars to groups that claim they help people stay married, even when government's own research concludes that the program has no effect. Melissa Moschella of Catholic University of America still says government should do more to try to keep families together. Steve Horwitz of St. Lawrence University disagrees. IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN: When I was a kid, about 2% of children were born to unwed mothers. Today, it's 29%. For Hispanics, it's 53%, for Blacks, it's 72%. Kay Hymowitz of the Manhattan Institute says "kids do better growing up with...two stably married parents." COHABITATION: People used to get married before they moved in together. Now, 65% of people live with each other before they are married. Pamela Smock of the University of Michigan says it's become "a normal part of the life course." I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO: You've heard a lot about gay marriage. But what about polygamist marriages? Joe Darger -who has three wives-says "polygamy is the oldest and most traditional form of marriage." DIVORCE CORP: Some couples think their divorce lawyer just wants to help. But divorce lawyers are paid by the hour to fight. Divorce Corp director Joe Sorge says "this is a prevalent problem." MY TAKE: As we've seen recently, there's still plenty of racism in America. But every year more people than ever marry someone from a different race. There aren't many better ways to show acceptance of racial difference than that. Love who you love regardless of race, gender or number, even. Leave government out of it.
DOOM AND GLOOM MEDIA: The media tell you about problems-like poverty, climate change, an energy "crisis." But "The Rational Optimist" Author Matt Ridley says "actually, things have been getting better, much better." LIFE GETS BETTER: Author Robert Bryce says most everything today is "Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper." FREE MARKETS: Vox.com writer Zack Beauchamp understands things are better. He says, "markets are a big part of the story... because they spark innovation." But he's also a lefty who believes is plenty of government regulation. I'll push him on that... FRACKING FEARS: Is fracking dangerous? People tell us it is. My state has banned it. But FrackNation creator Ann Mcelhinney says fracking is "a marvelous thing" and "we need more of it, not less." MEDICAL MARVELS: Today is one of the most exciting times in history for technology and medicine. Cardiologist Dr. Kevin Campbell explains that doctors now can provide things for patients, like 3D Printer produced organs, that we never imagined were possible. HOW FAR WE'VE COME: Chris Cheng is a gay and Asian male-a twofer in terms of historic discrimination. But now he works with the NRA and makes speeches about guns. That almost certainly would not have happened in the "good old days." MY TAKE: Politicians will destroy our future if they continue to ban innovation with regulation. But despite our irresponsible politicians, life has gotten better. Google will inform us about most anything within seconds. Facebook, Instagram, Skype, and email allow us to share all kinds of things. And all of it's free. If innovators can just keep creating new things faster than politicians and regulators can kill them, our future will indeed be the good NEW days.
GMO FOOD: 90% of all corn grown in America is genetically modified - it grew from a seed that scientists altered. Michael Hansen of Consumers Union says this puts people in danger. Jon Entine of the Genetic Literacy Project says opposition to GMOs is just scaremongering. FED UP WITH THE FOOD POLICE: Katie Couric's new movie Fed Up claims "95% of America will be overweight or obese in two decades." What?! Couric and the filmmakers won't return our call to explain that and other dubious claims in her new movie. ORGANIC FOODS: Liz Reitzig of Nourishing Liberty is upset about all the chemicals in food. She says we should only buy organic. SATURATED FAT: All my life I avoided butter and bacon because I knew they contained too much saturated fat. Today, new research suggests we were misled. "The Big Fat Surprise" author Nina Teicholz explains. DON'T EAT ANYTHING WITH A FACE: Vegans avoid anything that comes from an animal. "Eco Vegan Gal" Whitney Lauritsen says "eating meat is unnecessary given all of the nutrients" in plants. But "The Paleo Solution" author Robb Wolf argues that meat is healthy. FOOD FREEDOM: Michelle Obama explained that even if kids don't want to eat so-called healthy food, America will give it to them anyway. "Keep Food Legal" founder Baylen Linnekin says it is not government's job to protect public health because "food freedom" is a basic right. EAT GLOBALLY: The latest food fad: "eat local." But Pierre Desrochers of the University of Toronto says we need to help the planet and eat globally. MY TAKE: Government peddles myths about obesity. Politicians claim kids from poor neighborhoods get fat because there's little healthy food near their homes. They and Michelle Obama call poor neighborhoods "food deserts." But then, oops, research showed that there's more access to supermarkets in poor neighborhoods. My non-profit, Stossel in the Classroom, ran an essay contest this year inviting students to write on "Food Nannies: Who Deci
LESSONS FROM HOLLYWOOD: New Fox News Channel contributor (and former "Clueless" actress) Stacey Dash says that in Hollywood, "only certain opinions are OK as long as they're aligned with the opinions of the liberals." Christian Toto of Breitbart.com calls Hollywood a "bubble society." That leads to popular nonsense like this year's Godzilla movie, which the director says is "really about global warming." Huh? NONSENSE NEWS: Are the New York Times' news pages liberal? The recently fired editor claims they are not. Bill Kristol of The Weekly Standard, who had a Times column for a year, says they are. UNPAID INTERNS: Obama and his bureaucrats say unpaid internships "exploit" students and are illegal. My former intern, Zoelle Mallenbaum, who now works for Neil Cavuto, debates Raphael Pope-Sussman, who says "unpaid internships should be banned because they are anti-meritocratic." I say internships are great. Why else would companies hire a twenty-something nobody for eighty-something days? Internships may not pay but they are not without profit. One of my interns went on to win a Pulitzer Prize. COMMON CORE: Lots of people on the left and the right are furious about Common Core, the movement to standardize what's taught in schools. Lindsey Burke of the Heritage Foundation explains why. MODERN MARXISM: Thomas Piketty's book "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" suggests we "fix" income inequality with a tax on assets, plus an 80% income tax on rich people. Mike Konczal of the Roosevelt Institute says this is a good start. But libertarian economist Mark Scousen says taxing capital is a terrible idea. VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES: Activist Jack Thompson says violent video games inspire mass shootings. The problem is: there's no good evidence for that, and in fact, as video game use increased, youth violence decreased. MY TAKE: Most of us struggle to run our own lives. We can't pay attention to everything. It's logical to believe politicians should plan our lives an
WAR ON DRUGS: Libertarians think the war on drugs is nuts. Adults should be free to do what they want with their own bodies. Congressman Allen West disagrees. GAMBLING: Likewise, I say it ought to be your choice whether you want to gamble. Alex McFarland of the American Family Association says I'm wrong. GAY MARRIAGE: Most libertarians don't care whom you marry. Want to marry someone of your own gender? Fine. In fact, most libertarians don't see why government is involved in marriage at all. But "What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense" author Ryan Anderson says marriage must be a union between a man and a woman. PROSTITUTION: Sex is OK. Making money is OK. But sex for money? Not OK. We libertarians ask, why? I don't see a problem with paid consensual sex between two adults. But Fox News contributor Monica Crowley says, "the social cost is far too high." MILITARY POWER: Libertarians want less military spending and less involvement in other countries' problems. Conservatives like Ambassador John Bolton support the war in Iraq and say that if Iran is about to get a nuclear weapon, we need to use military force. We gently debate. IMMIGRATION REFORM: I think immigrants are great for America. Fox Business Channel host Lou Dobbs says he does too, but we need to "make decisions about who we want to work in this country." MY TAKE: F.A. Hayek wrote an essay "Why I'm Not A Conservative." He argues that "the conservative regards it as his mission to "civilize" others - not by voluntary and unhampered intercourse but by bringing them the blessings of efficient government." As usual, Hayek was on to something. America benefits when conservatives speak out against immoral behavior. But shaming is one thing, force of law is another. Using law means people with guns demand that everyone behave the way the majority thinks they should. We ought to be able to do anything that's peaceful. We should be allowed take drugs, gamble, pay for sex, and do self-destr
THE TECH REVOLUTION: Today, a child's PlayStation has more computing power than a military supercomputer from the 1990s. Moore's Law says computing power will continue to double every 18-24 months. MIT professor Eric Brynjolfsson explains why this is all good for human progress. ROBOT REVOLUTION: Will robots become a threat to us? The Futurist editor-at-large Patrick Tucker says they are definitely capable of "anti-social behavior." They become "more dangerous as we ask them to do more and more things, and we're not exactly sure what those things are." STEALING OUR JOBS: Computers now teach themselves. Watson, a robot made by IBM, taught itself how to play Jeopardy. He beat the world champion. Since robots now can learn, will they soon be a threat to our jobs? Economics professor Noah Smith says they will, and that's why we need more social programs for the poor. But libertarian economist James Miller says people who want government to fix inequality should chill out, because less drudgery for humans is good news. IMMORTALITY: "Transhumanists" want to use technology to try to live forever. Baseball star Ted Williams tried "cryonics." He had his body frozen soon after he died in the hopes that when science is more advanced, he will be brought back to life. So far, no luck. But journalist Zoltan Istvan says it will happen. DESIGNER BABIES: Wouldn't you like your baby to be healthy? Smart? A good athlete? A talented musician? Five years ago, clinics started helping parents choose gender, hair color and eye color. Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg of the Fertility Institute says he could do more if the USA would legalize genetic engineering. ROAD WARRIORS: Is this intersection in Ethiopia a better way to improve traffic flow? I doubt it- Ethiopia is one of the deadliest places to drive. Nevertheless, people are eager to find better ways to speed traffic. And soon, traffic lights may be less necessary because we won't drive our own cars. Computers will. The technology
Might this year be the beginning of the end of crony capitalism, or as I call it: crapitalism? That's the cozy alliance between big-government spenders and politically-connected businesses. THE EXPORT-IMPORT BANK: The U.S. Ex-Im Bank's charter expires in September. House Finance Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling says Congress should not reauthorize the bank. But Rep. Brad Sherman says America needs an export promotion program. CRONY CAPITALISTS: George Mason Economist Don Bourdeaux says the Ex-Im Bank is just a taxpayer subsidy for crony capitalists. SCANDAL: WSJ reports that crooks at the bank took bribes and kickbacks. Tim Carney of the Washington Examiner says kickbacks are not unique to the Ex-Im Bank. Corruption always happens when government agencies hand out big money. LOBBYISTS: John Hardy of the Coalition for Employment through Exports lobbies for the Ex-Im Bank. He says the agency helps level the playing field. We will fight. CLUB FOR GROWTH: Barney Keller of Club for Growth explains how his organization defends economic freedom and fights against the Ex-Im Bank. MY TAKE: Politicians-even Barack Obama- promise to put an end to wasteful bureaucracies like the Ex-Im Bank, but once they get to Washington and breathe in all that money and power, they change. Has the Tea Party changed the balance of power? If Congress kills the bank in September, it's a first step toward saving America.
MEDIA BIAS: When I began my career as a consumer reporter, I had an obvious agenda: Businesses cheat consumers! Government must regulate them! But when I wised up about the problems with government, my bosses resisted, and I stopped receiving Emmy Awards. Emmys reward liberal reporting. CENSORSHIP AT CBS: Investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson has a similar story. She explains why she left CBS after it became "harder and harder to get stories on television" that criticized this government and "any powers that be." IS STOSSEL BIASED?: Years ago, journalist Howard Kurtz criticized me for not being objective. I said it's impossible for any journalist to be completely objective. Now that Howard Kurtz is on Fox, we debate again. THE OBJECTIVITY MYTH: Andrew Kirell of Mediaite.com says, "every journalist has a point of view and they don't just magically check it the minute they walk in the newsroom door." NEW MEDIA: Reason TV's Remy Munasifi uses music videos and parodies to complain about things like politicians' spending. One of his latest parodies highlights the scandal surrounding the VA hospitals. Munasifi discusses his videos, which have gone viral on YouTube. RETRO REPORT: It's great there's a new media organization called Retro Report, which reveals media hype of the past ("crack babies," America's landfill "crisis," the "superpredator," etc.) and corrects stories everyone in the media got wrong. I discuss the new show with its executive producer, Kyra Darnton. REAL OR FAKE?: Sometimes people in the media say things that are so bizarre, you'd think they were made up. Kennedy of The Independents quizzes FoxBusiness.com's Kate Rogers, Fox Business host Charles Payne and me to see if any of us can tell which quotes are real, and which were made up by my staff. MY TAKE: I used to report on lots of scares. CBS even ran an ad for me where someone called me a "guardian angel." That's bunk. The only guardian angel is a free and open society. Th
This week I join thousands of libertarians at a conference in Las Vegas called FreedomFest-the world's "largest gathering of free minds." BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING: The phrase "Big Brother" comes from George Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four," where government watches everyone constantly. Is that America today? Yes, say Matt Kibbe of FreedomWorks and Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots. MONEY MANIPULATION: Steve Forbes, Editor-In-Chief of Forbes Magazine, says government controls us by manipulating our money: "weak money always means a stronger government." FREEDOM DEMOGRAPHICS: Sadly, Emily Ekins of Reason Foundation says millennials prefer larger government. But the good news is: when you ask them if they prefer larger government and higher taxes, they say no. Also, 58% of young people think government agencies generally abuse their power, and 63% say they don't trust government regulators. THE NANNY STATE: The maker of the movie, Freedom from Choice, Tim Delmastro says "most people would actually prefer freedom from making important decisions in their lives" over the freedom to choose. EXECUTIVE POWER: President Obama uses executive power when congress doesn't do what he wants. But he doesn't do it more often that other presidents have. Obama issued 182 executive orders so far, but George W. Bush issued 290, and President Eisenhower, 480. Attorneys Tim and Christina Sandefur say it's not the number, but the content of these orders. WAR ON THE MIDDLE CLASS: The middle class is doing pretty well by historical standards: their average disposable household income has increased 40% since 1979. But radio host Wayne Allyn Root disagrees. I argue with him about whether or not the middle class is being "murdered." MY TAKE: Lots of libertarians love Vegas: there's no income tax, gambling and sex work is legal, and people are free to carry concealed weapons. But Nevada is among the worst states when it comes to government colluding with business. C
SILLY LAWS: Many laws are simply unnecessary. "The Emergency Sasquatch Ordinance" author Kevin Underhill expands on things like the Washington State law that makes it illegal to kill a Sasquatch, and the Texas Obscenity Statute that prohibits the promotion of sex toys. CRIMINAL LAWYERS: Lawyers defend child molesters...muggers...rapists. How do they live with themselves? Criminal defense lawyer Norman Reimer explains why he's proud to stand against the state. LITIGATING FOR LIBERTY: Big Government often uses Big Law to step on the little guy. Luckily, lawyers like Scott Bullock of the Institute for Justice take cases for no fee when government infringes on individual freedom. LEGAL CURES: I once assumed that lawyers would punish deceitful businesses. But then I watched them work. Lawsuits take forever and cost a fortune. Change.org offers a better idea. Jeninifer Dulski explains how the website's petitions help people without force. WACKY WARNING LABELS: A printer ink toner warns users not to drink the ink. A football helmet warns customers, "don't play football..." We get stupid labels because manufacturers, rightly, fear lawsuits. But the labels don't help. Robert Dorigo Jones of Center for America explains, "anybody who makes a product is always looking over their shoulder for the next lawsuit. MY TAKE: The American legal system is a giant vacuum that eats time and money. Years ago, I was sued by a Philadelphia dentist exposed for fraud. It took four years just to get me into court. I won in the end, and finally the man who sued me left his fancy apartment and went to jail. But in our legal system, even when you win, you lose. My legal costs were over a million dollars. The lawyers wasted months of people's lives. In the free market, people constantly invent ways to do things faster, better, cheaper. But American law stays slow and stupid. We need law, and lawyers, to keep the peace. But we should avoid using them.
