index index index index Many do not understand the phenomenon that is Libertarianism, a political philosophy which is greatly like that that of the Democratic-Republicans of our nation's Founding Fathers, the thought of John Stuart Mill, and - to a lesser and slightly more conservative degree - that of Edmund Burke. Too infrequently do Americans even breach the subject of political philosophy with any depth, primarily thanks to our general tendency for pragmatism (if we are being positive) and superficiality (in a more negative sense). Stossel's light-hearted text does not aim to be a treatise on Libertarian thought but does function - in a wholly American style - to broach the subject of this political philosophy through concrete examples in his exodus from "social liberalism" (which is often just called liberalism today) to classical liberalism, that of the Libertarian.

Stossel begins with his common, gut-level misperceptions of what the direction and aim of consumer reporting is. Though a series of stories, he came to realize that much of the sensationalizing which the media was doing (and the people were consuming) was nothing more than fear-mongering which actually diverted a great deal of attention from more important matters. In addition, this fear-mongering takes on a character of duplicity by both excoriating large entities (business and government) while calling for the same entities to take action (particularly government). From a series of such realizations, he came to realize that much common sense is found in the political philosophy of Libertarianism, in its dual pillars of laissez-faire capitalism and individual liberty. He proceeds in a non-comprehensive way to show that such freedom has been beneficial, particularly in the elimination of material poverty.

Peppered with other light considerations of the meaning of liberty, Stossel's book serves as an excellent, albeit very, very light, introduction into Libertarian thought for American readers. It is engaging and enjoyable, therefore coming with my high recommendations in an age which has lost much zeal for liberty.I bought this book in this election year as a gamble. I'm pretty tired of the mud-slinging that replaces argument in most "popular" books about the current state of American society - it always seems to come down to Democrat vs. Republican - no in-between or alternate stances. Stossel, however, has done an honest and thoughtful job of it, from a unique, long-standing, and privileged position (privileged in the sense of being an eye-witness). This is not a political treatise favoring one party over another. It is altogether something different. I highly recommend it. It will make you think and look around.[Helpful? Not? Please vote.] :: This was as much "fun" as I've had with a book lately. I consumed it in one sitting, and was genuinely interested and engaged the whole time. A few of my (accepted) beliefs were tested, and turned on their ear by this guy's book. I love to see his TV segments because his style is so frank and down-to-earth. I don't need anyone to make me feel better about what they're saying while they're saying it. I prefer a sincere exchange of ideas, and if we need to discuss how we should feel about the delivery, that comes later. Stossel's writing style is much the same as his speaking style, clear and 'to-the-point' (no stuttering, which is a problem I never noticed he had...). He does not fall into the "verbosity-trap" many writers do, and instead misses few opportunities for brevity. A diciplined love for the sight and sound of his own words is something I particularly admire about Stossel. He seems to think a clearly-expressed few are most beautiful.

Agree or disagree, based on style or content or even organization... That's for you to decide. I would suggest that you prepare to do some research to prove him wrong. If you just wanna disagree on principle, there are plenty of opportunities in this book where the author challenges the herd's wisdom. His premise that freely available legal recourse actually damages freedom of the individual and opportunities and innovations is my absolute *favorite* of his pet theories. You realize again for the first time why there are so many lawyer jokes ... not all of them are good people. Read this book! It won't cost you much time or even money at this point, and it's the easiest and most engaging read of it's kind I've seen in a while. It doesn't get bogged down in exhaustive minutia, but rather gives you lots of things to start thinking about, and then YOU can dig deeper if you want to into whichever of the topics interest you most. It was in my public library, and took me less than a day to read. You might disagree w/ Stossel, but you won't get bored with this book. Cheers!This is a great book. In his wonderful style, Stossel subjects commonly-held assumptions, common scams, scares, and media lies, the government, and a lot of other stuff to whithering skepticism. Discover why everything you know (or, at least, a lot of it) is wrong.

It's funny how people are willing to be very skeptical of businesses but aren't willing to turn that same skepticism on the government. Stossel manages to do that and argues that the expansion of the government hurts consumers much more than it helps them. A lot of people have this idea of a benevolent government saving us from big, bad industry, but this isn't true at all, as Stossel quiet ably shows.

I'd recommend ignoring the one-star reviews of this book. Stossel answers most of their "objections" in the book, and one of the reasons he wrote this book was to refute a lot of those types of claims.

This book is a must-read for those who are concerned about the expansion of the state. Then again, if you're not concerned, you should definitely read this book, because this book shows that you should be. This book shows how government regulation hurts consumers by raising prices, stifling innovation, and much more. Gives plenty of examples of government stupidity. This book is great reading and provides an excellent introduction to many of the key ideas of the libertarian philosophy of government. This book is very well written and highly entertaining; there's not a dull moment to be found. Highly recommended.As someone who has been in the media for more than 20 years, and has developed a niche in debunking the horribly inaccurate, irresponsible and downright sloppy use of statistics in the media and beyond, this book was a refreshing piece of common-sense journalism. I highly recommend it especially to anyone considering a career, or already embarked on a career, in journalism or any communications endeavor. Ballooning government?
Millionaire welfare queens?
Tort lawyers run amok?
A $330,000 outhouse, paid for with your tax dollars?
John Stossel says, "Give me a break."

When he hit the airwaves thirty years ago, Stossel helped create a whole new category of news, dedicated to protecting and informing consumers. As a crusading reporter, he chased snake-oil peddlers, rip-off artists, and corporate thieves, winning the applause of his peers.

But along the way, he noticed that there was something far more troublesome going on: While the networks screamed about the dangers of exploding BIC lighters and coffeepots, worse risks were ignored. And while reporters were teaming up with lawyers and legislators to stick it to big business, they seldom reported the ways the free market made life better.

In Give Me a Break, Stossel explains how ambitious bureaucrats, intellectually lazy reporters, and greedy lawyers make your life worse even as they claim to protect your interests. Taking on such sacred cows as the FDA, the War on Drugs, and scaremongering environmental activists -- and backing up his trademark irreverence with careful reasoning and research -- he shows how the problems that government tries and fails to fix can be solved better by the extraordinary power of the free market.

He traces his journey from cub reporter to 20/20 co-anchor, revealing his battles to get his ideas to the public, his struggle to overcome stuttering, and his eventual realization that, for years, much of his reporting missed the point.

Stossel concludes the book with a provocative blueprint for change: a simple plan in the spirit of the Founding Fathers to ensure that America remains a place "where free minds -- and free markets -- make good things happen."

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