Quotes from John Stossel

When we were scared about 9/11, we federalized the airport security, we spent millions for body armor for dogs in Ohio. All that over-reaction comes from fear and government - bad combination.

Happiness comes when we test our skills towards some meaningful purpose.

Central authority is bad. The bias should be for freedom. And without a central authority, there are lots of little authorities, and we learn which ones to trust.

I was bullied as a kid, and I got a job on television. And I had a camera. And so I wanted to go after those business bullies. And I just have been following that instinct.

I suppose beat reporters who cover people like Babbitt and Gephardt are reluctant to offend because they may need the powerful people's cooperation tomorrow. I didn't worry about cooperation tomorrow, so I kept offending people today.

Even as life gets safer, longer, and richer, people clamor for new regulations every time a child falls down a well.

In a world where millions of people make complex economic decisions, often what "feels right" makes for bad policy.

Gasoline has eighty times the energy density of the best lithium ion batteries.

The individual is the best judge of what's right for the individual

When action is divorced from consequences, no one is happy with the ultimate outcome. If individuals can take from a common pot regardless of how much they put in it, each person has an incentive to be a free rider, to do as little as possible and take as much as possible because what one fails to take will be taken by someone else. Soon, the pot is empty and will not be refilled -- a bad situation even for the earlier takers.

If overpopulation or lack of resources created poverty, then Hong Kong should be poor. Hong Kong has 20 times as many people per square mile as India, and no valuable natural resources. Yet Hong Kong is rich; the average income there is higher than in Great Britain or Canada. This is a recent development. In the 1920s, Hong Kong was as poor as India. But in a relatively short time it became rich because of one key ingredient: economic freedom.

It's not about electing the right people. It's about a narrowing their responsibilities.

When America began, government cost every citizen $20 (in [2003] money) per year. Taxes rose during wars, but for most of the life of America, spending never exceeded a few hundred dollars per person. During World War II, government got much bigger. It was supposed to shrink again after the war but never did. Instead, it just kept growing. Now the federal government costs every man, woman, and child an average of $10,000 per year.

Quando ficar ofendido dá poder às pessoas, elas ficam ofendidas facilmente.

The smaller the government, the less the need to manipulate politicians.

whenever there are problems, people turn to government. Despite the central planners' long record of failure, politicians promise that this time they will "fix" health care, education, the uncertainty of old age, etc., and people believe.

Donald Trump was offended when I called him a bully for trying to force an old lady out of her house to make more room for his Atlantic City casino. After the interview, the producer stayed behind to pack up our equipment. Trump came back into the room, puffed himself up, and started blustering, "Nobody talks to me that way!" Well, someone should.

Why are people who favor compulsion called humanitarians, while those who favor freedom are stigmatized as greedy?

When government decides to set "standards" for an industry, to whom will it turn for expertise? Brilliant newcomers? No, government doesn't even know who they are. The older, lazier, bigger, arthritic businesses suggest the rules and make sure that their way is the only legal way.

While a free market doesn't produce equal outcomes, it produces better outcomes.

Zero tolerance leads to zero common sense.

The people who tried government regulation have lives which are miserable.

There is all of this protesting against corporate power, but in reality, corporations have to persuade you - they could have a ton of money, but actually only government can use force.

Living with the liberals, you get to hear their arguments, fight with them all the time. Keeps me alert.