POLICING AMERICA: SECURITY VS. LIBERTY Where's the line between security and liberty? American police are now armed like the military; they use their power more often and forcefully than ever before. The state has new and expanding powers to spy on almost everything you do. THE WARRIOR COP: SWAT teams were once called out only in emergencies. Now there are almost 100 raids a day. The weapons and tactics they use come straight from the military. Sometimes innocent people are killed. Why use so much force so often? What would you do if armed men in masks broke down your door in the middle of the night? CONSTITUTION-FREE ZONES: Lots of Americans are getting upset about being detained by armed border patrol agents not on the border but miles away from the border. Some push back, sometimes with violent results. MANDATORY MINIMUMS: Do mandatory minimum sentences work? Prosecutors like them because they give them more power when they plea bargain with suspects. But judges often object, and sometimes people serve long sentences for trivial crimes. Or no crime. NSA SPYING: New revelations surface almost daily on ways the Feds spy on Americans. Does this make us safer? Or invade our privacy in destructive ways? I SPY: Government spying is one thing. Now new, cheaper, "personal" drones make it easy for anyone to spy on anyone. Some say: "I've got nothing to hide. Why should I care?" But then why do you have drapes? Stossel goes to Florida to test the spying power of personal drones. LEGALIZE WEED: Washington State and Colorado just legalized marijuana for recreational use. Could this be the start of America's trillion dollar drug-war coming to an end? Former advisor to the president Kevin Sabet says: "Colorado will show why legalizing marijuana is a mistake." **UPDATE: Hope you enjoyed the "Policing America: Security Vs. Liberty" program. Robert Trudell was kind enough to let us use footage from his YouTube Channel of his experience at internal checkpoi
STUTTERING: I never expected to go on TV since I'm a stutterer. I tried all kinds of therapies that didn't work. Finally I tried an experiment that did work. Actress and model Phire Dawson got help from the same clinic. ANXIETY: My nephew, "My Age of Anxiety" author Scott Stossel, is riddled with anxiety. Nothing has fundamentally cured him but after experimenting, he says he's learned that for some people, "certain medications can be incredibly effective." BACK PAIN: For years, I suffered crippling back pain. But Dr. John Sarno said, "You don't have a problem...You have a psychological problem." At first I didn't believe him, but in a matter of weeks my pain disappeared. OXYTOCIN: I let Dr. Paul Zak give me the hormone oxytocin to see if 10 hits of it will make me happier. It's the same chemical our bodies release when we give people hugs, but does it work nasally? I find out. STARTUPS: My son Max Stossel is a living experiment. He says he's "learned more from the work force than in school" and quit his job to experiment in the startup world with entrepreneur friends Radha Agrawal and Alex Banayan. MEDICAL RESEARCH: My brother Tom Stossel often works with the "evil" drug companies to help fund his medical research at Harvard. He fights the new regulations that make collaboration with industry more difficult. "I want to get the information. The drug company wants to make money. And guess what? Everybody benefits." MY TAKE: Let's remember that America is an experiment. George Washington said that he "didn't expect the Constitution to last twenty years." Let's keep experimenting.
MILITARIZED COPS: Do police really need more military equipment from the national guard? RACISM: Columbia professor John McWhorter discusses race and the "relationship between police forces and young black men." TECH SOLUTIONS: How do you keep police officers accountable? In Rialto, California, police officers wear cameras that record everything between them and the public. After using these cameras for only a year, police used force 60% less often. Complaints about brutality went down 80%. POLICE STATE USA: "Police State USA" author Cheryl K. Chumley says, "the government is unfettered in its desire to control the American people." America has now become "a de facto police state." Stossel pushes back. SELF-DEFENSE: Some residents of Ferguson buy firearms to defend themselves against looters and the police. MEDIA COVERAGE: Several reporters have been arrested in Ferguson. Everyone in media has covered this story, but how many actually got the facts correct?
HOORAY FOR THE EPA: The Environmental Protection Agency created rules that made the environment cleaner. In a rational world, the EPA would now say stick a fork in it, it's done. But bureaucracies never say they're done. Done means bureaucrats are out of work. GET OFF MY LAWN: The EPA cares very little for what is "private property." They said a farmer in Wyoming violated the Clean Water Act simply because he built a pond on his land. He even had a permit from the state! Why don't they pick on someone their own size? CRONY CAPITALISM: Government environment subsidies harm more than they help. For example, every Chevy hybrid costs the government $49,000! That's what, in my consumer reporting days, they called a "scam." FRACKING: Getting energy by injecting chemicals into the ground and breaking up rocks is great for America. But the hysterical left is in a panic. POLLUTION MYTHS: Reporting about foul skies and the filthy earth makes for great TV. Most Americans believe that pollution is getting worse. But it's not! THE FREE MARKET SOLUTION: Terry Anderson of PERC explains that private ownership actually decreases the incentive to pollute. We wash our own cars for example, but we don't wash rental cars. Private companies learned to deal with pollution long before the EPA even existed. MY TAKE: Our lives are much better because the EPA forced cities to install sewage treatment, power plants to put scrubbers in smokestacks, and car makers to build cleaner cars. America still needs a few inspectors to enforce the rules we have. But we don't need 16000 environmental regulators constantly trying to control more of our lives. EPA should stand for "Enough Protection Already!"
SAME SONG AND DANCE: For 40 years, policymakers promised to reform education. But as Andrew Ferguson of the Weekly Standard says, it's like an itch that reformers just can't scratch. New reform brings money, and since the reforms don't work, they create need for more money. ROTTEN TO THE CORE?: Common Core is the big education controversy this year. But what does it mean for our kids? PORN TO PAY TUITION: College has become absurdly expensive. Duke University Student "Belle Knox" became a porn star to pay her $60k tuition. Many are repulsed by what she does, but Knox says, "I'm not relying on any government loans or aid, and I think that's something I can definitely be really proud of." E-LEARNING: Thanks to new technology, good things are happening in education. Today you can learn a language just by downloading a free app to your phone called Duolingo. Your kids can master their math skills with the app Splash Math. I suggest the new technology may overwhelm the repression of the government education monopoly. MY TAKE: People who love government control don't understand that central planning usually fails, and that competition is the only thing that serves consumers well. It would work for education too if they'd let it. Then more kids would have an experience like charter school kids. All kids deserve that. We should let our children enjoy the benefits of competition.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT ISIS? There is no doubt ISIS poses a great threat to the U.S. But is bombing them the right answer? Some say intervention will only make things worse. Others say we must "destroy ISIS militarily." AMERICAN OVERREACH? Progressives and neocons alike support "nation building" and call those who don't support it "isolationist." I resent this smear. I want to be engaged with the world without being in charge of it. There are times when we have to go to war, but those times should be as rare as possible. LOSING YOUR RIGHTS: Judge Andrew Napolitano says that since 9/11, the American people lost their rights guaranteed in the Constitution; The Patriot Act and NSA spying are just the tip of the iceberg. I push back. THE LEFT AND THE MILITARY: The military's job is to defend the country and win wars when asked. But the media instead suggests the military's greatest challenge is to achieve greater social justice and gender equality, while integrating green technology. Has the military been politicized by progressives? PRIVATIZE THE TSA: The TSA's security screening performance is abysmal. So why not privatize it? This would create a more efficient and innovative security system that would do a better job to protect us from terror. MY TAKE: The U.S. military is asked to chase and kill terrorists, train foreign militaries, protect sea lanes, secure the internet, contain China, keep oil cheap, protect other countries from aggression, stop genocide, protect innocent people, transform failed states into democracies-and the list goes on! Is it worth all the spending and the lives? Often it makes new enemies. Like most government plans, war tends not to work out as well as planners hoped. We libertarians wonder why people assume government will do better this time.
POROUS BORDERS: Recently, tens of thousands of kids have crossed the border illegally. To handle the crisis, Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies says we should deport them. But Jacob Hornberger of the Future of Freedom Foundation says the solution is open borders. A debate. I fight with both of them. WELFARE: Are immigrants a drain on America? Some are. But most contribute enough to the economy to make up for what they take in welfare. SUCCESSFUL IMMIGRANTS: Ever use eBay, RadioShack, Nordstrom, Sara Lee, or Kraft Foods? These are all companies started by immigrants. Americans benefit from foreign entrepreneurs. Not only do their products improve our lives, but their companies create jobs here. Immigrants gave us Google, cheap Ikea furniture, YouTube, bicycles, blenders, ATMs, blow dryers, basketball, football, the first shopping mall, comfortable jeans, and even the American hot dog (that came from Germany's frankfurter). Immigration enriches our language. Jewish immigrants gave us the word "glitch." "Gee whiz" came from the Irish. The song "God Bless America" was written by an immigrant-the prolific Irving Berlin, born in Russia. THE DRUG WAR: U.S. drug policy makes it harder to get control of the border situation. These laws don't stop anyone from using drugs and they create horrible, vicious crime. MY TAKE: America needs immigrants. They are special people with the ambition and guts to leave their home to pursue an American dream. We ought to let more of them in. We should make legal immigration easier, relax the rules, and issue more work permits.
MY TAKE: People tell libertarians who complain about government limiting choice: "What are you whining about? People can vote the bums out." Democracy is a sort of free market. We choose our representatives. But compared to a real free market, the political process is vastly inferior. We get to vote for politicians once every two... or four ...or six years. In the private sector, we vote with our dollars. We get to vote often, for more stuff. Competition requires businesses to innovate or lose votes and die. Also, and most important, politics is a package deal. Vote for Obama, you get Obama policies. But in the free market, we have a million choices. Suppose you chose food the way we choose politicians. You get two choices- donkey meat or elephant meat. Then, no matter how you voted, you have to eat what the majority picked. In the free market supermarket, I can pick elephant and you can pick donkey. Even the in the simplest supermarket, we can each get what we want. That's why government should be kept small. OBAMACARE MANDATES: Obama sold his signature healthcare law by saying it would lower costs and give us more choices. In truth, more people are covered, but we have less choice and higher costs. RIGHT TO TRY: If you have a terminal illness, you should be able to try any treatment you think might save your life. But today, you cannot. In Vermont, two brothers suffer from the same terminal illness, but the FDA has only approved the drug for the younger brother, Max. Max continues to get better while his older brother, Austin, will likely die. ARE DEMOCRATS THE PARTY OF CHOICE? Democrats often call themselves the "party of choice." But they're almost always talking only about abortion. When it comes to other choices-like the right to choose your child's school...or not join a union..or buy a gun-they're not so big on choice. I fight Alan Colmes, who says everybody benefits from these restrictions. ARE REPUBLICANS THE PARTY OF CHOICE? Rep
VIOLENCE AND CRIME: Americans believe crime is on the rise. But in the last decade, crime has gone down; homicide is down 5%; rape down 35%; robbery, 56%; and assault, 45%. Horrible things do happen, but they've always happened, and used to happen more often. BEST OF TIMES? Recently, President Obama said, "The world is less violent than it has ever been." He was mocked for saying this, and yet this statement is entirely true. Things are better. The violence today doesn't compare to the 1940s and ‘50s when millions were killed during World War II, the Korean War and in Communist China under Chairman Mao. THE GUN MYTH: Politicians and the media constantly scream about gun crime. But violent crime rates are down while the number of Americans who own permits to carry guns has tripled. BUREAUCRATS OVERREACT: A 7-year-old boy in Maryland was suspended this year for molding a Pop-Tart into the shape of a gun. In New Jersey, another student was suspended for twirling a pencil... HOLLYWOOD HYPOCRITES: Actors like Matt Damon and Sylvester Stallone push gun control, but they keep making movies filled with gun use. MY TAKE: The world hasn't gotten meaner. Terrorism is a threat, but less of one than the hot and cold wars of my youth. The air and water are cleaner, and crime is down over the past 25 years. We libertarians complain about today's politicians destroying our freedom and our future. And they do, with their taxes and suffocating rules and overspending. But in spite of that, the free market has managed to make more or most of our lives less mean. Also, if you are black or gay or a woman, America is much less mean than it was. But fearful people often accept, and even welcome, repression that comes along with politicians' promise to protect us. But we don't need more protection. The world is less mean now.
ENDING POVERTY: 50 years ago, President Johnson said America will end poverty by spending more on the poor and creating special programs for them. How did that work out? Today, after taxpayers spent 22 trillion dollars, poverty is more entrenched. THE WAY FORWARD: Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) says government programs perpetuate poverty. We need to "break up the bureaucracy" and "focus on getting individuals from welfare to work." POLITICS OF POVERTY: Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) says Republicans like Ryan don't care about the poor. I push back. POVERTY, INC: Americans give about 5 billion per week to help poor people. Our government forces taxpayers to spend $27 billion on economic development overseas. But it doesn't work, says the new film "Poverty, Inc." Often it stops people in the developing world from creating their own farms and businesses. CHILD LABOR: We're told sweatshops are cruel. But "Out of Poverty" author Ben Powell says if we really want to help people climb out of poverty, let them work! CASH BY THE TRUCKLOAD: Some say we should end welfare programs and just give people money. Switzerland may give $30,000 to its citizens each year. Is this a good idea? Libertarians debate. HANDS OFF OUR BEER! In most states, people can bring "growlers" to grocery stores or specialty brewers to get them filled with their favorite craft beer. But not in Florida! Arbitrary regulations restrict interior decorators, hair braiders, floor sanders, sports coaches in schools, landscape workers, makeup artists, teaching assistants, and more. The poor are the people hurt most by these regulations. MY TAKE: We rarely help the poor by "spreading the wealth." We know what works: economic freedom. When countries have it, people prosper. Fewer rules bring better lives and make most everyone richer.
