Think the government can solve your issues? (Or yet another reason for my love affair with John Stossel)
I've often said that I'm having a delusional love affair with John Stossel in my head. No, John, I'm not stalking you, nor will I show up at your home with duct tape and a dart gun to sedate you and kidnap you to Vegas in order to force you to marry me in a ceremony presided over by Elvis. I promise. But when you put out stuff like this, I seriously just want to kiss you! (Frank, don't read that portion, OK?)
Politicians make promises. It's election season, and promises are just par for the course. Please watch this terrific series from John Stossel and consider what it is you're expecting your politicians to do.
The first installment explains the concept of "spontaneous order."
You've heard me rail about the bailout of Fannie, Freddie and others for a long time. Stossel sits down with Walter Williams and others and explains why the bailouts are a lousy idea.
In this next installment, even Chocolate Mayor Ray Nagin admits that government "was not built for speed" and that the private sector "does it better."
I was in New Orleans after Katrina. I've seen the best and the worst in people during my time there. What I can honestly agree with, however, is the fact that it is the human spirit and perseverance that rebuild and restore - both homes and faith. Bureaucrats just slow things down. Bureaucracies just stand in the way.
Remember the Constitution-shredding McCain-Feingold that was supposed to help get "big money" out of elections? Remember how McCain was so proud of himself for passing hundreds of pages of regulation taking grassroots initiatives out of our elections and destroying true political community activism? Yeah. He'd like you to forget about it.
"I'd rather not participate in the political process..." says one guy, who found the campaign finance rules to be too daunting and the paperwork too cumbersome. And you wonder why political insiders and incumbents always have the upper hand?
This next installment talks about "saving the family farm."
Handouts to gargantuan agri-businesses - not small mom-and-pop operations are getting YOUR tax dollars!
But remember - politicians' MO is to foment panic. Without farm subsidies, you STARVE! The country will STARVE. Farms will FAIL!
And here's the last part. Most change in America doesn't come from politicians. Hopey McChangitude and the Mav will do nothing to make your life better. They don't have that power. What they DO have the power to do is make your life worse by interfering in the free markets, using YOUR earnings to reward failure and passing more and more laws that make it difficult for you to boot them the hell out of Washington.
If you've read my blog for any length of time, you already know that I've been ranting about this for months. But please, do yourselves a favor and watch this 20/20 special from John Stossel.
You won't be sorry.
Thanks so much to the Economist's Cookbook Blog for posting these videos. I couldn't shamelessly steal them without giving The Chef due credit.
Politicians make promises. It's election season, and promises are just par for the course. Please watch this terrific series from John Stossel and consider what it is you're expecting your politicians to do.
The first installment explains the concept of "spontaneous order."
You've heard me rail about the bailout of Fannie, Freddie and others for a long time. Stossel sits down with Walter Williams and others and explains why the bailouts are a lousy idea.
In this next installment, even Chocolate Mayor Ray Nagin admits that government "was not built for speed" and that the private sector "does it better."
I was in New Orleans after Katrina. I've seen the best and the worst in people during my time there. What I can honestly agree with, however, is the fact that it is the human spirit and perseverance that rebuild and restore - both homes and faith. Bureaucrats just slow things down. Bureaucracies just stand in the way.
Remember the Constitution-shredding McCain-Feingold that was supposed to help get "big money" out of elections? Remember how McCain was so proud of himself for passing hundreds of pages of regulation taking grassroots initiatives out of our elections and destroying true political community activism? Yeah. He'd like you to forget about it.
"I'd rather not participate in the political process..." says one guy, who found the campaign finance rules to be too daunting and the paperwork too cumbersome. And you wonder why political insiders and incumbents always have the upper hand?
This next installment talks about "saving the family farm."
Handouts to gargantuan agri-businesses - not small mom-and-pop operations are getting YOUR tax dollars!
But remember - politicians' MO is to foment panic. Without farm subsidies, you STARVE! The country will STARVE. Farms will FAIL!
And here's the last part. Most change in America doesn't come from politicians. Hopey McChangitude and the Mav will do nothing to make your life better. They don't have that power. What they DO have the power to do is make your life worse by interfering in the free markets, using YOUR earnings to reward failure and passing more and more laws that make it difficult for you to boot them the hell out of Washington.
If you've read my blog for any length of time, you already know that I've been ranting about this for months. But please, do yourselves a favor and watch this 20/20 special from John Stossel.
You won't be sorry.
Thanks so much to the Economist's Cookbook Blog for posting these videos. I couldn't shamelessly steal them without giving The Chef due credit.
Damn...I really want to watch these but they keep freezing 2 seconds in (even from YouTube) and there's no sound. I totally forgot I meant to tape 20/20 on Friday. Dang it.
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