ABC
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Stossel probably has "nouveau riche" disease.
It is typically caused by a fortuitous series of coincidences that boosts an individual's income dramatically.
The primary symptom is an intense aversion to any moral imperative that might interfere with the accumulation of more wealth, however extraneous the additional wealth might be to personal survival.
Neither the left or right fringe help with real problems like energy independence or education. What we have here is a failure to communicate, while insisting the nuts on the other side, who justify stupid actions on their own side are the problem. Get a life folks.
I guess that would include the leftist fringe...but they are giving you money so they're okay.
There is no real left with any power in this country.
Besides, the "far left" is anyone left of O'Reilly to the wackadoos.
There has been a concerted effort to eradicate all knowledge of the Left in American history. Starting with the Palmer raids in 1919-20 and reaching a peak in the McCarthy era there has been a co ordinated effort to scrub leftists from the history books.
Do a little research wing nuts. You will probably find your great grandfathers voted for Socialist mayors and Governors.
There is no Left Wing left in the USA. They were wiped out (imprisoned, murdered, deported) years ago.
So John McCain is far left then?
He is left of Rush, Hannity, O'Reilly or any of them.
LOL, my thoughts exactly.
John Stossel, the new Geraldo. Nuff said.
I wish Hillary people and Obama people would stop attacking each other-we are all liberal democrats and we cannot afford a split that might assure the election of McCain. NOTHING could be worse than that. I will vote for either Obama or Clinton, anything to stop this madness. If McCain wins, I will put my house on the market and move to another country.
Thank God. I can't wait until the day when you leave. Nothing better than a baby leaving when they don't get what they want.
I'm going to. And I watch McCain destroy the USA and listen to you whine that "it was food stamps that did it" from a distance.
In any other western democracy Clinton would be considered far right and Obama a right of center.
Liberal in America?That is a extinct breed.
I am currently reading Ghost War, The secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan,and Bin Ladin, from the Soviet Invasion to Sept. 10, 2001 by Steve Coll.
Last night I got to the chapter where he describes the Clinton White House and the oil and gas pipelines proposed for Afghanistan.
According to Coll, parts of the CIA were worried that Clinton put the interests of the oil companies and corporations above the interests of the nation.
THE CIA!!!!
For the last seven years Rush has been treated by too much of media as a reasonable voice, brought on legitimate news shows for his opinion, because they wanted to court his viewers. The emperor wears no clothes. We need to start calling them what they are. Lunatic Fringe works for me. Everyone needs to repeat that till it sticks the way they made "liberal" a dirty word.
When the fringe says with a straight face that AGW is not happening, contrary to every single national and international scientific organization in the entire world and not one such organization refutes it...call it what it is, Lunatic.
When they said for years things were going well in Iraq, say out loud, Lunatic.
We must have common ground based upon evidence and then opinions can diverge based on that evidence. But what the lunatic fringe does is ignore and deny evidence and has a gigantic network supporting a non-evidence based set of information.
Millions listen to Rush 15 full hours a week. How do you counteract that especially when he daily innoculates his listeners from future evidence from reputable sources?
"Everyone needs to repeat that till it sticks the way they made "liberal" a dirty word. "
Well the opposite of "liberal" is "conservative," not "lunatic fringe." We've had plenty of doses of conservatism ever since Reagan--now it's time to attribute the results of conservatism to "conservatism" and conservatives.
It shouldn't be necessary to play games in the media. Everything conservatives have touched is in a state of disaster; hold the ideology accountable.
Stossel's anti-government rants are delusional. Ask anyone who has had to deal with the student loan entities Sallie Mae (private) and Direct Loan (government) who gives better service and is easier to deal with. The main issue is that unless you have a firm government referee creating a level playing field the capitalists system breaks down, as it did in the 20's, as it did with the S&L scandal of the late 80's and as it did in the current mortgage scandal mess. The concept that the free market can be a self regulating entity is really an ideological hope that has never been proven by historical facts. That's why Ayn Rand's philosophy is as out of touch with reality as any Marxiasts. Adam Smith, the original patron saint of free markets, wrote of the many legitimate roles of government including taking care of the poor. He never claimed that "the invisible hand" would never need a referee on occasions. The belief that "wild west" capitalism can correct itself and provide the transparency that it needs to function is the triumph of hope over experience.
Free markets. They are great as theory. But never work out in reality.
So why is it the healthiest, the cleanest, the happiest countries on earth all happen to socialist?
Ssuch as North Korea, Cuba, the former USSR, the former Eastern Bloc, etc.
Uh... Social-Democratic, not Socialist. You Americans REALLY have to learn that there is a difference between the two.