I become a Founder to ask: Does anyone care about the Constitution? STOSSEL PREGNANT? The First Amendment made my career possible. It allowed me to expose crooks and cheaters. Once, I had a female producer take my urine to two abortion clinics who said I was pregnant! They would have given my producer a fake abortion had I not first said, " No!" I confronted those doctors, and they closed their practices and disappeared. EXPOSING THE TRUTH: The First Amendment also made citizen journalist James O'Keefe's career possible. O'Keefe complains that authorities prosecute him for violating privacy laws but don't go after activists on the left. Mother Jones won a Polk Award after they ran this illegally recorded undercover video of Mitt Romney. WE THE PEOPLE: Glenn Beck got huge ratings talking about the Constitution on TV. He once said our president "fully intends to trash the constitution." Now, he says he's "mellowed some," but he still thinks people are not standing up for the Constitution. RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS: I tried to get a legal permit to carry a gun, but officials said I hadn't proved a special need for it. That was in New York City. Chicago and Washington, DC have been forced to change laws to honor the Second Amendment. You should thank our founders for that. FEDERALISM: You've probably heard people call the states "Laboratories of Democracy." What does it mean? Nick Gillespie of Reason.com says it's about state experimentation: "[California] has high taxes and high services; [Texas] has low taxes and low services. People can sort based on which model they like." FOUNDER JOHN'S TAKE: Over the last century, Americans experimented, and we became the most prosperous country in the world. Our success is largely because our founders understood the dangers of big government and wrote a Constitution to limit them. We should pay more attention to it. Then we could have what Thomas Jefferson promised -- a "wise and frugal government which shall leave men
DO-NOTHING CONGRESS: The mainstream media routinely complain about today's "do-nothing" Congress. But why? We're better off with a Congress that does less. Much of what Congress does in the name of solving problems takes our freedom, increases spending, and ends up creating worse problems. LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATES: Ann Coulter wants to "drown" anyone "considering voting for the Libertarian candidate in any Senate election." Why? She says libertarians "are going to cost Republicans the Senate." PROSECUTOR POWER: A small group of Washington overlords-federal prosecutors- sometimes break rules and laws to advance their own careers and wreck the lives of people who may have done nothing wrong. Are they jailed? Punished? Disbarred? No! Sidney Powell's book "Licensed to Lie" explains how they actually get promoted into some of the most prominent positions in national government. One of these prosecutors, Kathryn Ruemmler, is reported to be Obama's choice to replace Eric Holder! RIGGING THE SYSTEM: The media say the electorate is angry at incumbents. But the overlords in Washington almost never get pushed out (their reelection rate never drops below 85 percent!) There are too many rules written by incumbents to protect their incumbency. INTRUSIVE LAWS! Did you know it's illegal to own a small turtle? Yes! You might put one in your mouth and get....salmonella! There has been a staggering growth in the number of federal regulations over the past 40 years. And yet, bureaucrats never look back to see whether these regulations work. They just add more! IMPERIAL WASHINGTON: Politicians get privileges that we the people don't. The senate barbershop loses about a third of a million dollars every year. The Eisenhower Memorial has received $65 million in appropriations, but there's no monument built. The governor of Massachusetts spent $9 million to renovate his office.
GOP REACTION: Senator Mike Lee says, "Democrats are going to lose...because they haven't offered anything that's new or appealing to the American people." PREDICTIONS MARKET: Foolish Republicans killed off Intrade.com, the useful betting site that predicted elections and other future events better than polls and pundits did. Now there's another prediction market, England's Betfair, plus polls and predictors like Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight blog. Who will be most accurate this time? ELECTION PANEL: Fox Contributor Deroy Murdock, Austin Petersen of the Libertarian Republic, and Katherine Mangu-Ward of Reason offer their perspectives. LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATES: Libertarians probably won't win any seats. So why run? Libertarian senate candidate in North Carolina Sean Haugh says, "voters are ready to take back their government by voting for independent and third party candidates."
NO MEANS...TRY AGAIN? What is sexual consent? Now we're told "affirmative consent" must be "enthusiastic" and ongoing. That's the language from a new California law, and it is policy at many universities. But this is nonsense. Men and women Stossel interviewed often admitted that many women want to play "hard to get." MATTRESS GIRL: Columbia student Emma Sulkowicz says another student raped her, but Columbia did nothing about it. For months she's carried the mattress she was allegedly raped on everywhere to raise awareness over the school's failure to expel the boy. A Columbia judicial board has heard the case twice and both times ruled the boy innocent. WRITTEN CONSENT: As an absurd example of "legal consent," Stossel's producers drafted a silly sexual "consent form" to see if students would be willing to sign it before they had sex. Most students saw the absurdity, but some students say it doesn't go far enough! THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT! While our contract was a joke, others are deadly serious about it. Some promote a new app, Good2Go, which says this: "When you are ready to ask a partner they consent to sexual activity, just launch the app and provide the phone to your partner. "Your partner is presented with the question, "Are you good to go?" and three choices. If the partner chooses "I'm good to go," then they also assess the sobriety level. If the partner chooses "pretty wasted," the selection changes to "no thanks." KIDS DOING IT YOUNGER: Contrary to what the media say, kids are not doing it younger. The age of first sexual activity is later than it's been, and teen pregnancy rate is the lowest it's been in decades. REAL OR FAKE? Some states have really bizarre sex laws-so bizarre, you wouldn't believe they were real. Stossel quizzes "The Independents" hosts Kennedy, Matt Welch, and Kmele Foster to see if they can tell which laws are real and which ones were made up by John's staff. For instance: In Massachusetts... Sex between u
Tonight, Stossel will react to President Obama's 8PM immigration address. REACTION PANEL: Matt Welch, Kmele Foster and immigration analyst Alex Nowrasteh of the Cato Institute join Stossel to discuss the legality of Obama's executive orders. DEFERRING DEPORATION: Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies says we don't need amnesty. We should deport illegal aliens. LAND OF OPPORTUNITY: Immigrants often think differently, which benefits the country. Shrada Agarwal of Context Media has created over 100 jobs in the U.S. OPPORTUNITY DENIED: Because of strict immigration policy, some entrepreneurs like Thomas Ketchell cannot get a visa to innovate in the U.S.
Stossel offers some new ideas on parenting to help your kids GROW UP! FREE-RANGE KIDS: Lenore Skenazy was called "America's Worst Mom" because she let her 9-year-old ride the subway alone. She says kids benefit from less supervision and more independence. Critics say "free range" parenting is irresponsible and dangerous. They could get abducted by a stranger! They could, but why so much fear now when abductions are extremely rare, and crime is at a 50 year low? WUSSIFICATION: Trophies used to be an award for winning. Now, kids get a trophy just for showing up. Does this turn them into wimps? VICE co-founder Gavin McInnes says yes, because kids "learning to lose, learning to fail" is "what childhood is all about." Parenting blogger Jenn-Anne Gledhill says, "you call it wussification, I'm going to go ahead and call it a spiritual awakening." THE TIGER-MOM: Western parents were shocked by Amy Chua's strict Chinese parenting methods: her daughters were forced to practice piano several hours every day; they couldn't have sleepovers or watch TV. Chua even called her own daughter "garbage" once. Is it too extreme? What do Chua's daughters say, now that they're older? We asked them if they even like their mom. GENDER NEUTRAL KIDS: Some parents say kids should choose if they want to be a boy or a girl. Dr. Leonard Sax says it's a grave mistake "to put our heads in the sand and pretend that gender doesn't matter." DELAYED GRATIFICATION: Some psychologists say success on the famous marshmallow tests (can the child delay eating one, to get two treats 15 minutes later?) is the biggest predictor of success in kids' lives. Kids who can delay gratification do much better in life, get better grades in school, make more money, and are happier than those who can't.
Control freaks want to run your life! Here's our show: RISK CORRIDORS: I embarrass myself (again) by dressing up as Uncle Sam and also as FatCat, health insurance company boss. Since it would cost insurance companies too much money to comply with all the new Obamacare standards, Uncle Sam promised to bail them out if they lost money. But shhh! Don't call them ‘bailouts' -those are unpopular! Instead, politicians use the term "risk corridors." THE NANNY STATE: Before I wised up to the idea of individual liberty, Itoo thought regulators should protect people from their own behavior. But-as a consumer reporter-I had no real power. Government does. And sadly government is filled with people just as ignorant and arrogant as I was... and they do use force. "IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO CONTROL THE PEOPLE:" Rep. John Dingell once said "it takes a long time ...to put the legislation together to control people" SPORTS BETTING: Millions of us bet on sports. Governor Chris Christie signed a bill that partially legalizes sports betting in New Jersey, but most politicians only want to legalize betting in casinos and other "state controlled" facilities. And even that goes too far for the control freaks. Shouldn't free people be allowed to do what they want with their own money? MY TAKE: People on the left and right believe government should promote good things... and discourage bad things. But that is just a license for the control-freaks to stick their noses into everything we do. As Frederick Hayek said in "The Fatal Conceit", "The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design."
Many Americans believe in ridiculous things. Here's our show: CLIMATE CATASTROPHE VS. CLIMATE CHANGE: Most people think global warming is a big problem. Secretary of State John Kerry said, "It's warning us. It's compelling us to act. When 97 percent of all scientists agree on anything, we need to listen." But "The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels" author Alex Epstein explains that there's a big difference between climate change and climate catastrophe. Even if we have made the world warmer, climate change deaths are at a record low. Fossil fuels save lives. BLINDLY TRUSTING AUTHORITY: In social contexts, people often ignore reason. When in a room of shills who all purposely give the wrong answer, people actually change their answer just because of what others say. LOOK-ISM? We hear about people being racially biased or sexist, but looks? At ABC, I sent pairs of actors out to apply for the same job with the exact same resume and clothing. The difference was: one was especially good-looking. The other was not. The good-looking people did much better. RAISE THE WAGE! Higher minimum wage sounds reasonable to most Americans, but it makes no economic sense, and hurts some poor people. REASON: Twenty years ago, I wasn't so rational. When neither liberal nor conservative publications made much sense to me, I discovered the libertarian magazine "Reason," which is skeptical of both the left and right. Reason editors Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch (host of "The Independents") say libertarians are more rational than others. MY TAKE: Over a third of Americans believe in ghosts. Just as many people believe in astrology. But dozens of studies have debunked astrology! Astrologists tell people things that apply to everyone, and people also have something called confirmation bias: we tend to focus on the things that are true, but forget the dozens of misses. Astrology is fun, but reason is better.
THE FAILED WAR ON POVERTY: Seven years after LBJ's War on Poverty, the poverty rate stopped falling. Why? Government handouts encouraged poor Americans to become dependent. Teaching a man to be self-reliant helps him far more, and private charities and markets do a much better job of this than government. BIG GOVERNMENT VS. CAPITALISM: There are three ways to help people: Government, charity, or free markets. Markets work better than charity, and charity works better than government, but when I asked people whether government or capitalism helps people more, most said charity or government. If you study the data, its clear markets are superior to charity. CAPITALISM THAT CARES: Another example of how markets work better than government: Obamacare requires everyone to have health insurance, but government-approved insurance distorts the market and raises prices. Fortunately, some medical clinics don't take health insurance. We went to check one of these places out. SLACKTIVISM: By now, we've all heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Lots of people did that and posted it to their Facebook pages. The Ice Bucket Challenge did raise a lot of money, but often people donated nothing. Sumpto.com founder Ben Kosinski calls that "Slacktivism." PRISON UNIVERSITY: 20 years ago President Clinton decided that taxpayers shouldn't be forced to fund college for prisoners through Pell grants. So a charity called Hudson Link stepped in to offer courses. Now it does a much better job than government. Prisoners who were previously uninspired now want to do well. MY TAKE: This is the season for giving. But let's not forget that the people who do the most for the poor are capitalists, honest ones, the majority who create things rather than feeding off government. They do more good for the world than government and the politicians who promise "public service".
We look back at some of my attempts this year to tell the truth. Here's our show: GOVERNMENT WASTE: Politicians say the budget is already "cut to the bone" but they spent nearly $4 trillion this year. That's not bone! Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) retires from Congress soon, which means we will have to bust the politicians' myths without him. CHILD LABOR: We're told sweatshops are cruel. But "Out of Poverty" author Ben Powell says if we really want to help people climb out of poverty, let them work! PORN TO PAY TUITION: Duke University Student "Belle Knox" became a porn star to pay her $60K tuition. When my interview with Knox first aired, many viewers objected, saying I shouldn't condone women "enslaving themselves." But Knox is no slave. She chooses to use her body to make money. She's an adult, and what she does with her body should be her choice. PESSIMISM PORN: The media's dire predictions are almost always wrong. The "experts" in the 70s said the population explosion was unstoppable. Famine was inevitable. Pesticides were going to shorten our lives. Bird flu was going to kill us. The Ice Age was coming back. Acid rain was killing forests. The Y2K computer bug would destroy the economy. Journalist Matt Ridley explains that things have been getting better. CLIMATE CHANGE VS. CLIMATE CATASTROPHE: "The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels" author Alex Epstein points out that climate change deaths are at a record low. Fossil fuels save lives. BIG LOVE: Gay marriage is now more accepted, but why stop there? If you own your own body, why can't you marry two people? Or six? I invited a polygamist family onto the show. WHY THE "SCHTICK?" Several times this year, I humiliated myself by putting on costumes. Why? What we report is often complex, or abstract. I'll use any gimmick to try to explain the ideas. MY TAKE: This year government passed thousands of new laws as usual. Some companies like Uber, Airbnb and EatWith have found ways to dodge the oppressive
TRUST ON THE INTERNET: A website called Task Rabbit now allows people to advertise for things like: someone to come to my house and mop the floor. Or buy my groceries and deliver them. Sounds creepy. Why would I trust a stranger found on the internet? Yet, the free market came up with solutions: It harnessed the power of reputation, and now there are ways to know who to trust on the internet. PRIVATIZE IT: Margaret Thatcher was right. We should trust private companies far more than government: "The right honourable gentleman takes his customary swipe at private enterprise, he can't stand it. He'd rather have nationalization run by politicians who know nothing." MEDICAL ADVICE FROM STRANGERS: A new company called "CrowdMed" advertises: have your medical problems solved... by the crowd. You submit your case... which means listing your medical problems... and offer a reward, usually a few hundred dollars, to anyone who can solve your case. But would you trust an Internet diagnosis like that? Should you? IN BITCOIN WE TRUST? The $20 billion in your wallet says "In God We Trust," but right below that is a picture of the White House. Unfortunately, God is not in charge of preserving the value of the dollar... Politicians are. I don't trust them. They have inflated away the value of currencies in country after country. Thankfully, now, there's a private alternative called Bitcoin. But is it any good? It's price has fallen lately. HOW MUCH TRUST IS TOO MUCH? One coffee shop in North Dakota has no one behind the counter-no one to make sure people pay... they rely on the honor system. STOSSEL'S TAKE: Trust the market, and now -- the reciprocal ratings on the internet.
Goliath was a giant soldier for the Philistine army in the Bible. Now he's more likely a bureaucrat with a tie and a clipboard. And the "Davids" he attacks are mostly entrepreneurs who have the nerve to try to make a buck running a business. GOV'T VS. ENTREPRENEURS: Some "Davids" are fortunate to find help from the Institute for Justice, a law firm that takes their cases for free when government really crosses the line. Increasingly, the institute helps fight "civil forfeiture," which sounds boring, but it's really outrageous: "civil forfeiture is when the police and prosecutors seize property they suspect is connected to a crime. If you are charged with a crime, the government must prove your guilt and provide you an attorney if you can't afford one. But in the upside-down world of civil forfeiture, it's your property that gets charged. You must prove that it isn't guilty." "ALIENABLE" RIGHTS: Most people are not lucky enough to get a free lawyer from the Institute for Justice. Environmental inspectors demanded to search inside the home of Martha Boneta who runs a farm in Virginia. In North Carolina, government regulators told Marty Kotis, owner of Pig Pounder brewery, he couldn't sell his beer at his own restaurants because of laws designed to protect distributors. LET THEM DRIVE! In Las Vegas, one in every three cabbies rips off customers by taking a roundabout route from the airport to the strip. This means a longer trip and a higher fare. Uber has an easy solution to this problem: technology that adjusts your fare within an hour and lets them fire drivers who keep scamming customers. But in Nevada (where politicians are cozy with cab companies) Uber was kicked out of town. Instead, politicians "solve" the problem with clumsy regulations which usually fail. I read about this in this blog post by Blake Ross, founder of Firefox. COPS & CAMERAS: Cop filmer Antonio Buehler was arrested after he videotaped footage of cops abusing people. Recently he was f
I react to Obama's State of the Union from a libertarian perspective. Thursday at 9pm ET on FBN. LIBERTY PANEL: President Obama will apparently offer another laundry list of initiatives that grow government and limit freedom. I discuss the speech with a panel of libertarians: Libertarian Republic founder Austin Petersen, Katherine Mangu-Ward of Reason, and Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute. PRESIDENTIAL SCORECARD: We look back at Obama's first State of the Union to see how well he's kept his promises. Luckily, many have gone nowhere. But what about ones that did? Have any of them actually helped the country? Our libertarian panel weighs in. LIBERAL RESPONSE: Newsday columnist Ellis Henican has supported many of Obama's policies, like executive actions on immigration and easing sanctions on Cuba. Will he like Obama's speech? I debate... MY TAKE: I give the speech I wish Obama would give.
