by John Stossel (Author)



Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Stossel doesn't offer much detail about how he became "the first of the
in-your-face TV consumer reporters," rushing through his career's start
and then shifting to anecdotes from his experiences to illustrate how he
reached the ideological conclusions that have given him a reputation as a
rogue, a tag he both embraces and tries to shake here. Free markets are
great, the 20/20 correspondent repeatedly tells readers, while government
regulation stifles innovation and keeps consumers from gaining access to
the best, safest products possible. Stossel calls out the federal
government in particular, citing its "incompetence" and comparing the FDA
to a "malignant tumor" (he also claims September 11 happened because "the
FAA never asked for tighter security"). While Stossel describes himself as
a libertarian, his comments on the liberal media establishment are
reminiscent of those of outspoken conservative Bernard Goldberg. Many
readers who nod in agreement when Stossel complains about the
"totalitarian left," however, may find it harder to share his enthusiasm
for extending personal liberty to include assisted suicide, legalized
prostitution and dwarf-tossing. Stossel may be effective in small doses on
20/20, but his rhetorical strength diminishes when the print format
requires him to go on at length. 16-page b&w photo insert not seen by PW.

From Booklist
Stossel, the well-known television correspondent, was one of the first
consumer reporters, sticking up for the little folks who got scammed by
quack doctors, envelope-stuffing schemes, and the like. But he found
himself frustrated. He would expose the bad guys, and the next month they
would be back in business. Why, he asked, can't government step in and
help? "The more reporting I did," Stossel writes, "the more it dawned on
me that the government is often the problem, not the solution." His book,
drawn from his television pieces, is full of stories of government gone
mad: entrepreneurs put out of business because they violated a ridiculous
regulation; competition unfairly quashed by regulators acting in the
interests of lobby groups; laws interpreted so narrowly that they become
ludicrous. Rapidly, he went from an intrepid consumer reporter to--in the
eyes of his critics--a turncoat who abandoned the cherished liberal belief
in the ability of government to help people. Although the book is clearly
one man's opinion, Stossel is very persuasive. His thesis is simple: there
is nothing government can do that the private sector can't do better, more
efficiently, and cheaper. We are being ripped off, he laments, by
excessive taxation, incompetent and bloated bureaucracies, and politicians
who make decisions based on self-interest rather than public interest.
It's a powerful, well-argued, and immensely thought-provoking book, and
with Stossel's visibility, not to mention the incendiary subject matter,
it's sure to be a hot one, too. David Pitt

Product Details

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (January 25, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060529156