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Summary: INTO THE FIRE!
Review: John Stossel leaps out of the frying pan, and into the fire with this biting commentary on over-regulation, over-ligitation and the need for reform in America. He places the government, greedy lawyers, lazy reporters, and the media under his scorching magnifying glass. He further declares that the media scares everybody about everything. and that there is interference with the flow of accurate information to the public. His perspective is scathing, unrelentless, - but definitely a good read.
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Summary: Media-Educated Americans, Pay Attention to Stossel!
Review: This book is a refreshing blast of cold water at both the right and the left, targeting those political elites who think they speak for the majority of Americans who are neither right, nor left. Our government needs a good hard look from people like Stossel. Too bad books like this rarely become reading material for our political "leaders".
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Summary: Stossel is a Journalistic Breath of Fresh Air
Review: This is a very accessible book from professional skeptic - journalist John Stossel. In "Give Me a Break..," the author confronts many conventional wisdoms of the media and elite opinion.Stossel is a free-market Libertarian. In this book, he describes his journey from a "go-along-with-the-pack-all-businesses-are-evil-and-all-regulations-good" journalist to a skeptic who has been persuaded by data and anecdote that government not only doesn't get it right in many cases, but that their cures are frequently more harmful than the problems they attempt to solve. This book is short-chaptered and anecdote driven, buttressed by some statistics and expert opinion. Among the examples of government policy gone awry: federal regulations that so tightly control clearing of forests in the name of protecting woodlands that the resulting growth of forest fire incidence cost the lives of 23 fire-fighters in a recent year; the Bureau of Indian Affairs that tightly controls living on Indian reservations has produced the greatest threatened demographic group in America - Indians; federal flood insurance that costs tax-payers huge amounts of money to entice wealthy people to keep rebuilding beach homes on hurricane prone beaches (including the author for a time, he fesses); FDA regulations and procedures that keep promising drugs off the market for five to ten years for testing while people who may be helped die. He also turns his sights on "do-gooder" groups like the folks who killed apple sales for a while when their faulty analysis supposed that the pesticide Alar was a threat to health; trial lawyers who add tremendous costs to society in pursuit of what are frequently lawyer driven payouts; how Erin Brokovitch didn't prove her case and that data around the plant in question revealed no increase in the cancers and sicknesses she and her allies claimed, etc., etc. Stossel also presents a good defense of capitalism and the enlightened self-interest of our society that has produced technological and medical wonders, as well as the wealth which fuels mightily the envy that motivates many of its detractors. His take on capitalism is a good one and a good antidote for the ramblings of many who condemn our system out of ignorance or while following the herd. His book is convincing and importantly, accessible to the average reader. He was preaching to the choir with me on many of his points, and I have read about many of the examples Stossel explores. The great benefit of this book is that readers who are uninitiated should get a healthy dose of skepticism about what they read or hear on the news and question the agenda and efficacy of those promoting points of view or condemning activities and products. Stossel's main points are two: first, Americans need to look at the data before believing what they are told. Second, our society's notion of risk is out of whack with what really are risky behaviors -- to boot, his network was fawning over stories that a certain brand of lighters were exploding and killing people. The network wanted to treat it as a product design failure. Actual deaths attributable to this cause: 1. Stossel is not in the tank for corporate America and critical of everything government does. He accepts the need for some government control over things like the environment and pollution and condemns corporations who do behave badly. But Stossel also rejects the easy view of many in his industry that if it is business it is bad, and if the government or Ralph Nader says something needs to be changed it is good. This is a refreshing and thought provoking book and should be read by any concerned with the issues Stossel presents.
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Summary: This book is real life and really good
Review: Contrary to the title, this book takes on both liberals and many species of conservatives--people who either through their words or actions believe in the heavy hand of big government. I've read many books on theory. This book is about real life. Stossel takes us into the streets, into slums, into corporate and union and government offices, and around the world to show us what really happens behind the scenes. The answer: With freedom we get good stuff that may sound bad to people who don't think deeply or are perpetually afraid. With government, we get good sounding stuff that really hurts everyone except freeloading corporate welfare queens, unions, bureaucrats, and their enablers--aka big spending politicians. Of course some government is necessary, but our government is clearly obese. This is a book for brave, thinking people and their puzzled friends.
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Summary: deflating the bad arguments of right and left
Review: It is refreshing to see someone like Stossel with a large public audience take on the nonsensical policies and positions of both the right and the left, as well as to admit when he makes mistakes (unlike most of his targets). He goes after corporate freeloaders like Archer Daniel Midlands that politicians of both major parties support; he points out the absurdity of regulations and lawsuits in the name of safety that cost more lives than they save. I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: The NO-SPIN Truth
Review: If you like what you see John do on 20-20, this book is a MUST read. He packs it full of interesting stories that will leave you both amused and in many cases angry. Highly reccomended!