THE POWER OF INNOVATION: We want people to keep coming up with new ideas, but there's a problem: if others can just take your idea and make money from it, why would you spend any time inventing something? BIRTHDAY SUITS: Intellectual property laws are supposed to protect our ideas but they can also be restricting. I can't even sing "Happy Birthday" on air without costing Fox a lot of money since Warner Music owns the rights to the tune. PIRACY: Why call copying "piracy?" Pirates take property from others. Internet "thieves" make copies, but don't "take." Some libertarians say it would be better if America had no copyright or trademark protection laws. I push back. EXPOSING MAGIC TRICKS: Magicians want to protect their own tricks, but patents are public. That means their secrets would get exposed! Magician Rick Lax explains how a magician protects his work. KNOCKOFF ECONOMY: The counterfeit fashion industry is huge. Our producers go undercover in Chinatown . MY TAKE: Libertarian journalist Matt Ridley once said human progress happens when "ideas have sex with each other, and then give birth to new, often better ideas." Trademark and copyright laws make it harder for ideas to "have sex." But I wonder if I would have written books and done TV if publishers, cable subscribers, and advertisers didn't pay for "exclusive right." Some intellectual property laws are a good thing!
Parasites are everywhere! They take your money and your freedom. Here's our show: POLITICAL PREDATORS: Capitalism is great because it's voluntary. Most of the time, people get rich by helping others. But there are some who use government to force people to give them money. David Boaz of the Cato Institute calls this the "parasite economy." BEACH HOUSE BAILOUT: I was once a parasite myself... I fed off you. The government encouraged me to be a parasite, and I took the bait when I built a beach house on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Today I'm smarter and realize this was a scam. LEGAL PARASITES: Personal injury lawyers are high on my list of the worst kind of parasites. They get rich while doing harm and then claim they are helping us. Often they get 40% of the take! EATING AWAY AT EDUCATION: Years ago, these protestors came after me because I criticized the teachers union and its 200 pages of rules: Kids learn less in school because public schools are a government monopoly, and government monopolies don't serve their customers well. Charter schools offer an improvement, but they threaten the teachers union. MY TAKE: For most of history, "experts" said leeches could cure disease. They couldn't really (George Washington died after doctors left leeches on him for 10 hours.) But using them made the experts feel like they were doing something. Similarly, when politicians pass endless rules and spend other people's money, they feel good. They're doing something. But they are parasites.
CONQUERING CAPITALISM: President Obama recently proposed to end our embargo on trade and travel to Cuba. Libertarians say, "This is one time Obama was right. This embargo hasn't worked. It's time to end it!" But some Republicans disagree. A debate... COMMUNISM IS "COOL?" People wear Che Guevara t-shirts. Fools think Che is cool. He once said, "we executed many people by firing squad without knowing if they are fully guilty." That doesn't sound like a very good role model. CAPITALISM UNDER FIRE: Critics of Capitalism like Michael Moore say, "Capitalism is an evil system set up to benefit the few at the expense of the many." Nonsense. Lots of people think capitalism is immoral because it creates income inequality. But so what if some people have more than others? That's part of freedom! And that's moral. SHOPPING IN THE USSR: For ABC, I went to Russia as a consumer reporter. The only place I found any spirit was where people risked their freedom by illegally trying to practice capitalism. DEFENDING COMMUNISM: Jesse Myerson calls himself a communist. He says the system "guarantees jobs and income, the taxation of land value, [and] public options for banking," but he doesn't acknowledge all the death and starvation! I challenge him. MY TAKE: Real capitalism is good because it is voluntary. Transactions happen only when both parties are happy with them. That automatic "thank you-thank you" tells the truth. The relationship is fair--- not because the two parties are "equal" but because capitalism is voluntary, and so nothing gets sold unless each party thinks he came out ahead. The free market is voluntary. Government is force. Voluntary is better.
I'm back in Washington, D.C. for the Students for Liberty conference! 1,500 college students gather to discuss liberty. Here's our show: MY TAKE: Young people sure know more about liberty and life than I did when I was their age. That's good news. CAPITAL FREEDOM: Washington D.C.'s politicians could use a lesson in liberty. But Congressman Justin Amash is an exception because he actually promotes freedom. REAL OR FAKE: Political correctness on campus is now so out of control that people can't even tell what's real or fake. I test the student audience to see if they can tell the difference between real problems and things my staff just made up. CAMPUS COMMUNISTS: In some countries, if you talk about capitalism in the classroom, others physically attack you. GUNS ON CAMPUS: The group Students for Concealed Carry says college is safer when students carry guns. UNDERSTANDING FREE MARKETS: Young people tend to think making money is bad. But Brian Brenberg teaches students that making money helps people.
Sometimes it seems like America is governed by an angry mob. Here's our show: THE LIBERAL MOB: Ann Coulter says "the Democratic Party activates mobs... depends on mobs... coddles mobs... publicizes and celebrates mobs... it is the mob." THE REPUBLICAN MOB: But Democrats say Republicans act like mobs. On balance, I side with Coulter, because I get yelled at by liberal mobs. THE MEAN GREEN MOB: The left does act like a mob when they get hysterical about climate change. Robert Kennedy Jr. says he wants to jail skeptics and treat them like war criminals. POLICE VS. PROTESTERS: After the Ferguson protests, many Americans called the protestors the mob. But others called the police the mob. A debate. BUY AMERICAN: A mob of unions and politicians tells us to "Buy American." But "buying American" does not actually put more Americans to work. KOCH CONSPIRACY: A mob of people hate the Koch brothers, and some say they want to kill them. I defend the Kochs. MY TAKE: You might call me a hypocrite for doing a show criticizing mob rule. After all, in search of ratings, I pander to the mob. But one big difference: I can't force anyone to watch. I have to persuade you. Government is different. Government gets to use force.
RISKY BUSINESS: What's most likely to kill you? ISIS? Not likely. Most people are killed by ordinary things: 5,000 Americans die crossing the street, 4,000 people drown, 300 drown in bathtubs, more than 4,000 Americans choke to death every year, 2,000 die in house fires, stairs kill 1,000 Americans, and every year, 50 children are killed by ordinary, five-gallon buckets. Terrorism kills but (so far) it poses a much smaller threat. Even if 3,000 Americans died every few years, such attacks would be less deadly than choking or drowning. THE GAME OF RISK: What's riskier-walking through an airport scanner or eating a handful of Brazil nuts? The answer might surprise you. I play a new game on my show: Can Fox TV hosts Harris Faulkner, David Asman, and Judge Jeanine Pirro figure out what's riskier than what? FORCED VACCINATIONS: Contagious disease is a special case that justifies government intervention. Stossel thinks parents who don't vaccinate their kids are anti-scientific morons. But since zero Americans have died of measles, it is not yet right for the state to force vaccination. SAFETY VS. FREEDOM: Motorcycles are very dangerous. So should the government force bikers to wear helmets? 19 states do. We libertarians say, that's wrong. Once I'm an adult... I should get to take my own chances, even if I'm a fool. As Milton Friedman said, "Part of freedom is the freedom to be a fool." MY TAKE: In America, thanks to free enterprise, life is pretty good. And every year, Americans live longer.
INEQUALITY IN AMERICA: What is fair? Bill Gates has more than a thousand times the money I do. Robert Downey, Jr. is also rich and better looking and more famous than me. Angelina Jolie is richer and better looking than... most everyone. That's unfair! Obviously we are all different and unequal. And when it comes to unequal money, politicians want to do something about it. Elizabeth Warren says we need to "raise the minimum wage," "address student loans," and give "equal pay for equal work." Will throwing more money at inequality make anything better? My guests debate. GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUNDS: Fox Contributor Tamara Holder complains that they get paid 77 cents on the dollar. But despite what feminists say, women are not actually paid less for the same work. GOOD INTENTIONS GONE BAD: Before the War on Poverty began, blacks were lifting themselves out of poverty. "Please Stop Helping Us" author Jason Riley says progress stopped because today's "welfare policies do not help people develop a work ethic." NET-NEUTRALITY: FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai says the new net neutrality plan will lead to higher prices, slower speeds, and fewer choices. MY TAKE: Instead of talking about fairness, it would be better if we talked about justice: respecting other people, respecting their freedom and their belongings. Then EVERYONE prospers. Real fairness requires limiting government power.
THE "WOUNDED" CITY: Chicago is on fire. Moody's dropped its bond rating to two levels above junk, mostly because they have quickly rising unfunded liabilities. Once they file bankruptcy, Chicago will be the largest municipal bankruptcy in the country's history. THE FALL OF RAHM: Leftist hero Rahm Emmanuel was once the Chief of Staff to the president. Now he is the first mayor in Chicago's history to face a runoff election instead of easily winning re-election. Weirdly, he became unpopular because he did the right thing: he closed bad schools. He may have not been progressive enough for Chicago. His opponent "Chuy" Garcia could be even more irresponsible. GUN VIOLENCE: Chicago has one of the highest gun violence rates in the country. Economist John Lott says it's because the city has some of the strictest gun laws. PAY-TO-PLAY: Corruption in Chicago certainly isn't new. It continues, says Adam Andrzejewski of OpenTheBooks.com. Somehow, investment firms that give money to Emmanuel's campaign are awarded fees to manage the city's money. Somehow, lawyers who give the right politicians money get lucrative contracts from the city. What a coincidence! CHARTER SCHOOLS: One hopeful note in Chicago: almost 20% of the city's high school students now go to charter schools. This may allow a future generation to escape some of the damage done by unionized municipal bureaucracies.
GOVERNMENT MORTAGE COMPLEX: Homeownership is "good for the community" because owners care more about schools and maintaining the neighborhood. Unfortunately, our government thinks if something's good, it ought to require it...or at least subsidize it. And so it does. Now the government owns or guarantees 85% of America's mortgages and approves mortgages backed by down payments as low as 3%. America is on the road to another housing bubble, and crash that will follow. AIRBNB: Lots of people love the new home-sharing companies like Roomarama and Airbnb. Airbnb has more than 6 million users. But whenever there's a new idea, control freaks always say "You've gotta stop that!" GENTRIFICATION: Liberals object to gentrification, and so many other changes that make life better for the poor. TINY HOMES: Tiny homes like the ones in Washington DC are illegal if someone tries to move in. (My guest does live in one). HOMELESSNESS: Homelessness is a big problem, but it's solvable, say politicians. Government will provide affordable housing. And free housing for the truly needy. It's not working. MY TAKE: Affordable housing is a good thing, but politicians who yammer the most about it are often the ones who do the most to keep us from having it. They pass endless zoning rules, safety rules, and anti-discrimination regulations. That's why housing is expensive. It's not because of greedy landlords or homebuilders. It's because of politicians.
Marx said Capitalism means destruction. Schumpeter said Marx was right, but it's creative destruction. INNOVATION: We like our smart phones, but did you ever think about what they destroyed? I put together a list: Phone Books, Books, Snail Mail, Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Notepads, Calendars, Business Cards, Address Book/Rolodexes, Record Players, Cassette Players, Boom Boxes, Radios, Walkmen, Mp3 Players, Voice Recorders, Tape recorders, Cameras, Photo Albums, VCRs, DVDs, TV Video Game Systems, Video Cameras, Fax Machines, Maps, Compasses, GPS Units, Alarm Clocks, Stop Watches, Calculators, Flashlight, Levels, Egg Timers, Remote Controllers Now it's all in one iPhone. What a bargain! FUTURE OF MUSIC: When I was born, people listened to music on phonographs. Then came cassette tapes, CDs and MP3s. Now people stream music off the internet. Companies like Napster paved the way for listening to music online. The music industry got politicians to declare that "illegal." ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: With the invention of automation and robots, could human beings become irrelevant? I look how Hollywood tries to imagine the robot-dominated future: THE LAST OF THE 6%? Real estate brokers still charge a 6% commission. This is one profession that so far has resisted most creative destruction. Increasingly, however, people have found new and better ways to buy and sell homes. Redfin is an internet real estate brokerage who gives money back to buyers. CASH IS TRASH? I often pay in cash...or credit cards. How primitive, I'm told! We explore what could replace my outdated modes of payment. IMPROVING EDU : If any industry is ripe for creative destruction, it's education. Education's barely improved in 200 years because it's dominated by governments and unions. Today, some kids have more innovative... cooler... ways to learn.
WAR ON RELIGION: Some of my Fox colleagues say Christianity is under attack, but I don't see much of that. America is a Christian country. Compared to other countries, religion thrives. 90% of Americans believe in God. 40% say they go to church every week. In France and Germany, fewer than 10% go. In Denmark, 3%. INDIANA LAW: Opponents of Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act say it discriminates against gays. Others say it's a matter of religious freedom. I say it should be about individual freedom. All debate. SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE: Most Americans believe in separation of church and state. But in some towns, the 10 commandments are posted conspicuously in front of courthouses. "In God We Trust" is written all over our currency. Is this wrong? It turns out that "separation of church and state" is mentioned nowhere in the Constitution. My guests debate. DESECRATING THE SACRED: In Texas, the Lipan Apache Indian tribe has celebrated its religion for thousands of years by conducting a ceremony that includes wearing eagle feathers. Eagles are no longer endangered, and anyway, the tribe doesn't use feathers from live birds. Nevertheless, the Fish and Wildlife service raided the tribe and confiscated feathers because the tribe didn't have a permit for feathers. "For the government to take those feathers away is like ripping the heart out of their religion" says Kristina Arriaga of the Becket Fund. BIRTH CONTROL: Our current big-government president says he believes in freedom of religion. But that didn't stop his functionaries from forcing Christian groups that believe birth control is murder to pay for birth control pills and morning-after pills for their employees. BLUE LAWS: Depending on what state you're in, you may not be allowed to buy alcohol on Sunday. That's because "blue laws" say Sunday should be a day of worship. But not all religions worship on Sunday. Blue laws blur the appropriate relationship between church and state. FREE-MA
Who will be the next president? Here's our show: LIBERTY ON THE BALLOT: We libertarians believe: "government that governs best--governs least". So what does this election mean for liberty? Matt Welch of Reason rates the candidates. PREDICTION MARKETS: Pollsters and pundits claim they know who will win, but they have been so wrong often. Prediction markets have a much better track record because people put their money where their mouth is. Our repressive government has banned most American prediction markets, saying they're "contrary to the public interest." Nonsense. At least foreign predictions markets still exist. Betfair, based in Britain, gives these odds on our Presidential election: GOP PRIMARY Bush 31.59% Walker 18.09% DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Clinton 78.82% Warren 6.34% WORLD'S SMALLEST POLITICAL QUIZ: Advocates for Self-Government scored each candidate on a political quiz that shows where they fall on this graph. The results are surprising. You can take the quiz at http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz/quiz.php to see where you fall. FAITH IN POLITICS: All today's presidential candidates say they believe in God. But some make a bigger deal of it than others. Stossel looks at candidates who want to limit freedom for the sake of their religious values. Huckabee and Santorum want government to ban same sex marriage and abortion. TEA PARTY: Fox contributor Monica Crowley says, because of the Tea Party, Republicans now fight harder for smaller government. Candidates considered "Tea Party candidates" are Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Rick Perry. They sure talk a good game... GOVERNORS: Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson ran for president as a libertarian in 2012 and got 1.3 million votes. Stossel says he would have been a good president. Johnson rates four current governors who want to be President: Scott Walker of Wisconsin, John Kasich of Ohio, Chris Christie of New Jersey, and Mike Pence of Indiana.
