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Posts Tagged ‘stossel’

Who is Wesley Mouch?

Posted by Richard on January 7, 2010

John Stossel is airing an "Atlas Shrugged hour" tonight, and he's taking a poll asking the above question:

Tomorrow, my Fox Business Network show about Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged" will finally air. That should stop the emails like this one from Karen Cooper:

"Oh for the love of god! 'Atlas Shrugged' explains about 99 percent of what's wrong in all of the arenas of topics: health care, education, climate change, unions, the economy, etc. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE cover 'Atlas.'"

Cooper makes a good point. Even though Rand published "Atlas" in 1957, her descriptions of intrusive and bloated government read like today's news. The "Preservation of Livelihood Law" and "Equalization of Opportunity Law" could be Nancy Pelosi's or Harry Reid's work.

The novel's chief villain is Wesley Mouch, a bureaucrat who cripples the economy with endless regulations. This sounds familiar. Reason magazine reports that "as he looks around Washington these days," Rep. Paul Ryan "can't help but think he's seeing a lot of Wesley Mouch".

Me, too. I also saw a lot of him under George W. Bush.

So I'm conducting this unscientific poll: Who is our Wesley Mouch? Hank Paulson? Tim Geithner? Barney Frank? You can vote here.

Of the five choices, I had to pick Geithner. But I think the best answer is that all of the President's czars, collectively, are playing the part of Wesley Mouch.

Go cast your vote. And if you get the Fox Business Network, be sure to watch the show: 

My first guest on the show (Fox Business Network, 8 p.m. Eastern Thursday, repeating at 10 p.m. Friday) is BB&T Chairman and "Atlas" fan John Allison. Allison's bank, the ninth largest in America, is doing very well, but he's angry the government forced him to take TARP money.

Allison once told The New York Times, "To say man is bad because he is selfish is to say it's bad because he's alive."

Plus, you'll get to see John get a fish pedicure!

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Bailouts and Bull

Posted by Richard on March 13, 2009

ABC is airing a new John Stossel special on 20/20 tonight, "Bailots and Bull," featuring Drew Carey and Reason.tv. Now that's must-see TV!

From Reason's David Nott (via email):

During this hour-long special, which was inspired by Reason.tv's Drew Carey Project, Drew and John will discuss the bailout fiasco, medical marijuana, universal preschool, toll roads, and the myth of the struggling middle class. You can watch a really great preview of "Bailouts and Bull" here:

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7067358

20/20 is on Friday night, March 13 at 10 p.m. ET, but please check your local listings for exact times. You won't want to miss this!

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New John Stossel special

Posted by Richard on October 18, 2008

John Stossel has a new one-hour special on ABC's 20/20 tonight, John Stossel's Politically Incorrect Guide to Politics. It dares to suggest that if you know more about Judge Judy than you know about the Supreme Court, maybe it's your civic duty not to vote.

That sounds like must-see TV to me. Like all Stossel specials. Check it out — 10 Eastern, 9 Central/Mountain.

UPDATE: Great show! I especially liked the New Orleans segment. I hope you watched it.

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Enough!

Posted by Richard on March 25, 2007

Last Friday, ABC TV broadcast another great John Stossel special, this one entitled "Enough!" It showcased some people who'd had enough of something and decided to take action. My favorites were:

  • New York Knicks star Stephon Marbury, who remembered growing up poor and asking his mother in vain for some $200 Air Jordan sneakers. The kind some kids have been beaten and even killed for. After Marbury became "Starbury," earning $17 million a year, he decided to come out with his own line of sneakers. They sell for $14.98. And he plays in them.

Starbury's sneakers have been a big hit. One fan is Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who wears them, loves them, and said about Starbury:

… "They're aren't many things we will do in our lives that will have an impact on culture and social change. To be able to send a message to kids and sell millions of shoes so the message gets through saying, save that extra $85 and buy your kid a guitar or some clothes. That is huge."

"You can look at 'NBA Cares' all you want. You can look at the things I've done for charity all you want. The NBA has never done anything as impactful as what he has done."

  • Chicago restauranteur Dan McCauley, who got fed up with out-of-control kids in his A Taste of Heaven cafe. He told one mother, whose kids were climbing the wall while she paid no attention, not to come back. Then he posted a sign that said, "Children of all ages have to behave and use their indoor voices when coming to A Taste of Heaven."

There were the predictable expressions of outrage from the parents who think saying "stop that!" to their kids is a form of child abuse. But the surprise was the tidal wave of support:

Letters applauding the restaurant's stand against rowdy kids began to arrive from around the country, some from as far away as Singapore and the United Kingdom. McCauley even received some small checks from supporters worried he would lose business.

Macauley didn't lose business. People are flocking to his cafe, grateful for a place where they can enjoy a peaceful, relaxing meal. Some of them are parents with children taught how to behave in public and how to be considerate of others. What a novel idea!

  • New York writer Maryann Reid, who was bothered by the fact that 70% of children in the black community are born to single mothers. She decided to do something about it:

"There is no stigma anymore in the black community about having a child out of wedlock," said Reid, which led to the creation of Marry Your Baby Daddy Day. For those who don't know, Reid explains that "a Baby Daddy is simply…an unmarried father. But they've become caricatures in the ghetto."

Reid said, "Enough of that! Enough of upholding this 'baby daddy' and 'baby momma' as the norm. I am really just fed up with…the decline of marriage in the black community…It's about bring black love back in style. And that's what I want to do."

Reid persuaded a bunch of wedding industry people to donate their goods and services for her project. The first Marry Your Baby Daddy Day was in September 2005, and ten couples were wed. All are still together. She's currently screening couples for the next one, this September. Meanwhile, she's also got a novel and a website promoting the idea that mommas should marry their baby daddy.

Of course, I'm just hitting the highlights. And there were other good segments, too. If you missed it, keep an eye out for a rerun — it was an uplifting hour about some decent and interesting people.

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New Stossel special tonight

Posted by Richard on November 30, 2006

Here’s a heads-up for fans of ABC News 20/20 host John Stossel (and if you’re not a fan yet, here’s an opportunity to become one): Stossel’s new 20/20 special, Cheap in America, is airing tonight at 10 PM Eastern Time (9 Central and Mountain, 8 Pacific) on your local ABC station:

John Stossel looks at the state of charity in the U.S. Who gives and who doesn’t? Some surprising answers, plus why doing good deeds can be good for your health.

Here’s a teaser from the findings: the average conservative-headed household earns 6% less, but gives 30% more than the average liberal-headed household.

By the way, a book or video by the informative, entertaining, and very libertarian Stossel would make a great Christmas gift for someone — maybe even yourself!
 

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