Every once in a while I happen to pick up a good book too. Though less often, I happen to read the book I pick up. I just happened to finish a real interesting one as I moved the final stuff out of my dorm this past weekend. In John Stossel’s latest book Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel–Why Everything You Know Is Wrong, he attacks a lot of the ‘conventional wisdom’ pushed about by the media. One of the myth’s he stresses (along with his first book), is that he’s not conservative, he’s libertarian, and some of his views make appearances in the book.
The book reads as if there were talking points within each chapter on a variety of myths he’s bought into as a newscaster and then the facts he’s learned as he dug deeper. Much of the book starts out with “For years as a newscaster I believed (this), but looking at it deeper I found (this),†for various topics including how there is no cancer epidemic, organic foods are no better than regular ones, DDT is good, and lawyers are the worst people ever.
Stossel sticks to his guns about a few topics that have been met with controversy. I get the idea that Stossel really hates lawyers and judges (lawyers in robes). He writes at length on how they are the stupidest bottom feeding creatures ever, suing people on a whim, and making millions while hurting more people than they claim to help. I tend to agree with him, but his hate runs much deeper.
Stossel goes on the offensive on public schools for quite a few pages. He compares schools to cell phones. With different providers, you have different rates, plans, phones, with the government, you have one plan, and one phone, and it’s terrible. Though he does credit for Milwaukee for their use of various charter/voucher programs, it’s obvious that Stossel outright wants schools to be privatized (Not such a bad idea).
A second idea he proposes, from his libertarian view point, is stopping government imposed morals, because of its effect on free market economics. He advocates the selling of body parts, if someone is willing to pay for them. If the doctors, the transporters, and nurses all get paid why shouldn’t the person giving up the organ?
All in all it’s a good read especially for someone (like me) interested in what goes on in news and the media, how you are being lied to, and are interested in Stossel’s findings, I suggest it as a last minute gift idea.
Last 5 posts by Justin- My Blog from CPAC - February 28th, 2009
- Top 10 Conservative Video Games - February 20th, 2009
- Marquette Law School Construction Site Fire - February 10th, 2009
- David Phillips for Menomonee Falls Village President - February 5th, 2009
- Look what you paid for - February 3rd, 2009