JOBS, JOBS, JOBS: I'm sick of politicians saying they create jobs. Government can create the conditions where job growth happens, but government doesn't produce real jobs. Fox's Juan Williams disagrees. JOB CREATION: So who does create jobs? Sadly, Americans have no idea. But the correct answer is: entrepreneurs, business owners, companies! MINIMUM WAGE: Workers demand higher pay, and most Americans support a higher minimum wage-even Republicans! But how high? I asked people...One person said $50! RIGHT TO WORK: Wisconsin recently became the 25th state to adopt right-to-work legislation. Steve Moore of the Heritage Foundation explains why right-to-work laws are great. FIRST JOBS: My first job was as a deckhand on a sailboat. It paid me nothing but it taught me responsibility. My colleagues at Fox had similar experiences in crummy first jobs. THANKS GOVERNMENT! Fewer people dare to start a business today because they can't even understand the rules. Government keeps adding rules. Millions lose jobs because of government regulations. ENDING THE 9 to 5: 9 to 5 jobs might be a thing of the past, says Dan Schawbel of WorkplaceTrends.com. MY TAKE: I asked people if they'd work if they didn't need the money. Most people said, yes! But lots of people don't work because they get paid more for not working! Our well-intended welfare state taught many people that work is for suckers. That's a terrible message.
POLITICAL SPEECH: I long for the day when a politician runs a campaign ad that speaks the truth... Instead, politicians use words like “Free” when they really mean “Give away taxpayer money”. Or “Single Payer” when they really mean “Forced Monopoly”. Every politician obsesses over what he should say when he speaks. Which words will move people? "What will get people to like me?" Frank Luntz arranges focus groups that help decipher what these words are. He tells Stossel how it works. CLINTON SCANDAL MANUAL: The Clintons have been at the center of a lot of scandals (sex with interns, the Whitewater scandal, deaths in Benghazi, their dubious charity, and most recently, violation of State Department email rules.) Yet, they've largely gone unpunished. The Clintons must have a Scandal Manual that helps them escape punishment: Lie or deny scandal allegations, parse the truth, and confuse the press. POLITICANS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS: Political gaffes can often make or break a politician's campaign: Senator George Allen never recovered after he referred to a cameraman with the racial term "Macaca." I discuss the repercussions of some famous gaffes with comedian Tom Shillue. MY TAKE: Orwell wrote, "Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable. They give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." It's another reminder of why we ought to keep government's powers limited.
What should you do when you disagree with the law? MY TAKE: Government's endless rules strangle everyone. They delay lots of great innovation, and they will kill our future. What should we do about it? Charles Murray, in a new book says, break some rules! BALTIMORE RIOTS: I call that ‘rioting.' But Kevin Powell calls it ‘civil disobedience.' "LEFT" OUT? We tend to think civil disobedience is done by people on the left (draft resisters of the anti-Vietnam War movement, Martin Luther King and civil rights, and more recently, the silly people of Occupy Wall Street.) But conservatives were big supporters of Cliven Bundy and his rancher friends when they said the federal government can't touch Bundy's cattle! WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE THAT TEST: Thousands of parents are breaking rules by resisting standardized tests they don't want their kids to take. They just let their kids sit out of required exams. They call it "opting out." ESPIONAGE: Edward Snowden saw spying from the NSA he thought was wrong and so he leaked it. Some call him a traitor; others say he's a hero. CONFLICT OF INTEREST MYTH: My brother Tom Stossel, a Harvard doctor and researcher, complains that endless "conflict of interest" rules banning cooperation between business and medical researchers stops medical innovation. "Pharmaphobia" is his new book about it.
WATCH YOUR MOUTH! It's hard to stay out of trouble because the PC police are so aggressive about what words are acceptable. AMERICA, THE OFFENDED: Do you know the politically correct word for someone who is ugly? Fat? Producer Rikki Ratliff went to Times Square to give people a politically correct quiz. OH NO YOU DIDN'T! What is the politically correct term for blacks? Columnist Deroy Murdock says "African-American" is an awful term, and only people obsessed with race use it. VERY FUNNY : One weapon against the speech police has been comedy. A joke is often funny because it breaks the rules. "The Death of Cool" author Gavin McInnes says political correctness smothers comedy. ACADEMIC CENSORSHIP: College is supposed to prepare you for the real world. But college is anything but the real world. Students are coddled and university administrators jump through hoops not to offend them. OFFICE SENSITIVITY: We have to be careful what we say to our co-workers. How careful? One article explains: You must never use "man" words like "man-power." You must say "work-power" or "staff." You must never say "manmade," it's "synthetic." MY TAKE: I made a career of confronting people, and sometimes that means saying offensive things. I say nasty things sometimes because sometimes truth comes out of it. We learn through confrontation. Science blossomed in America because here, no central authority, no governor, no judge, no Imam can tell people: You may not say that! Ideas compete for acceptance and usually... eventually... better ideas win.
MY TAKE: Congratulations Class of 2015! You probably wasted up to $200,000. IS COLLEGE NECESSARY? People talk about the importance of college. Politicians encourage people to get a college education. President Obama proposed making community college "free". Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to make tuition at four-year public colleges and universities "free"! But "free" just means taxpayers pay. Why should they? Should everyone go to college? No! For a lot of students, college is a scam. ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER? Do college students get their money's worth? I quiz recent graduates of expensive, top level colleges to see if they answer questions that are part of today's 5th grade curriculum. Here's one question a lot of people get wrong: During which war did Francis Scott Key write The Star Spangled Banner? a. Revolutionary War b. Civil War c. War of 1812 d. World War I Most people assume the answer is A. But it's actually C. COMMENCEMENT ADDRESSES: I weigh in on the best and worst commencement addresses of 2015. THE COLLEGE ALTERNATIVE: Peter Thiel pays people NOT to go to college, to start a business instead. GOVERNMENT LOAN SCAM: Government's student aid has created a tuition bubble. The price goes up because government pays. Some colleges spend that money on things like rock walls, and a "Day Spa."
WHAT IS ‘SOCIAL JUSTICE?' The left constantly praises "social justice," but I don't know what it means. Hillary Clinton says: "Spread those resources!" If I oppose that, am I for social injustice? To me, "social justice" means government stealing from some people to give to others, and bossing everyone around. WAL-MART: One of the social justice movement's biggest enemies is Wal-Mart, but most Americans are clueless about the benefits everybody gets from Wal-Mart. SLAVERY: Some people believe that slavery gave American capitalists a head start because they didn't have to pay for workers. But economist Don Boudreaux says the opposite is true... capitalism destroyed slavery. WITHOUT MARKETS: Once it became clear that Hugo Chavez's "21st Century Socialism" wasn't working, I thought American leftists would be embarrassed by their early enthusiasm... but no! SCIENCE & REASON: Author Michael Shermer says it's odd that now some people complain that there's no social justice when "we're living in the most moral period in human history." MY TAKE: Markets, in which individuals, not just rulers, have property rights, give people options. Businesses have an incentive to serve as many people as possible, regardless of gender or ethnic group. They also have an incentive to be nice --customers are more likely to trade with people who treat them fairly. Everyone gets to choose his own path. That's justice.
When you deal with government, almost nothing is easy. Here's our show: THAT WAS EASY! Government could take a lesson from Staples. When Staples changed its business model and worked at making shopping simple, its profit went up 18% and its share price increased $37% because its customers were happier. But when consumers deal with government, few are happy, and little is simple. SAVINGS BONDS: It should be easy to buy a savings bond. Billions were sold (they helped pay for WWII); but now government makes it so difficult! POLITICAL SPEECH: Are Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Chris Christie and John Kasich running for president? Of course they are! Everyone knows it, but they won't admit it because if they do, bureaucrats subject them to all sorts of restrictions and strangle their fundraising. HIRING HASSLE: With politicians' talk about job creation, you would hope government would make it easy to hire people. But the opposite is true. There are a thousand questions you may not ask when hiring someone... "how long have you been working?" or "how tall are you?" could get you into big trouble. LICENSING LIABILITIES: Politicians also kill opportunity by forcing entrepreneurs to run through a maze of licensing laws. INSANE GUN LAWS: Since people sometimes threaten to kill me, I thought it would be a good idea to get a gun. NYC's government makes that hard. STOSSEL IN THE CLASSROOM: I run an essay contest for my non-profit organization. This year's winner is Raelynn Rhodes, who wrote about the burden of regulation on her dog treat business. She writes: "In a free economy, if I made a bad dog treat, word would have spread, and people would not have continued to buy them. Wouldn't that be a simple way to weed out people who make bad dog treats?" MY TAKE: For bureaucrats, the maze of regulations works. It makes them powerful. But for the rest of us, it makes life hard!
One can love nature but still hate the tyranny the green movement imposes. SHUTTING DOWN PROGRESS: America is blessed with abundant resources but cursed with boneheaded regulators. Now the EPA has been caught colluding with environmental activists to shut down a mine in Alaska. The Green Tyrants say the mine might hurt fish, but the fish are 90 miles away. Stossel asked Bob Deans of the Natural Resources Defense Council, "are any mines okay?" He didn't name one that the NRDC would approve. Green Tyrants opposed to the Keystone pipeline say it will never be finished. Even if President Obama finally approves it, they say, "we will tie it up in court, and get in the way of construction crews." It makes Stossel wonder why anyone would try to build anything big today. "NIMBY" used to be the chant (Not In My BackYard!). Now it's "BANANA" (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anybody). THE CHURCH OF CLIMATE CHANGE: Global warming alarmism has turned into hysteria. Yes, the globe has warmed. Climate changes! We can adjust to it. But climate scientists who dare say that, like Judith Curry of Georgia Tech, are shunned as heretics. SEAWORLD: The CNN film "Blackfish" says SeaWorld cruelly imprisons killer whales. SeaWorld's attendance and stock price dropped after they ran the film repeatedly. SeaWorld wouldn't speak to the "Blackfish" producers, but they did speak to us. We investigated and learned that much of "Blackfish" is utter deceit. PROPAGANDA: "There may be no alternative but to cancel Christmas!" threatens Santa in a Greenpeace video on global warming. Hollywood runs propaganda that tells kids: global warming will kill you! Kids are scared. ZERO IMPACT: All the trash Lauren Singer produced in 2 years fits inside a mason jar. She proudly lives a "sustainable lifestyle." This makes her feel "empowered," but such "extreme recycling" is a pointless gimmick only indulged in by privileged people in rich countries--countries made rich by fossil fuels that
"POLITICAL" SCIENCE: Both sides of the political spectrum accuse the other of being anti-science. The left says the right ignores global warming, denies evolution, and wants to ban stem-cell research. On the other hand, the right says the left leads ridiculous campaigns against vaccines, GMOs, plastics, and artificial sweeteners. JUNK SCIENTISTS: "Experts" like Al Gore, Bill Nye, and Neil deGrasse Tyson spout off all the time about climate change but they have almost no qualifications when it comes to climate science. FOOD MYTHS: Ladies...want to look like Beyoncé? She says you too can have her body-- thanks to her new all-vegan meal plan. But is a diet with absolutely no meat, dairy, or eggs really healthy? Some fad diets aren't. GMOs: Lots of people are scared of them. The left says don't fool with Mother Nature, but people have been fooling with nature forever, and GMOs help feed millions of people. A LIBERTARIAN NIGHTMARE? Government quietly adds a chemical to our drinking water: fluoride. It does prevent cavities, but we can get fluoride in toothpaste now. Is it right for the government to add chemicals? MY TAKE: I used to think I could learn unbiased info by consulting "impartial" scientists. I'm less naïve now. Scientists too have ulterior motives, like money. And scientists are just as interested in promoting themselves as everyone else. Let's be very skeptical when they say, give us your money and your freedom, so we can protect you.
CHANGE FOR A $10? The Treasury plans to put a woman on the $10 bill. We don't know who, but people we asked in Times Square still seemed excited about the decision. I feel bad about Alexander Hamilton's demotion. He was a big deal: he helped pass our new Constitution, fought in the American Revolution, rescued the country from debt, and founded the New York Post. Most people don't know this. SHOW ME THE MONEY! Economics confuses people. That's why John Tamny uses entertaining stories from sports, movies, and pop culture to explain basic economics in his new book "Popular Economics: What the Rolling Stones, Downton Abbey, and LeBron James Can Teach You about Economics." UNEQUAL PAYCHECKS: Hillary Clinton complains "the top 25 hedge fund managers mak[e] more than all of America's kindergarten teachers combined." I say, "so what," and explain how the market sets wages. ZERO SAVINGS: 3 out of 5 Americans have no savings, and the average household owes more than $7,000 on their credit cards. Radio host Dave Ramsey counsels people on how to better manage their money. CASH ONLY: Crystal Paine has never used a credit card and avoids debt by paying for everything in cash. GOING BROKE: Politicians should also learn how to manage taxpayers' money. Even though America's $18 trillion debt keeps increasing, many politicians insist on more spending. MY TAKE: Let's eliminate the Washington monopoly on printing money. Let private currencies, like bitcoin or Dogecoin, compete for your business. Choice is always better!
FALSE IDOLS: Who are your heroes? One poll asked Americans that question, and many people said politicians. What's heroic about what they do? Many are self-serving panderers who say anything to win. Once elected, they dole out favors and money to their cronies. HEROES IN THE MEDIA: The media is supposed to be objective but left-wing media fawn over big-government politicians. BUSINESS OWNERS: Some of the most unheralded heroes are people who start businesses. Entrepreneur Michael Cole of Mikey Likes It Ice Cream risked his own money, works harder than a lot of us, and could still fail like most new businesses. EDUCATION FREEDOM: Kelley Williams-Bolar was arrested when she tried to give her daughters a better education. She claimed a different residency to get her daughters into a better school district. COMBATTING COMMUNISM: Larry Reed of the Foundation for Economic Education went to dozens of countries to spread subversive ideas about freedom. THE AUDIENCE SAYS: Is Edward Snowden a hero? The audience weighs in with their opinion of some of America's most controversial figures. MY TAKE: Milton Friedman once said, "There have to be people who step up to the plate, who believe in liberty, and who are willing to fight for it." And I agree, you are a hero too, if you do!
