No, They Can't - John Stossel

No, They Can't

By John Stossel

  • Release Date: 2012-04-10
  • Genre: Political Science
Score: 4
4
From 207 Ratings

Description

The government is not a neutral arbiter of truth. It never has been. It never will be. Doubt everything. John Stossel does. A self-described skeptic, he has dismantled society’s sacred cows with unerring common sense. Now he debunks the most sacred of them all: our intuition and belief that government can solve our problems. In No, They Can’t, the New York Times bestselling author and Fox News commentator insists that we discard that idea of the “perfect” government—left or right—and retrain our brain to look only at the facts, to rethink our lives as independent individuals—and fast.

With characteristic tenacity, John Stossel outlines and exposes the fallacies and facts of the most pressing issues of today’s social and political climate—and shows how our intuitions about them are, frankly, wrong:

• the unreliable marriage between big business, the media, and unions

• the myth of tax breaks and the ignorance of their advocates

• why “central planners” never create more jobs and how government never really will

• why free trade works—without government Interference

• federal regulations and the trouble they create for consumers

• the harm caused to the disabled by government protection of the disabled

• the problems (social and economic) generated by minimum-wage laws

• the destructive daydreams of “health insurance for everyone”

• bad food vs. good food and the government’s intrusive, unwelcome nanny sensibilities

• the dumbing down of public education and teachers’ unions

• how gun control actually increases crime

. . . and more myth-busting realities of why the American people must wrest our lives back from a government stranglehold.

Stossel also reveals how his unyielding desire to educate the public with the truth caused an irreparable rift with ABC (nobody wanted to hear the point-by- point facts of ObamaCare), and why he left his long-running stint for a new, uncensored forum with Fox. He lays out his ideas for education innovation as well and, finally, makes it perfectly clear why government action is the least effective and desirable fantasy to hang on to. As Stossel says, “It’s not about electing the right people. It’s about narrowing responsibilities.” No, They Can’t is an irrefutable first step toward that goal.

Reviews

  • Great read

    5
    By hrmgrisme
    John puts it all into basic terms that we can understand, America needs to wake up or go the way of Greece and the others about to collapse
  • No, they can't

    5
    By Lois See
    How do we convince mainstream media to start exposing Big Government waste and failure?
  • Eye Opener

    5
    By Untagleebin
    I knew government screws up everything it touches, but this book puts it in perspective. It's a great read, and I can hear Stossel saying the words as I read. Highly recommended.
  • An excellent read.

    5
    By Gotmojo68
    Once again Stossel proves privet is better public and free markets will always work better than government.
  • Classic Stossel

    5
    By AntShaw
    Pretty much a recap of his topics and shows over the last few years. Nice to have in all one place and it was a quick read. Well done chapters and pacing.
  • Eye opener

    5
    By David.head84
    Extremely educational, opened my eyes to more than what I thought, and it simply fell under just common sense.
  • No, they can't

    5
    By JPOLKY
    Wonderful read. Won't be popular, but I'm glad to have been exposed to this. I hope Stossel keeps up exposing the comprehensive impact of different programs on his program. The examples of solutions that have been achieved by private citizens and other governments was refreshing.
  • Straight to the point!

    5
    By Patrick Schlehr
    Stossel - Thank you for being you. You and your team have produce a great work. Keep it going.
  • Great Book

    5
    By Tim Marten
    Awesome book, full of interesting facts and real eye-openers about government and really everything. Tell all your statist friends to read this!
  • The Negative Reviews Didn't Read The Book

    5
    By Professor Pangloss
    While I don't agree with everything Stossel says, he makes a lot of good points and has a convincing argument. Big government really doesn't work. Obama is taking the country in the wrong direction. The thing is, he's not really a Republican either - he says Republicans are just as guilty as Democrats for overspending. The answer is Libertarianism - get the government as much out of your life as possible. Stop entitlements, legalize drugs and gay marriage, and make this a country conducive to doing business again.