Politics

Out of context: Reply #3565

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    Throughout the rest of the report, Stossel's method is simple: documentexamples of government waste and neglect, and demonstrate how privatized,market-based solutions are more efficient.

    Glaringly absent from Stossel's report is any mention of one of the biggestregulation-related stories of the year-- California's deregulation-inducedenergy crisis. Citizens who live in California towns with publicly ownedutilities have been largely unaffected by the rolling blackouts and soaringrates that have crippled the rest of the state. Stossel's selectiveattention to the details is nothing new-- a few years ago, two producersquit working with him after being pressured to ignore research findings thatundermined Stossel's claims (Extra! Update, 6/94).

    Stossel's examples sometimes border on the absurd, like his suggestion toalleviate delays at airports: "Look at the sky. Even over an airport,there's lots of room. Why can't they fly more planes in this empty space?"At one point, he laments that a woman running a private charity providingfood to the needy was forced to abide by health codes in her kitchen.Protecting people from food-borne illnesses may sound reasonable, but not toStossel, who complains that the government "wouldn't leave her alone."

    Stossel closes with these thoughts: "As Thomas Jefferson warned, the naturalprogress of things is for government to gain and liberty to yield. Thechoice is up to you." For viewers of ABC News, however, there's very littlechoice: Stossel's reports are often distorted, one-sided attacks from aright-wing libertarian perspective. Stossel himself does not claim to bebalanced: In an ABCNews.com on-line chat (1/29/01), Stossel responded toviewer questions with comments like "I clearly do have a point of view" and"I also admit my report was one-sided."

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    • Those public companies inducing the rolling blackouts was named, Enron. And, every reporter has a point of view sotommyo
    • no surprise there. At least he's honest about it.tommyo
    • Enron was to blame because of greed, not deregulation. http://www.truthout.…tommyo
    • the dancer is the dance
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