I debate whether the American Dream is still achievable in front of thousands of people at FreedomFest in Las Vegas. THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN VEGAS: Steve Wynn, who has been called "The master builder of Las Vegas" is clearly living the dream with several mega- resorts around the world. He says the American Dream is alive and well in Silicon Valley. But he still trashes some of their products. I confront him about that. WHOLE FOODS: Government's anti-monopoly prosecution is another obstacle to the Dream. John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods, was sued by the Federal Trade Commission for being a monopolist, but "you don't need the government to protect people from monopolies, because the market protects people from monopolies." MINORITIES: It's much easier for whites to make it because minorities face racism and discrimination. Not true!...says Star Parker of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE: Grover Norquist is more optimistic about the American Dream than I am. He points to the growth of home-schooling, school-choice, and other reductions of government control in the states as evidence that advocates of small government can win. MY TAKE: America is a country where if you try something and fail, that's okay. We know about Thomas Edison's success with the lightbulb, but few people know that Edison failed much more often. Henry Ford's first company failed completely. Dr. Seuss' first book was rejected by 27 publishers. Oprah was fired from her first job as a reporter, and a TV station called her "unfit for TV". So when I say, "idiot government regulation and high taxes are killing opportunity," ignore me and prove me wrong!
I explain why our legal system is a mess. We have a live audience. WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS: Now that DNA evidence is more available, we know that lots of people are locked up for things they didn't do. I talk to an audience member who served 16 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. EYEWITNESS EXAM: Are eyewitness reports actually reliable? Probably not. I secretly have an intern steal something from my desk. Will the audience properly identify the "thief?" STUPID LAWS: One reason our legal system is such a mess is because politicians don't think they're doing their job unless they're passing more laws! Philadelphia requires bloggers to purchase a $400 license. Milwaukee says you need a license to go out of business. UBER TAKEDOWN: Because ridesharing services like Uber are better, they are destroying the taxi monopoly. That makes the taxi business and their friends in government angry. WACKY WARNING LABELS: Companies are so afraid of lawsuits they routinely include absurd labels: a bag of frozen catfish pieces warns: "Contains fish." A toy that looks like the Easter Bunny warns: "This toy is in no way intended to represent living people." It doesn't protect them. It doesn't protect us, either. The Stossel audience picks the $1000 winner of the Wacky Warning Label Contest. MY TAKE: Lawyers can help you make things right! But lawyers rarely mention the nasty unintended side-effects of their lawsuits: we all pay more for everything, we all drown in stupid law, and we're deprived of good things.
Politicians lie. My audience and I call "Liar, Liar!" IMMIGRATION INVENTIONS: Ann Coulter says that leftist politicians lie about immigration and want to turn America into a "Third World Hellhole." ECONOMIC UNTRUTHS: President Obama promised if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor. Economics professor Art Carden discusses politicians' lies about stadiums, the gender pay gap, Walmart and government spending. LIES AND LAWLESSNESS: Does gun ownership lead to more homicides, suicides and accidental deaths? Is rape rampant on campus? The media certainly says so. John Lott weighs in. HILLARY'S FIBS: Some of the Left's greatest lies are told by the woman who's most likely to become our next president. So far, she's gotten away with it. Liar, liar, pantsuit on fire! CONSERVATIVE CONCOCTIONS: Conservatives lie too. Rick Ungar of Forbes.com says the Right lies about Medicare, the minimum wage, global warming and more. I make him prove it. A LIE: Do politicians actually lie? For a statement to be a lie the person has to purposely say something they know isn't true. What some people call a lie is simply ignorance or wishful thinking. Usually politicians talk about beliefs. And many believe foolish things.
Life needs rules, but sometimes we're better off when if some people break some rules. Here's our show: HOUSE RULES: Today's most famous successful rule breakers are the "sharing economy" companies like Uber and Airbnb. They keep gaining happy customers but most everywhere they go, established companies get mad because they must obey the rules. Some cities ban Airbnb. We sent producer Rikki Ratliff to visit one. STREET VANDAL ATTACKS CLINTON HQ: Conservative street artist Sabo plastered some provocative anti-HIllary posters outside of her campaign headquarters in Brooklyn. Usually "street art" is associated with the left but Sabo defies that rule and says he wants to be "mean, nasty, and just as bad as Bill Maher." His artwork around Los Angeles sure is close. RULING THE NEW MEDIA: You used to need an agent or record company to become a Hollywood hotshot, but now teenagers found a way around the traditional rule-makers and make millions of dollars posting their own videos on YouTube. RULEBREAKER AWARDS: Entrepreneur Mike Michalowicz honors innovators who defy convention by giving prizes to winners of what he calls "The RuleBreaker Awards." MY TAKE: The rule breakers on this show have done great things, but they're nothing compared to the original rule breakers, our Founding Fathers. They broke rules to give us our rights. Today we need to rebel again, no longer against kings or the church, but against the regulatory state.
Who will you vote for? Who's likely going to win? Here's our show: MY TAKE: I made my list of the best and worst possible presidents: Rand Paul (R) Gary Johnson (Libertarian) Carly Fiorina (R) Jeb Bush (R) Ted Cruz (R) Scott Walker (R) Rick Perry (R) Marco Rubio (R) John Kasich (R) Ben Carson (R) Bobby Jindal (R) Jim Webb (D) George Pataki (R) Donald Trump (R) Lawrence Lessig (D) Chris Christie (R) Martin O'Malley (D) Lindsey Graham (R) Lincoln Chafee (D) Rick Santorum (R) Jim Gilmore (R) Bernie Sanders (Ind./D/Socialist) Joe Biden (D) Hillary Clinton (D) Mike Huckabee (R) Jill Stein (Green) I acknowledge that my list is imperfect; it's based on how much a candidate seems to want to micromanage our lives and involve us in foreign wars PRESIDENTIAL TRACK RECORDS: Pundits bloviate non-stop about minute differences in the candidate's mannerisms; they follow the polls breathlessly. But on this show, we look at politicians' actual track records and their actual plans. Stossel gets help from a fair and balanced panel: libertarian Matt Welch of reason magazine, conservative Mary Katherine Ham of Hot Air, and liberal Ellis Hennican of Newsday. SPENDING: For me, spending is the biggest issue. All the candidates say: "I'm going to be responsible." The governors running actually have a track record we can compare. Jeb Bush did the best. IMMIGRATION: In his presidential announcement, Donald Trump attacked Mexican immigrants, and his popularity exploded. Is this how most Americans feel? Our panel analyzes. SEX, DRUGS, AND GUNS: How are the candidates on social issues? I say all drugs should be legal, but the Republican candidates are all against me on that. DEMOCRATIC RACE: The media claim the race for the Democratic presidential nomination is getting tighter, and Hillary is no longer a shoe in, but is that true? Our panel weighs in on which Democrat is best, and worst.
Free markets solve all kinds of problems. Here's our show: DROUGHT SHAMING: California's water shortage has less to do with rainfall than bad government. The media shame JLo...Hugh Hefner... Jessica Simpson...Julia Roberts... and Jennifer Aniston for using lots of water to keep their lawns green. But shaming won't make much difference. Californians waste water because politicians don't allow water companies to price water according to its scarcity. The best solution is an actual free market where people pay more for a scarce resource. FREE HUNTING: Hunting animals for money, even animals like Cecil the lion, is a better way to protect endangered species than banning hunting. PRIVATE ARMIES: National defense is a job for government, but Matthew VanDyke runs a private militia called "Sons of Liberty International." His volunteers fight ISIS terrorists. They, and private contractors, often do a better job than government. LABOR SHORTAGES: We hear about lots of scares over shortages of certain workers. The latest is a pilot shortage scare. What should we do about it? Absolutely nothing! The market will work it out. FREE-MARKET HEALTHCARE: The Surgery Center in Oklahoma says... "We don't take insurance!" and posts prices on their wall. That allowed them to lower prices so much that they attract people from thousands of miles away. PRIVATE COURTS: Judge Alex Ferrer arbitrates outside the government court system. 78 percent of lawyers say arbitration is more efficient than government run courts. MY TAKE: Extreme poverty and fighting for survival was life for billions of people.... for thousands of years. But Since 1990, the number of people living in extreme poverty has been cut in half. A billion people who once lived like that no longer do. This is the biggest unpublicized story of the century. Thanks to the magic of the free market, a billion people are no longer miserably poor.
Why do borders matter? Here's our show: EUROPE'S REFUGEES: What will Europe do about the thousands of Syrian refugees? Did America cause the crisis by going into Iraq? BORDER WARS: Most presidential candidates say "seal the border!" What's possible? Who is right? STATE BORDER: We assume there's something natural about borders between countries and states, but some division are insane. Part of Idaho is in Montana because a legislator got drunk. Part of Kentucky is in Tennessee because iron ore confused surveyors' compasses. Utah was made smaller because the U.S government hated polygamy. STATES' RIGHTS: States are often called "laboratories of democracy" because they allow experiments. States are doing that now with issues like marijuana and school choice. With gay marriage, however, The Supreme Court said that states must be told what to do. OPEN BORDERS?: Jeffrey Tucker of Laissez Faire Books argues that we should have NO border controls. That was the law in America until the Immigration Act of 1882 banned "idiots, lunatics, convicts and persons likely to become a public charge." Stossel and Tucker debate. MY TAKE: The border would be easier to secure if America were not also fighting a drug war. The War on Drugs has destroyed entire parts of Latin America and provided funds to the smugglers who sneak people North. If there were a clear benefit to the drug war, you might say it was worth it. Instead, it yields death, dislocation of populations, and funds murderous cartels that dig tunnels beneath our border walls.
Government is like a control freak "friend" who wants to manipulate all aspects of your life. It's time to break it off with government! Here's our show: LOVE GOV: The Independent Institute and Emergent Order's video series "Love Gov" portrays federal government as an overbearing boyfriend named Gov whose "good intentions" ultimately ruin his girlfriend Alexis' life. OBAMACARE: Like Gov, Obamacare is premised on the idea that government knows what's best for you. Leftist radio host Richard Fowler says it actually does. He and I debate. NSA SPYING: Anna and Peter Smith sued President Obama to stop its surveillance program. They've passed their first legal hurdle and reached an appeals court. They discuss their suit with me. But I don't agree with libertarians! I think bulk data collection may be okay. AID TO HOMEOWNERS: President Obama, the FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac blow more air into the next housing bubble. The Reason's Foundation's Anthony Randazzo explains why this is a scam that benefits rich people while hurting taxpayers. BUSINESS REGULATIONS: Jared Meyer of the Manhattan Institute says business regulations hurt employment and keep out competition. MY TAKE: Americans need the courage to break it off with government!
VICTIMS ON THE LEFT: Democrats say Americans are victims because they aren't paid enough, minorities are abused, women, children , older people are abused, etc. The villain is corporate America, and the solution is more government. VICTIMS ON THE RIGHT: Republicans say Americans are victims because immigrants take their jobs, the Supreme Court doesn't honor our values, the culture is corrupt, crime is rising (it isn't), and the solution is a different government. Reason Magazine's Katherine Mangu Ward and talk show host David Webb discuss America's victim culture. CAMPUS VICTIM CULTURE: Microaggressions are the new "offense" on campus. It's a microaggression to say to an Asian person, "You must be good at math." It's even a microaggression to say, "America is a melting pot." Greg Lukianoff from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education talks about absurd examples he has come across while covering campus censorship. RACE: If there's any group that has a right to claim victimhood in America, it's blacks. But black conservative Kira Davis says "we don't need help from the outside." REAL VICTIMS: 21 year old North Korean escapee Yeonmi park tells the story of how she escaped "the worst place on Earth." She explains how she learned about black markets, capitalism, and what it means to be truly free. MY TAKE: Am I a victim? I was born a stutterer. Had today's disability laws existed when I began work, I may not have fought to overcome my stuttering and would have just stopped working and collected a government disability check. So it's good today's disability laws didn't exist then, because I pushed through and mastered speaking.
"HONEST" POLITICIANS: Authenticity has become the buzzword this presidential election. So I asked people, "Are politicians real? Or fake?" The politician most often named as "not fake" was Donald Trump. I debate "real vs fake" with Presidential historian David Greenberg and Real Clear Politics' Rebecca Berg. WAR OVERSEAS: Presidential candidate Lindsey Graham wants more military spending and troops sent to more countries. How will he pay for it? Do our troops create more problems than they solve? Did they create ISIS? Graham and I debate. IMMIGRATION: Some Republican Presidential candidates say immigrants take American jobs. Is that true? Economist Ben Powell, author of "The Economics of Immigration" says it's true but misleading. People confuse the "seen" and the "unseen." In the long run, immigrants create more jobs than they take. WAR ON COPS: Many in the media say "there's a war on cops!" People believe more cops are being killed, but actually, that's not true. Nevertheless, police officers face new obstacles. Former NYPD Lt./Commander Joe Cardinale talks about whether the war on cops is real. WAR ON WOMEN: Democrats talk about the Republican "War on Women," but how much of that is a political myth? Do women have a right for government to pay for their birth control? Abortions? I don't think so. MY TAKE: I get heat from libertarians because I don't hate the NSA data-mining. But am I naïve? Look what government did to Jason Chaffetz: the congressman once was turned down for a job at the Secret Service, and after he upset them, dozens of people at the Secret Service accessed and gossiped about his personal information. Then someone leaked it. No one at the Secret Service has been prosecuted for this. Government grows, abuses power, and rarely apologizes. That's political reality.
America is the first country to say to its people: all of you have a right to speak. But today speech is under siege. ISLAM: Americans fear speaking about Islam - and with good reason. Ten cartoonists were recently murdered for drawing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. Other critics have been shot, firebombed, and hacked to death. I interview people brave enough to speak out, like Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who is on an Al Qaeda "Wanted Dead or Alive" hit list, and Bosch Fawstin, who won the "Draw Mohammad" cartoon event in Garland, Texas that was attacked by Islamic gunmen. They argue that if Americans want freedom, everyone must refuse to be censored by violent extremists. CAMPUS CENSORSHIP: Students today are kept away from words and ideas they may find disturbing. "The Silencing" author, Kirsten Powers, says colleges are "ground zero" in the fight for free speech, but George Mason Professor Jeremy Mayer says complaints about censorship are right wing paranoia. Powers also argues that leftists have gone from opposing censorship to supporting it. They even attack their own for stepping outside left-wing orthodoxy; people who say the wrong thing lose jobs. HOME RAIDS: In Wisconsin, police raided the homes of political activists, accusing them of illegal "collusion" with campaign staffs. Authorities confiscated their computers and cell phones, and ordered them (and their children!) not to speak to anyone about the raids. Recently Wisconsin's Supreme Court revoked the speech ban, saying prosecutors "employed theories of law that did not exist." But by then, Republican activists had been silenced for 5 years. VICTIMS: The former CEO of Mozilla Brendan Eich, Pax Dickinson of Business Insider, Paula Deen of the Food Network, and real estate entrepreneurs David and Jason Benham all lost jobs because of something they said. MY AND MARK STEYN'S TAKE: Mark Steyn was prosecuted by the Canadian government for criticizing Islam. He spent his own money defending his right
Failure is good! Here's the Stossel show THE "F" WORD: Lots of people treat "failure" like a bad word, but it's not! Success is "fueled by failure," says former Olympian and NFL wide receiver Jeremy Bloom. Lots of people failed miserably before they became successful. He says when you fail, it's important to be a "bouncer", not a "splatter." WINNERS NEVER QUIT: Steve Jobs, JK Rowling, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and several others only got there because they first failed, but then learned from their failures. Hershey's first two chocolate stores failed. Henry Ford's first company went broke. Walt Disney's first cartoon company declared bankruptcy. But they all tried again. ADDICTED TO FAILURE: Government fails again and again and doesn't learn from its failures. Politicians don't have to! Unlike entrepreneurs, who put their own money on the line, politicians spend ours! FAILING OUR KIDS: Kids don't need so much protection from failure. Let them fail so they can learn how to succeed! MEDICAL MISTAKES: Science experiments fail all the time, and we're better off for it! If scientists didn't make mistakes, we wouldn't have Penicillin, X-Ray machines, rubber, nylon, Velcro, Viagra, Rogaine, or NutraSweet. MY TAKE: My first business failed. I invented the first Facebook. I succeeded on 20/20, but 20/20's first show was such a failure, the boss fired the hosts the next day. Eventually I failed at 20/20, because I couldn't talk my bosses into doing more stories he called, "predictable libertarian propaganda." So I left. Failure? Hardly. It's what allowed me to come to Fox and do this show.
