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Private Notes
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.
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.
This week, a special Stossel show in front of a live audience of students at the liberal University of North Carolina, where Stossel talks to students about free speech and political correctness. At UNC, the word "freshman" has been deemed sexist and replaced by "first year". A campus code says it is wrong to "explicitly or implicitly ask for sex." Stossel asks, "then how do you get there?" Should students be allowed to say what they want, even if it's not "civil" and offends? Should you be allowed to marry whom you want? Did you know that you can go to jail for giving people advice about what to eat?
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.
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.
