Patrick Henry did not say, 'Give me absolutely safety or give me death.' America is supposed to be about freedom. John Stossel More Quotes by John Stossel More Quotes From John Stossel The politicians should not tell the people to shut up. John Stossel shut-up political people The market performs miracles so routinely that we take it for granted. Supermarkets provide 30,000 choices at rock-bottom prices. We take it for granted that when we stick a piece of plastic in a wall, cash will come out; that when we give the same plastic to a stranger, he will rent us a car, and the next month, Visa will have the accounting correct to the penny. By contrast, "experts" in government can't even count the vote accurately. John Stossel wall rocks government [T]he only way to shrink the trade deficit is for the government to prohibit us from buying whatever we want. John Stossel balance government want All our rights are gradually eroded as government gets bigger. John Stossel erosion government rights Government has no money of its own. All it does is take resources from one group and given them to another. John Stossel groups government doe Entitlement? How can you be entitled to someone else's money? John Stossel entitled entitlement The one thing I've learned is that stuttering in public is never as bad as I fear it will be. John Stossel stuttering things-ive-learned ive-learned The theory of government I was taught says that government provides benefits, primarily security, to the entire population. In return we pay taxes. But lately the government has been a distributor of special privileges, taking money from some and giving it to others. America is now about evenly split between those who pay income taxes and those who consume them. John Stossel government giving america People vastly overestimate the ability of central planners to improve on the independent action of diverse individuals. What I've learned watching regulators is that they almost always make things worse. If regulators did nothing, the self-correcting mechanisms of the market would mitigate most problems with more finesse. And less cost. John Stossel independent self people Saying that government is not the way to solve problems is not saying that humanity cannot solve its problems. What I've finally learned is this: Despite the obstacles created by governments, voluntary networks of private individuals - through voluntary exchange - solve all sorts of challenges. John Stossel government humanity challenges 'Live and let life' used to be a noble approach to life. Now you're considered compassionate if you demand that government impose your preferences on others. John Stossel demand noble government Government is so big today that more than half the population gets a major part of its income from the state. John Stossel income population government Wealthier is healthier. John Stossel Unions say, 'Education of the children is too important to be left to the vagaries of the market.' The opposite is true. Education is too important to be left to the calcified union/government monopoly. John Stossel government opposites children If individuals can take from a common pot regardless of how much they put in it, each person has an incentive to be a free rider, to do as little as possible and take as much as possible because what one fails to take will be taken by someone else. John Stossel incentives taken littles Politicians and bureaucrats clearly have no idea how complicated markets are. Every day people make countless tradeoffs, in all areas of life, based on subjective value judgements and personal information as they delicately balance their interests, needs and wants. Who is in a better position than they to tailor those choices to best serve their purposes? Yet the politicians believe they can plan the medical market the way you plan a birthday party. John Stossel party believe ideas Most people are oblivious to F.A. Hayek's insight that the critical information needed to run an economy - or even 15 percent of one - doesn't exist in any one place where it is accessible to central planners. Instead, it is scattered piecemeal among millions of people. All those people put together are far wiser and better informed than Congress could ever be. Only markets - private property, free exchange and the price system - can put this knowledge at the disposal of entrepreneurs and consumers, ensuring the system will serve the people and not just the political class. John Stossel class running people A thousand restaurants close every month. They re-open, and that's good for America. Nobody's rescuing them. They employ people, too. If we let them go bankrupt, the factories don't go away, the creative people don't go away. They get employed more productively by others. John Stossel creative america people Nothing keeps a company honest and efficient like the threat of other companies coming along and taking its business away. John Stossel threat company honest Central authority is bad. The bias should be for freedom. And without a central authority, there are lots of little authorities, and we learn which ones to trust. John Stossel authority should littles