MY TAKE: I once got into an argument with the hosts "Outnumbered" after government issued a warning about the "incredibly transmissible" disease Ebola. The media was shrieking, "Are Hospitals Ready?" and all four women were alarmed. Government must do something! I pushed back. We're terrified by threats, like Ebola. Fear is a friend of the state. Because when people get frightened, they willingly give money and power to politicians and bureaucrats. Government steals more money and freedom every time people get scared. NATION IN FEAR: What do you fear? I ask people in Times Square. Most did not mention things we in the news media usually talk about. Why are people afraid of snakes or spiders? What happens to our brains when we become scared? "Fear sociologist" Margee Kerr explains the science behind fear and why fear can be a good thing! I have my own fears tested when I hold a snake. We also sent producer Rikki Ratliff to an amusement park of horrors to try to find out why people pay 30 dollars to be frightened. "SCARCE" RESOURCES: The world is running out of oil, food and water! So claim the environmental left and clueless politicians. James Taylor of the Heartland Institute explains how, thanks to the genius of human innovation, we will have oil, food and water for years to come. FOOD SCARES: For the past 50 years, we've been told that we shouldn't eat saturated fat. But oops! Now research says saturated fat is just fine. "The Big Fat Surprise" author Nina Teicholz explains why much of what government says to scare us about food is wrong. CRIMINALLY AFRAID: We constantly hear that crime is increasing, but it's not! Crime has been dropping for years, and despite the recent claim that crime is up due to a "war on cops," crime has continued to fall.
THE MEDIA ELITE: "All the news that's fit to print" is the slogan at The New York Times, but they should really change it to "elites sneering at entrepreneurs." After one of their writers did a big "expose" of "injustices" in the nail salon industry, Reason TV reporter Jim Epstein uncovered error after error in their reporting. Now, the manicurists are pushing back. COMBATING GOVERNMENT ELITES: Rand Paul explains how, if he were President, he will keep us safe but stay out of our lives as much as possible. PAMPERED ELITES: People look up to Hollywood elites. I assumed most earned their success, but "Primetime Propaganda" author Ben Shapiro says that's not true. Hollywood is full of pampered hypocrites who complain about environmental degradation while squandering resources. They call for higher taxes, but move out of state to avoid paying taxes. CAMPUS ELITES: It's no secret colleges lean way left. From the top 50 liberal arts schools, only one undergraduate professor donated to a Republican presidential candidate this season. You can't get a well-rounded education if all your professors only think one way. ELITES DON'T RULE: "The Evolution of Everything" author Matt Ridley argues that good, new ideas emerge, not top down, but the bottom up. He says, "we give too much credit to the clever person." I challenge Ridley, a member of the British House of Lords, on his elite status. MY TAKE: Ridley is correct. Bill O'Reilly and others are wrong to talk about politicians "running the country." Politicians don't "run America," free people do. The best of life happens in spite of politics.
Aired on 11-14 but was slated to air 11-10 after the debates. The debates ran long and this was bumped. NOT WRITTEN BY STOSSEL PANEL PRESENT THROUGHOUT ENTIRE EPISODE. Stossel is joined by an all student audience and 3 panel members. AUSTIN PETERSEN of "The Libertarian Republic", HADLEY HEATH MANNING of the "Independent Women's Forum", and DEROY MURDOCK of "National Review Online". Tax plans, who is out, Rand Paul vs Marco Rubio, Syrian no file zone, foreign policy, ISIS, China, spending, Kacich, Rubio's support for sugar subsidy, social security, and disability. BREAK Did tonight's debate change your opinion on who is going to win? Trump and Carson, according to polls, are leading by a hefty margin. But Stossel says that polls are garbage. But when it comes to predicting election results they've got nothing on prediction markets. Marco Rubio is the big favorite. The panel briefly discusses. The first comment from a candidate that made Stossel want to scream was when Donald Trump said, "We don't win anymore." He says we're being beat economically, what does that even mean? The panel mirrors Stossel's distaste of Trump. BREAK Republican candidates always want to strengthen the military. Stossel was happy to hear Rand Paul say that he wants a strong national defence - but he doesn't want us to be bankrupt. The panel discusses that sound bite. Stossel was happy to hear some candidates views on minimum wage. Rubio said that if you raise the min. wage it'll make people more expensive than machines, and Carson said that if you raise it you'll create more unemployment. Fiorina wants a free market for healthcare. Stossel probably does, too. (Can't tell - devil's advocate and all that.) But does the American public really want a free market for healthcare? BREAK In the presidential debate most of the candidates supported legal immigration. But Kasich and Trump said we gotta build that wall! Also apparently Mexico will pay for it. Afterwards
Stossel and panel give a libertarian perspective on the 2016 presidential race
There are real dangers, but politicians continue to chip away at our liberty. Here's our show: CENSORSHIP 101: In parts of the world, people are gunned down by terrorists. But on college campuses, America's most privileged children obsess about a "right... not to be offended." Nonsense! When government steps in to make sure no one's feelings is hurt - they threaten our real right to free speech. FREEDOM FUMBLE: Millions of Americans bet on Fantasy Football. But now control freak NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says it's illegal gambling and ordered the two main fantasy sites to stop. Of course betting on fantasy sports is gambling, but adults should be allowed to risk their money as they choose! CONTROL FREAKS: Politicians like Schneiderman say we need to be protected from our own decisions. While smarter states got rid of their bans on sharing companies like Uber and AirBnB, which offer consumers wonderful services, Schneiderman sued the two companies because he couldn't regulate them. When there's real competition, companies don't need busy bodies like Schneiderman. The free market regulates better than any politician ever could. WASTING AWAY OUR FREEDOM: Government often threatens our freedom by wasting money: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spent $150 million in federal tax dollars performing tests to determine the effect of recreational drugs on animals, including $9.6 million to see if LSD causes a rabbit to blink more frequently, and $249,000 to find out if monkeys on cocaine make bad decisions. Most people would never pay for those things, but we didn't have a choice! When government spends our money, we can't buy things we actually want. WEED WHACKERS: Most Americans favor legal marijuana, but that doesn't stop Bill O'Reilly from being certain it would be detrimental. Kids know it isn't "okay" to drink before they're 21. But some do it anyway. Some people use drugs, and criminalizing it won't stop them-it will just crea
FIGHTING TERRORISTS: In Paris, the terrorists killed, reloaded, and killed again. Would more citizens with guns have made the attacks much less deadly? We debate that. Also, although the Supreme Court ruled that individuals have a right to bear arms, I tried to get a gun license in New York City but was rejected. GUN MYTHS: Dana Loesch busts myths about guns: phony "assault weapons," President Obama and Hillary Clinton's false claims about mass shootings, and the famous "gun show loophole." NEGROES WITH GUNS: Today most blacks favor gun control over gun rights. "Negroes and the Gun" author Nicholas Johnson explains that's a relatively new phenomenon; blacks historically relied on guns for protection against oppression from the state and individual racists. ARMED AND FEMALE: Kristina Ribali wishes more so-called feminists would get behind female gun-ownership. She's a mom who calls firearms "the great equalizer" because it makes women as powerful as men. She tells me, it wasn't the cops who kept her and her family safe from a repeat stalker, but her gun. ZERO TOLERANCE: The stupidity continues. Examples: a 7-year-old boy is suspended from school for shaping a pop-tart into what his teacher thought looked like a gun; a 5-year-old girl is suspended for a "terrorist threat" that turned out to be a ‘Hello Kitty' gun, and kids suspended for using fingers as ‘guns' MY TAKE: I argue that the Second Amendment is not about allowing people the right to shoot deer, it's about allowing us to protect ourselves from criminals and tyrants.
CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS: Donald Trump says we should ban all Muslims from coming to America. Does he go too far? "Lights Out" author Mark Steyn says we should at least talk about that. We cannot coexist with Islam, says Steyn. Our values are too different. NSA SPYING: Government has stopped gathering Americans' phone records. Does this mean we're now more vulnerable to terror? Senator Rand Paul, whose filibuster helped end the program, says no. He says, "government investigated [the program], and found that no terrorist case has been thwarted through this." CIVIL LIBERTIES: France increased its security measures since the Paris attacks. Why wouldn't it? But Reason's Anthony Fisher says the French government went too far. Even climate activists were put under house arrest. HOME GROWN GOVERNMENT: Another way terror threatens our freedom? It causes government to grow. After 9/11, Bush created the Department of Homeland Security and the widely loathed TSA. DHS has already almost doubled its spending since its creation, and now both Democrats and Republicans say we need to give them more money! We don't. DHS already assigns itself tasks that have little to do with what most people consider "homeland security." It polices movie piracy, counterfeit NBA merchandise, and teaches nightclub strippers about sex trafficking. REFUGEE CRISIS: Americans worried about past waves of refugees, majorities of Americans opposed admitting Vietnamese, Jews, Cubans, etc. and yet, those refugees did well here in America. We'll debate whether accepting refugees is still a good idea in the age of ISIS. MY TAKE: There will always be crazy people who do horrible things. But we are lucky to live in America where, despite the killings in California, we are safer than we once were. Even when we get scared, we should not give up our liberty "for a false sense of security."
Hopefully we learned something this year. Here's our show: PRESIDENTIAL RACE: Right now these two candidates lead in the polls: Hillary Clinton & Donald Trump But if I've learned anything, it's that polls don't mean squat. Election Betting Odds are far more accurate. We ask our panel - Katherine Mangu-Ward of Reason, Dan Mitchell of Cato, and Fox Contributor Deneen Borelli - who they think has the best shot to become our next president. THE TROUBLE WITH TERROR: Islamic terrorism dominated news coverage this year. Our panel debates what America should do about it. BLACK LIVES MATTER: We were told that the "election of a black president" would reduce racial conflict in America. That hasn't happened. My panel debates the "Black Lives Matter" movement. ECONOMIC SUCCESS: This year, Democrats railed against "income inequality" and the "loss of the middle class." But incomes are up since the 70s: Up 48% among the poorest fifth and up 40% for the middle class. P.C. U: One of my social media followers calls 2015 "the year of being offended." And he's right. From Yale to Princeton to the University of Missouri, college campuses became the headquarters of a new censorship movement. It's gotten so bad that a recent Pew study found 40% of college-aged students are okay with government limiting speech offensive to minorities. STOSSEL'S TAKE: Today's politicians don't think the rules apply to them. Kimberly Strassel's Wall Street Journal column, "No Political Guardrails" is sad, but correct. The President "wants what he wants. If ObamaCare is problematic, he unilaterally alters the law. If the nation won't support laws to fight climate change, he creates one with regulation." Hillary Clinton is no better. She says if Congress won't approve gun control or higher taxes, she will make it happen without Congress. Now Republicans demand the IRS audit the Clinton Foundation. Where are the guardrails here? "When did conservatives go from wanting to abolish the
On our show tonight Stossel is covering economic myths. Do our candidates believe in economic myths? Well, some of them, yes. Many believe that a minimum wage will not kill jobs, that trade actually helps other countries at our expense, that prices are just set by rich people at whim and those rich people get rich by taking from the poor. All of these myths will be addressed by DON BOUDREAUX and our occasional devil's advocate Stossel. After talking to Don for a for a few minutes they move to include ELLIS HENICAN in the conversation initially starting with the "stimulus" and Bernie Sanders's support of it but later moving on to a variety of topics. The debate that results is a bit fiery. Good stuff. ERIN SHANNON of a Washington State think tank called the Washington Policy Center is here to talk about the 15 dollar minimum wage enacted in Seattle. She knows people aren't thinking about the unforeseen consequences of such a high raise in the minimum wage.. the worst of which is people losing their jobs entirely. BRIAN BRENBERG is here to talk about a myth peddled by Donald Trump and his unlikely bedfellow Bernie Sanders. Trade does not hurt us - in fact it helps us greatly. As Brenberg says, "Trade is a win-win situation." RAND PAUL is here in studio to talk about our 'Regulation Nation'. Stossel highlights the very sad story of Jack & Jill Baron who's land was being flooded. A government owned drainage ditch nearby was covered with logs so Jack asked government to fix it. Their local government said, "If you can clean the ditch, go ahead a do it." The federal government soon came along and charged them with a felony for damaging a 'wetland'. The Barons fought it all the way to trial. A jury cleared them. That still wasn't enough to get the federal government off their backs. The feds went after the Barons under civil law forcing them off their own property and into a modified trailer. In the end the federal government backed off when the Barons gave them 3
This live episode of Stossel reacts to the January 28th Fox News Republican debate, just ahead of the Iowa Caucus. Most presidential candidates pander to Iowa’s ethanol crapitalists; John Stossel gives kudos to Ted Cruz and Rand Paul for daring to point out that the federal mandate forcing gas stations to sell ethanol is an unfair boondoggle. Stossel is happy that these two candidates stand up against crony capitalism, even in Iowa. That and much more is covered on “Debating Our Future.”
New Hampshire’s Free State Project finally “triggered.” That means 20,000 liberty-minded people said they’d move to NH to try to create a critical mass of voters who will support liberty. Should Stossel move there? Maybe NH can be a model for real freedom.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Chris Wilson, director of Research and Analytics for Cruz for President, discuss how technology helped lead to victory in the Iowa caucus; prediction markets; driverless cars; 'education hackathon.'
Now that is socialist just won New Hampshire, it is time to take a real look at socialism or "democratic socialism," as Sanders sometimes calls it. But, what does that mean? Do his supporters have a clue? Socialism does nasty things to people and we're on the road to socialism. Stossel shows what that looks like in this episode. The Heritage Foundation’s Romina Boccia discusses socialism; Ivan Pangracic discusses democratic socialism; Found at ion for Economic Education president Larry Reed; Pollster Frank Luntz; Gloria Alvarez.
