JOHN STOSSEL GIVES HIS TAKE ON TOUGH SUBJECTS, ON “YOU CAN’T EVEN TALK ABOUT IT,” FRIDAY, MAY 8 ON “20/20″
May 7, 2009 by J!-ENT
From pregnancy discrimination laws to doing less for senior citizens, from farming endangered animals to letting athletes do steroids, John Stossel brings us his take on tough subjects in an hour-long report, “You Can’t Even Talk About It,” airing on “20/20,” FRIDAY, MAY 8 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. Reports include:
America Needs to Do Less for Its Senior Citizens: Stossel reports when Medicare was created, senior citizens did not live as long, and medicine offered fewer wonderful but expensive treatments. Now Medicare is headed towards bankruptcy. Government has promised seniors $34 trillion dollars more than it has funded. It amounts to generational theft, says Andrew Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute. “The government spends around $6 on seniors for every dollar it spends on children, and yet the poverty rate among children is far higher than it is among seniors,” he says. Stossel confronts seniors about it. Some say, “we’ve paid our dues” and “every paycheck, money was deducted.” But in fact, today the average Medicare beneficiary collects two to three times more than they paid in. Why do even wealthy seniors feel entitled to have taxpayer-subsidized access to state of the art medical care?
Pregnancy Discrimination Lawsuits: To protect pregnant women at work, Congress passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. It makes it illegal to fire, not hire, or to pay a woman less because she is pregnant. Today employers are even warned not to ask in a job interview, “Are you pregnant?” or “Might you start a family?” If the new law was supposed to end discrimination, it has not — the number of pregnancy discrimination complaints is on the rise. Stossel argues that the law does more harm than good. Carrie Lukas, a pregnant Vice-President of the Independent Women’s Forum, says: “Sometimes the laws that are intended to help women like me actually end up hurting women like me. All of a sudden a potential employer is looking at me and thinking… ’she just might turn around and sue us.’ That makes it less likely that I’m going to get hired.”
The Best Way to Save Many Endangered Species Is to Eat Them: International bans on the trade of rare animal parts (tiger organs, elephant tusks, rhino horns) have been about as successful as the international war on drugs. Wild tigers and many of the world’s most prized species are disappearing. Why? Because wherever there is a demand strong enough, market forces overwhelm law enforcement. Terry Anderson of PERK, the Property and Environmental Resource Center, claims that governments have repeatedly failed when they tried to save animals by banning their sale: failed with the Colobus monkey in West Africa… with the alligator in China… and now, with the tiger in Asia. By contrast, does America have a shortage of chickens? No. Because people own them and eat them. Allowing private owners to sell animals for food or tourism saved the Rhino and the elephant in Africa, and the bison in America. Stossel says it could work for other endangered species too, if environmental groups would drop their resistance.
Rescuing Risk Takers: Thrill-seekers hoping to surf the most difficult ocean wave, to bushwhack through treacherous back-country terrain or to catch the biggest ice-water fish sometimes take unnecessary risks, disregarding weather forecasts or warning signs. If they need to be rescued, let’s bill them for the cost of the rescue, says Stossel. New Hampshire does that. Stossel confronts the rescued, who say “no,” tax dollars should pay.
Let Them Do Steroids: Stossel asks: After years of hand-wringing over steroids in baseball, the Olympics, the Tour de France and other sports, isn’t it time to acknowledge that athletes will always be looking for ways to get a competitive edge, and, instead of treating them like children, to let them go ahead and just do it?
Radiating Food Makes It Unsafe to Eat: Last month President Obama told us the fact that 95% of food not inspected by the FDA is “…a hazard to the public health…” But he did not mention that there is one way to make food safe: irradiate it. Irradiation means moving food though a stream of ionized energy — it’s a little like x-raying it, but with more power. The point is to kill bacteria. And it works. Irradiated meat stays fresh twice as long. Irradiated strawberries last up to three weeks on the shelf. But media hype and small scare groups have made people wary of food irradiation. Ruth Kava of the American Council on Science and Health says the anti-irradiation movement is all about ignorant fear of radiation.
“20/20″ is anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel. David Sloan is executive producer.
John Stossel is one of the very few sane and sensible people to be found in the msm. More power to him.
Stossell is an American hero. We need less Obamaism.
Wait a minute there, John. Medicare is not much subsidized for everyone! Social Security deducts $303.00/mo. for my Medicare coverage and I pay an additional $250.00/mo. to cover the deductible.
Do you even have proofreaders?
PERK, the Property and Environmental Resource Center,
Kenter? I’m thinking the acronym is “PERC”
L. Knaff:
By definition, subsidize is paying part of the cost. You ARE BEING SUBSIDIZED. That $303.00 is being paid by funds forcibly confiscated from American citizens. I’m not trying to belittle anyone, just make sure that the subject is propery understood.
I too am paying extra EACH MONTH since Medicare goes to IRS to seek those with “tax free” income.My income is WELL below the $250k that is considered “wealthy”. They say IT is the level they seek to pay more for the same services others have. Also as noted we do pay co=pay each year. In addition, I have sent Medicare or talked to them about “fraud” and each time they have deflected my claim. Let Stossel investigate the medical profession and see how hard the AMA comes down on him.
Perhaps hes’ brave enough to go after the Banking Industry which Dick Durbin of Illinois tried to do. Peace, and Hope, RT
Matt…I contributed my whole working life to Social Security and Medicare and because I was successful more than the average citizen. That the congress abused and mismanaged these programs is not my fault. You think I’m being subsidized by the citizens? I’m subsidizing myself! That, fella, is how it’s properly understood!
L. Knaff – just because you bought the lie your whole life does not mean we have to accept it as well. I would gladly write off all I have contributed in exchange for being allowed to opt out of the system. With the instantaneous 15% PAY RAISE I could easily pay for the current needs of myself and family, and save for future needs. Just because someone else, who relies on their public education (or lack thereof) may not be deemed “competent enough” by the Wise Ones in DC to manage their own affairs does not give the Federal Gubmint license to trample the Constitution and hold the rest of us as slaves to their program.
The younger generation did not make these promises to their seniors. The seniors made these promises to themselve during their days in power.
Baby boomers at the older end of the scale never did right by their kids when they were raising them. Now they want to be pampered and cared for. It’ll never fly Wilbur!
Soylent Green is made out of people….
(I’m 50 BTW)
it is not “Obamaism” that has made these problems… these thoughts and myths have been around before him, and more than likely will be around after him, we can clean up a few of these things, but all of them wont get fixed within this presidency, it has takin yeas to bulid up these myths and problems, and it will take just as long to debunk the myths and fix them.
Please help me understand why the City of Los Angeles can spend tax dollors for a celebration party for the Lakers. I am all for the Lakers and feel that recognition and a celebration is wonderful, but not funded by the city who cries BROKE. Many necessary agency have been closed or cut because of this does not justify to me (and many other people) so much money spent on a day. I bet some of those fans attending are people who lost their jobs because their was no money to fund their job. What about the schools, medical facilities and so much more where money is so needed?? Common sence is never how money is spent, is that my answer?