John Stossel on the win-win nature of voluntary exchange

We see this every time we buy something.  The seller's there for his own self-interest and so am I.  So why do we both say, "thank you."  Because he wanted the dollar more than he wanted the pretzel.  I wanted the pretzel more than the dollar.  The transaction doesn't happen unless both of us think we win.  And that way, voluntary transactions create wealth.

~ John Stossel, "In Defense of Capitalism," Stossel TV, 4:00 mark, June 18, 2019

David Henderson on price controls

Price controls are like saying it's really cold and I'm going to solve that by breaking the thermometer.

~ David Henderson, "Bad Government Brings Bad Inflation," Stossel TV, 4:00 mark, February 1, 2022

Tim Carney on the symbiotic relationship between Big Business and government

Big business and big government are not enemies that a lot of people think they are...  When government gets bigger, whether it's through spending or taxes or regulation, the big guys - big business - benefits.

~ Tim Carney, "John Stossel: Big Business Loves Big Government," YouTube, 0:05 mark, July 6, 2021

Jordan Peterson on Western civilization and "tyrannical patriarchy"

The free market principles, the idea of individual sovereignty above all else, is distributed itself across the world quite effectively.  And everyone is doing better here than anybody has ever done on the face of the planet throughout recorded history.  And the whole West is like that.  And to call that all "tyrannical patriarchy" is indicative of a very deep resentment and a historical ignorance that's so profound that it is indistinguishable from willful blindness.

~ Jordan Peterson, "John Stossel: Jordan Peterson vs. 'Social Justice Warriors'," YouTube, 6:33 mark, June 19, 2018

Criminologist on fear, lack of trust, and the social fabric

We live in a society with a quarter of a billion people.  Once in a while these terrible things are going to happen to people.  Should we all worry all the time?  What kind of society are we going to have if no one trusts each other? It tears the social fabric apart if we assume that everyone we run into is a criminal.

~ Mark Warr, criminologist, University of Texas, "Are we scaring ourselves to death?," video by John Stossel, 12:42 mark

Separation of school and state: The Grove City College case

In the 1970s, Grove City College in Pennsylvania was ordered to certify that it complied with Title IX, which outlaws sex discrimination. The private liberal-arts school was not accused of discrimination but nevertheless objected to the order on grounds that it took no federal money. The feds insisted, saying that since some students received federal scholarships, that amounted to an indirect subsidy from the government. Grove City took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court -- and lost.

~ John Stossel, "With Government Money Come Strings," November 7, 2007

John Stossel on school vouchers

Once vouchers are widespread, we can expect the education establishment, especially the teachers' unions, to find ways to turn the program to its advantage. It won't have to look far for ideas. Several years ago the New Democrat, published by the Democratic Leadership Council and Progressive Policy Institute (the "moderate" Democrats with whom Bill Clinton has long been associated and an organization started by my brother-in-law), recommended that any voucher program force private schools to admit all children and "meet or exceed specified performance standards to continue receiving taxpayer funds".

The editorial, titled "Counterpunching on Vouchers," stated: "Such an amendment would effectively turn voucher-supported private schools into public charter schools. A public school is not defined by who 'owns' it, but rather by two features: universal access and accountability to the public for results." In other words, voucher money is a foot in the door for the "educrats."

Education is too important to be left to government. The freer parents and entrepreneurs are, the more innovative American schooling will be -- and the more kids will learn.

~ John Stossel, "With Government Money Come Strings," November 7, 2007