Five republicans are the Last Men Standing, who will win? Will he be sensible and capable? Stossel grills people who support each candidate to try to find out. South Carolina Lieutenant Governor, Henry McMaster defends his chosen candidate, Donald Trump. Former Governor of New York, George E. Pataki speaks up for Senator Marco Rubio. American Values President, Gary Bauer backs Senator Ted Cruz and shares his thoughts and reasoning with John Stossel. Forbes Economic Writer, John Hartley supports Former Governor Jeb Bush and responds to Stossel’s questions. When Governor John Kasich fails to respond to calls from John Stossel, Stossel was forced to answer questions on the behalf of Kasich.
Stossel examines the close ties between Hollywood and political power; questions what the year's movies got right and wrong. Los Angeles Times reporter Tre'vell Anderson says not only are the ‪#OscarsSoWhite‬, Hollywood also doesn’t pay black actors fairly. Since it’s Oscar and election season, Stossel hands out awards for best political performances. Thirteen “Stosscars” go to candidates in categories such as "Adaptation of a Stump Speech," "Magical Thinking," and "Warmongering."
Hundreds of students from all over the world are the stars of Stossel in this episode. They gathered at the International Students for Liberty Conference, where they talk about immigration, dictators, campus rape, and more.
Free college? Fund a government agency that promotes Judeo-Christian values? Investigation of UFOs? Fox’s Dagen McDowell, Reason Magazine’s Katherine Mangu-Ward, and economist Ben Powell join Stossel to dissect this year’s worst political promises.
There is a lot to dislike about Donald Trump but he has his good points. Trump has been able to accomplish much that government has failed at. This episode is all about Trump.
The Cuban embargo hasn't worked. The dictators are firmly in power, and because of our embargo, they have an excuse for Cuba's misery: “It’s America’s fault that you’re so poor!” John Stossel weighs in on Cuba.
This is the first Libertarian Party forum to be live broadcast on national television. The three candidates invited; Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, cybersecurity guru John McAfee, and Libertarian Republic founder Austin Petersen.
Part 2 of the Libertarian Presidential Forum, the three leading Libertarian candidates: Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, tech entrepreneur John McAfee, and The Libertarian Republic founder, Austin Petersen answer questions about drugs, gambling, prostitution, security, and immigration.
John Stossel is out of the hospital, back at work! He covers better alternatives to his hospital stay and its needlessly stupid consumer service: Stossel argues with a personal injury lawyer and a doctor who supports Obamacare. He talks with a boy who moved to another country because FDA restrictions would not allow him to take the drug that saved his life. Stossel shows us a new technology that allows us to “uber” a doctor, and more.
Negative campaign ads are depressing. But at least they contain facts. We can check them out. Stossel covers this election’s ads; the good the bad, and the ugly.
Adam Thierer of the Mercatus Center discusses airline security; Joshua Schank discusses transportation; singer Tatiana Moroz discusses writing a song about bitcoin; Elon Musk and Amazon's Jeff Bezos discuss space travel.
Enough of Trump and Clinton! Finally, we have an alternative; the Libertarian Party nominated its candidates, former Governors Gary Johnson and Bill Weld. Stossel grills them about drugs, guns, government spending, war, and more. Together, Johnson and Weld are IMPRESSIVE, convincing, 100x better than Trump and Hillary! This is Stossel's show on third parties (mostly the libertarians).
What grades do Trump and Clinton get when it comes to liberty? Stossel scores them on many of the issues, including immigration.
Bad rules stomp on freedom. This episode covers some of the stupidest. Also, did you know plastic toy lightsabers are NOT meant for use in ACTUAL battle? So says the attached warning label. Stossel's audience awards $1,000 to the winner of the wacky warning label contest.
Hillary Clinton is almost certain to be our next president. So Stossel did a whole show about her. She's the overwhelming favorite to become president. Stossel scores her on war, spending, drugs, regulation ...lots of regulation, and more. There are some good things about Hillary; Stossel had to work hard to find them but there are some. Guests: Juan Williams vs Dan Mitchell Benjamin Friedman
Police are shooting black men and a black man kills five cops; is life in America getting worse? No. There is so much misinformation out there. We are not a racist police state but our justice system is often cruel. In America, 698 out of 100,000 people are in jail, a higher percentage than any other country! Why? Are Americans more likely to be criminals? Stossel doubts it.
While his colleagues are in Cleveland at the political convention, Stossel is glad he’s not there. Instead, he’s where real life happens. Where free people create good things. Not where political blow-hards boss people around and make speeches. Stossel dissects the Republican National Convention live!
While his colleagues are in Philadelphia at the political convention, Stossel is glad he’s not there. Instead, he’s where real people live. Where free individuals do their own thing; that's what makes the best of life. Not where political blow-hards are bragging how they're going to control our lives. This show is about the Democratic National Convention versus real life! Live!
Are you sick of the old politics? Stossel is. In this episode he shows us all things guaranteed to make us sick too. Corruption, pandering, sleaze; that’s politics. But, there is some good news.
One of the vice-presidential candidates will be a heartbeat away from being president. So, who are these people? Stossel will boldly go where no TV show has gone before; a full hour on the vice-presidential candidates.
Stossel hosts a Libertarian "town hall" with Gary Johnson and Bill Weld. Both of these men understand markets, government and freedom much better than their rivals do.
Stossel doesn’t like most of those smug, entitled protesters. He doesn’t blame Donald Trump for hating the media that sneers at him. Trump’s solution: changing the libel laws. That’s a bad one. Stossel values free speech but it’s under attack in America. It’s being picked apart by government agencies, college leftists, Donald Trump, and the ultra-sensitive everywhere. Don’t let them get you down; Stossel explains why you can say that.
What are your rights? Progressives claim you have a right to free healthcare, education, food, and more. But, think about that. Those things have costs. If those are rights then the state has the right to force doctors to treat people. They could even force John Stossel to to pay for your education and more! What the founders really had in mind, when they talked about rights, was the right to be left alone; the right to speak freely; the right to practice any religion. Basically, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Today's politicians are monkeying with that and what will the next supreme court do?
Watching TV you’d think this election is between Trump and Clinton but, no, we have other choices like Presidential Candidate Jill Stein from the Green Party. She’s on the ballot in 44 states and the Stossel audience has questions for her in this Green Party Town Hall.
Clinton and Trump talk constantly but there is so much they won’t say. They won’t talk about important stuff like individual liberty, online privacy, what we will do about the war on drugs, or our ever increasing debt. Neither leading candidate has much to say about their personal troubles either, such as Trump’s tax returns and Clinton’s emails. In this episode, Stossel tells us what they won’t say.
Trump and Clinton don’t know much about… so much. Despite being in business, Trump doesn’t know much about economics; he wants to raise the minimum wage and reduce trade. Clinton thinks the government will spend your money better than you will and, even though we’re going broke, if government spends more - investment they call it - what a wonderful world it will be. They are ignorant.
Who is Gary Johnson? Well, he’s a better person than Trump or Clinton. A vote is not an entitlement; a candidate has to earn it. Clinton and Trump have come nowhere close to earning John Stossel’s vote. Johnson is not a perfect candidate; he look dumb when asked about foreign leaders but he understands that constant interventions around the world make us new enemies and make us less safe. On this show, conservatives and leftists give Stossel a hard time about Gary Johnson and his Libertarian ideas. Stossel gives them his best shot. Will Libertarian ideas hold-up? Of course they will!
The last debate is finally over. The election is now 17 days away. Gary Johnson is not going to win. Trump probably won’t either… but he might. On this live episode, Stossel covers the latest on the election and the aftermath of the debate. Panelists include Matt Welch, Jessica Tarlov, and Betsy McCaughey.
Fox Business Network host John Stossel is taking on “the ruling class” of politics, and their strident influence on the 2016 election. “America’s elite media, university professors, Silicone Valley — they’re all on the same side,” Mr. Stossel said. “They vote Democrat, and they insist you do too. After all, that’s what civilized people do. This year its never been more clear who the ruling class wants to elect and keep in power. They want the left in charge.” Stossel's guests include Nicholas Sarwark, chairman of the Libertarian Party; Joe Concha, media analyst for The Hill; Julian Sanchez, a senior fellow at the CATO Institute; Kat Timpf, politics reporter at National Review, and Ben Shapiro, a columnist and radio host. “OK, so they don’t call us as ‘peasants’ anymore,” Mr. Stossel wrote. “Now we are ‘deplorables’ — or conservatives or libertarians. Or Trump supporters. The elite have a lot of influence over how we see things.”
Four days until the presidential election. Unfortunately, it’s almost certain that we will have an authoritarian in the White House. Probably, Hillary. There are other very important issues being voted on next Tuesday. States will make decisions on taxes, pensions, health care, marijuana, animal welfare. A third party candidate might get elected to congress for the first time in 26 years; and he’s kind of libertarian. Stossel covers the issues beyond the big ticket.
Finally, it’s over. It’s not what Stossel had expected. Stossel claims he humiliated himself predicting a Clinton victory. He even prepared a “Queen Hillary Clinton” graphic for this show and had to replace in response to the Trump victory. The good news is: Hillary lost. The remaining question: what will Trump bring? In the hit musical “Hamilton,” King George tells the colonists - after they rebelled - you’re on your own! Awesome. Wow. Do you have a clue what happens now? Stossel doesn’t. Will Donald Trump do reckless things? Start a depression with anti-trade laws? Put his critics in jail? Silence news papers? Stop all immigration?
A lot of Americans are not happy that Trump was elected. They predict racial hatred, loss of rights, and all kinds of terrible things. Stossel supposes that’s why they’re demonstrating. But, come on, Trump is not going to wreck America. A President actually does not make all that much difference. In addition, there’s plenty of good news: 2016 is the best year ever to be alive. Our environment is clean, we live longer than ever, and even poor people are more prosperous. Not because of the national government, not because of any one President, but because free people accomplish wonderful things.
Drain the swamp; will Donald Trump actually be able to do that? The Washington swamp with its many cronies are used to holding onto power. Corporations cozy up to politicians so they get subsidies and tariffs that shield them from competition. Entrenched industries donate to politicians so newer, better companies like Uber or Airbnb will be regulated out of existence. Rich, powerful but innovative people like Elon Musk use their influence to put the tax payer at risk. Stossel will investigate whether it is really possible to drain the swamp.
Death by socialism: do we want that in our future? Surely the lessons from history have taught us, “No!” President-elect Trump has made some good choices so far but he’s also suggested he’d have government take more control of parts of our lives. Will he lead us to socialism with people fighting over a bag of flour as they do in Venezuela? Stossel hopes not. Stossel also announces that this episode is his second-to-last episode. Ever.
After seven years and more than three hundred shows, this is Stossel’s final show to air. Stossel has tried to explain liberty: why doing things like ending the drug war, legalizing same sex marriage, jailing fewer people, and limiting military intervention benefit all of us. Even though this is his last show, we haven’t seen the end of him. Stossel is excited about a new project that he will start soon. This episode covers some of the best and worst of Stossel and explains where we can find him next.
It is the story of who we are and of what we believe. The story of ordinary people who have created an extraordinary place – America.
Politicians spend so much time creating new laws that they rarely pay attention to one law even they can't repeal: the law of unintended consequences. For every upside to a new law, there is usually at least one downside, often one that doesn't reveal itself right away. Featured: Cash for Clunkers, the minimum wage, Title IX, sports arenas, alpaca subsidies, credit card regulations, health care reform, ethanol subsidies, programs to increase home ownership, and pledges of fiscal responsibility.
John Stossel takes a look at how the government has turned people into freeloaders. One can make over $20,000 a year, tax-free, from panhandling. Any black person who has "attempted to farm" can collect $50,000 from the federal government. The most egregious freeloaders are big corporations like General Electric. Stossel interviews American Indians who say that the only reason their tribe is not poor like most others is because they do not receive government funds, as well as operators of a web side that advises people not to pay their mortgages.
John Stossel's latest special is titled after an item from The Onion: "Should the Government Stop Dumping Money Into a Giant Hole?" We will soon spend ourselves into oblivion. But finally... movement! Budget slashing proposals from Paul Ryan, the Republican Study Committee, Ron Paul, Rand Paul and even Tim Pawlenty! But politicians and real people across the spectrum still resist change. What should government do? What's its role? What have other countries done? Slashing spending is a good thing.
From John Stossel's blog: Exciting things are happening in education suddenly. In some places, charter schools bucked the unions, and got results. Inner-city kids do well on benchmark tests. They are excited to learn! When I told fourth graders that school is boring, they yelled, "No, it's not!" Says one boy: "Reading is rockin' awesome!" I report on the innovations at the Success Charter Network and Harlem Village Academy in New York, and at the American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland, California. "Let's destroy the system... create a system that serves kids," says charter school director Deborah Kenny. Hurricane Katrina made that experiment possible by destroying much of New Orleans. Now most of New Orleans students attend charters, and they're learning more. Aside from such bright spots, most of education in America is still a mess. The cost has skyrocketed, but performance is flat. Why? One big reason is that the government monopoly - the "BLOB"- makes it nearly impossible to fire a bad teacher. Former Washington DC school chancellor Michelle Rhee talks about her attempt to change that, including firing her own daughters' principal, and the backlash that led to her losing her job. I confront union leaders, like DC union boss Nathan Saunders, who opposes judging teachers by student test results. "I know my kids are learning when I look in their eyes," says Saunders. New Jersey union leader Joseph Del Grosso opposes charter schools: "Over my dead body, they're gonna come here." When Saunders and Del Grosso were kids, they attended private schools, but now they oppose vouchers. This is a common phenomenon amongst members of the BLOB: choice for ME, but not for THEE. Virtual education innovator Sal Khan, founder of the Khan Academy, is on the right track. He's a great teacher who now reaches millions of kids via the internet. Some fifth graders who watch his videos do high school level math. Before radio and TV, every big town had a best
ACCORDING TO PLAN: Politicians always say they can make things better with a "plan." But most of life works better when it's not planned by government. Economists call this free-flowing innovation, "spontaneous order." RINKONOMICS: Suppose you'd never seen a skating rink, and we said we were going to have skaters strap sharp blades on their feet and zip around ice. The only rule: go counter-clockwise. Central planners would say it's impossible! You need an expert to direct them! Stossel tried to direct them, but that took the spontaneity away! The rink works because people are free to make their own decisions. Each individual knows where he wants to turn, how fast he wants to go, etc. No central planner will make that better. DISASTER RELIEF: After Hurricane Katrina, the NY Times ran the headline: "A Big Storm Requires Big Government." But FEMA did an awful job. By contrast, after a big storm, private businesses like Walmart, and charities like Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief help many people, much more quickly. CROWDFUNDING: Need money to expand your home, make a movie, to start a business? Crowdfunding is a spontaneous way to bring people and new ideas together without central planners. "Anybody can raise money for absolutely any idea anywhere in the world," says Indiegogo's Slava Rubin. FREE MARKET MEDICINE: LASIK eye surgery is one area of healthcare where quality goes up, but costs go down. That happens because LASIK is rarely covered by insurance, so patients and doctors negotiate directly. Patients shop for the best deal. That spontaneity leads to better service. BRITISH TOLL ROAD: In Britain, a local highway was damaged by heavy rains. When government said it would take a year to repair it, entrepreneur Mike Watts built a "private road" in just 12 days. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES: Government planners slow innovation with burdensome rules. In 1931, workers built the Empire State building in just over a year. Now it takes 13 years to finish the