Bob's Links and Rants

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Sunday, February 12, 2006

John Stossel is an idiot

I've read that before, but I saw a little bit of ABC's 20/20 hack on Friday night, and just looked up the transcript of the show. Clearly a shill for for corporate greedheads, Stossel spent the show "debunking" ten "myths." Here are a few:

Myth #1: Sharing Would Make the World a Better Place: Some public restrooms are gross, and communal agriculture in communist China and the Soviet Union wasn't completely successful. Therefore, everything should be privatized--according to Stossel. Never mind that communal agriculture has worked and continues to work in many places, or that socialism has provided very pleasant lives for millions for decades in Europe. Stossel doesn't approve. End of story.

Myth #2: Urban Sprawl Is Ruining America: 95% of the country is undeveloped, and a lot of people like their backyards--therefore sprawl is good--according to Stossel. Nevermind that the 95% of the country has no water or jobs, or that suburbia depends entirely on cheap energy, which won't exist much longer. No matter--Stossel likes sprawl. End of story.

Myth #4: Outsourcing Is Bad for American Workers. Stossel found a company in California which was able to add workers after outsourcing much of its work to India, and Tennessee is building a community college on the site of the Levi jeans plant which moved to Mexico--creating jobs building and staffing the college! Besides, American workers can only afford stuff made elsewhere, something Stossel thinks is just dandy, without considering WHY they can't afford domestic stuff. Stossel loves "free trade," ignoring the fact that trade isn't "free" if the workers aren't free to pursue the highest wages in the same way capital pursues the lowest costs. Stossel likes corporations--end of story.