North Korea is Socialist. Sweden is not...
"Free markets. They are great as theory. But never work out in reality."
How are they great in theory?
Free market capitalism is a wonderfully efficient system, unto itself. Unfortunately there are people and lives involved in all the self-cleansing and self-correcting, risk-taking, etc., which is why it's inappropriate as a social or governing system, and why mixed/socialist societies are healthier and more robust.
..
..
Stossel just defined the term "logical fallacy".
..
.
Arianna, "Lunatic" implies these people are divorced from reality. On the contrary, they know exactly what they are saying. A more appropriate word may be "Sadistic". They use their words like a knife to gore the opposition, over and over. The more callous and heartless they can be, the better they feel and the more attention they get. You will never see them try to reach a consensus or sit down and really try to solve a problem. They will always use a graph or statistic to counter every point you will ever bring up. Their game is not to solve, but to destroy. By appearing on shows with the likes of John Stossel you set yourself up to be gored.
Does Stossel have the most annoying, obnoxious and insinuating voice and tone ever heard? His voice and mannerisms make you just want to slap him. Painful inflections, ridiculous way he frames every statement. What a collossal ***hole.
Too true
whole-heartedly agree! Excellent post.
LOL, I thought he did fine.
He made sense to me.
So?
That's like saying Bush makes sense when he speaks.
Sayin' it doesn't make it true. Stossel is at best a low grade meat puppet.
I used to work out in the same gym as him years ago. Yup. He's a prick.
Arianna, you are one of the very few reasons I have not completely given up on America. John Stossel on the other hand, is the precise kind of douche bag that challenges my faith that America is going to survive another one or two generations.
It's a mortal war of the useful vs. the liabilities. Thanks for keeping the fight alive so that the liabilities like Limbaugh, Coulture, O'Reilly, Bush, Cheney and all the backwash 30%ers can't make short work of putting the Great Experiment of America into an early grave.
Where does Stossel get his numbers? To quote that infamous bastion of liberal thought and leftest tendencies, The Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print//SB119215822413557069.html):
[bq]
The wealthiest 1% of Americans earned 21.2% of all income in 2005, according to new data from the Internal Revenue Service. That is up sharply from 19% in 2004, and surpasses the previous high of 20.8% set in 2000, at the peak of the previous bull market in stocks.
The bottom 50% earned 12.8% of all income, down from 13.4% in 2004 and a bit less than their 13% share in 2000.
[...]
The IRS data show that the median tax filer's income -- half earn less than the median, half earn more -- fell 2% between 2000 and 2005 when adjusted for inflation, to $30,881. At the same time, the income level for the tax filer just inside the top 1% grew 3%, to $364,657.
[eq]
From the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities http://www.cbpp.org/8-29-06pov.htmm):
[bq]
Furthermore, the poverty rate, at 12.6 percent, remained well above its 11.7 percent rate in 2001, while overall median household income was $243 lower in 2005 than in 2001 (not a statistically significant difference).
[eq]
I mean, c'mon...if the poor's income climbed from hardly anything to hardly anything + 3.5%, how is that offset by a 300% increase in heating and gasoline and staggering increases in food prices?
John Stossel is nothing more than a male model that looks good on camera.
His shoddy 'reporting' was exemplified by his coverage of organic food some years back. Every single thing that he said has been shown to be wrong though science, market forces and public policy. Whenever I hear his name I think of 'colostomy bag'.
Weird. First time I've seen an "interviewer" pull out prepared graphs and charts! But a win, Arianna--your quick wits were more than a match for Stossel's protests and ironic inflections. Why 20/20 chose him for the interview (or for anything, for that matter) is a mystery--his primitive politics make Ron Paul look like Eugene Debs!
Go, Ariana! Sock it to the bigots and the people who ignore the poor! We are with you, Ariana!
Hooray for the Greeks with guts in America!
Let me fix your post:
Hooray for the GEEKS in America with no guts!
Yet another "unbias"ed remark.
On the other hand, if we take both you and AnAmericanWoman together, we have cheers for geeks with and without guts. Sounds like you two make a good team!
I have to be honest here, my "unbias" friend: I never expected you to be cheering in favor of any group you saw as having "no guts". Your spiritual growth amazes me.
C'mon, the ultrarich parasites aren't that bad. Well I don't know, I guess all the chickenhawks among them are....
Another Rev. Wright.
Want less Gov Stossel? You got it. It's called the do-nothing Bush domestic policy!
Loading comments…
Huffington Post
First Posted: 04-25-08 11:27 PM | Updated: 05- 3-08 05:12 AM