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Summary: An outstanding critique of American society
Review: I have always enjoyed John Stossel's confrontational and in your face style of reporting; It is refreshing to see that he has carried this style of investigative journalism over into the literary world. Mr. Stossel began his career as a consumer advocate reporter who exposed scam artists and critiqued big business because of their supposed unfair practices. Yet, everytime he would bring down another phony opportunity or reveal rip-off artists, the government would congratulate him and then step in and establish another government beauracracy that only made matters worse. Eventually, this led Mr. Stossel to the conclusion that although it may be unpredictable and a bit scary, the system of free market competition beats government controlled monopolies any day. I really loved this book because of the humor and the way each chapter is presented. One of the most striking yet humurous aspects of the book are the dialogues between Mr. Stossel and various citizens and government officials. I really enjoyed reading the chapter on Lawyers, and this is coming from someone who is a law student. Without a doubt, lawyers are running this country and those operating within the legal profession wield a tremendous amount of power and have relative little checks on their activities. His chapters on the benefits of deregulation in the markets is outstanding, and his chapter on chemicals and the supposed dangers they pose is enlightening and funny. I know a lot of people probably won't like this book, but before they give it a really low rating, please do us all a favor and disprove Mr. Stossel's research and argumenation. After reading this book I am afraid to think what government regulated health care will look like if the politicians ever get it passed. Also, it frightens me to guess what our airline security system is going to be like in another five years. After reading this book, I agree with Mr. Stossel that the private sector can do better in many of the areas where government tries to regulate. The government wastes billions of dollars doing what the private sector could do cheaper, better, and more efficiently.
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Summary: Outstanding libertarian commentary
Review: If you like the works of Ayn Rand, and you watch Stossel on 20/20, you'll love this. Terrific common-sense approach to the issues Americans are faced with every day. I admire Stossel and his viewpoints- particularly about private industry doing things better than government ever could. Also, despite what some liberals might like to believe after seeing the cover, this book does not bash liberals. The author simply makes the point that New York liberals live in a vacuum where conservative ideas such as his are frowned upon. In summary, well worth the money.
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Summary: John Stossel Gives Us All A Break
Review: John Stossel began his career as a knee jerk liberal. How liberal? The author candidly admits that he and his wife desired to raise their children as egalitarian feminists. Such views are held only by those far to the left of center. The private sector, he thought, was inherently a threat to our safety and well being. Only government can secure our rights. Fortunately, Stossel is an honest man who did not allow his ideological inclinations to distort his vision of the world. He did indeed find many examples of businesses trying to cheat the general public. However, it soon dawned upon the young consumer reporter that the government and liberal advocacy organizations also do enormous damage. The fact that one may have good intentions like Ralph Nader, a somewhat harsh Stossel critic, is not always sufficient. Unwittingly, a well meaning individual may cause enormous harm. The author reveals his earlier problems with stuttering and how he stumbled into journalism. Stossel's news reporting talents evolved to the point where he began to take to task both the junk science advocates and those Republicans seeking welfare payments to support their own financial investments. He plays no favorites. President George W. Bush, in his earlier incarnation as owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, does not avoid Stossel's intense scrutiny. Moreover, even Mother Theresa is not cut any slack! Stossel dares ask the politically incorrect question: did the convicted criminal Michael Milken do more good for the world than the famous nun? There is high price to be paid for such iconoclasm. John Stossel is sometimes shunned by his cohorts at the ABC TV headquarters in New York City. Once he was even physically attacked by someone upset with his probing questions. The author reveals how his intellectual journey led him to embrace the libertarian philosophy of Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, and Thomas Sowell. He definitely has not turned into a conventional conservative. Stossel explains why he adamantly supports euthanasia, sexual liberation, and the decriminalization of mind altering drugs. Is Osama bin Ladin an inadvertent beneficiary of our misguided drug war? The author contends that this is indeed the case. My only complaint is that Stossel didn't devote more attention to this most important theme. I personally believe that the war on terrorism is being severely compromised by the anti-drug coalition. Are you interested in raising people out of poverty? If so, Stossel devotes a whole chapter on how this goal might be achieved. The same holds true for those wondering about the dangers of restricting free speech. -Give Me A Break- is highly recommended. You might also wish to provide a few copies for your relatives and friends.
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Summary: If your only concern is the objective truth
Review: Stossel is concerned with truth and fact. If some group or company, even one with whom he is associated such as ABC should come out looking badly, he doesn't care. It will be told as is.
This book has much more substance than other consumer oriented books out at present. It is far superior to O'Reilly's "Looking out for you" book which is currently at the top. This should be required reading for every student and adult. Thanks John.
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