Give Me A Break
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Overview
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 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 coffee pots, worse risks were ignored.
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 scare-mongering 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 modest proposal for change. It's 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."
When he hit the airwaves thirty years ago, Stossel 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 coffee pots, worse risks were ignored.
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 scare-mongering 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 modest proposal for change. It's 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."
Reviews (12)
Give Me A Break
Written by JimRiverLady on March 15th, 2008
- Book Rating: 5/5
I am a big fan of John Stossel and enjoyed this book very much. It's an eye opener to what's really going on and I would recommend people to listen to what Mr. Stossel has to say.
Give Me A Break
Written by JS from Toronto, ON on December 21st, 2006
- Book Rating: 4/5
I enjoyed this selection and the author's candid views on government vs. private enterprise. While I don't necessarily agree with all of his arguments, the book was entertaining and well worth the time.
Give Me A Break
Written by Paul Harbison from Fredericksburg, VA on July 22nd, 2006
- Book Rating: 5/5
Excellent book with a good author and a great story.
Give Me a Break
Written by Edward Serwan from Chesterfield, WY on February 14th, 2006
- Book Rating: 5/5
Very insightful. Stossel has different way of looking at things and making you think. Clearly not a book for liberals!
Give Me a Break
Written by David Gardner on February 8th, 2006
- Book Rating: 4/5
The point of this book is that government cannot do anything as well as the private sector. Competition fuels quality and with government monopolies there's no competition and hence; no quality. John Stoussel provides example after example of how government continues to rip us off, wasting our money, time and lives. The book is very persuasive and will definitly hold your attention. If you love big government or if you hate big government, one way or the other, you'll be angry after you read this one!
Stossel in his element!
Written by David Clark from West Palm Beach, FL on July 21st, 2005
- Book Rating: 5/5
Bucking the business as usual Network news dept. He discusses his tangles with the PC and ultra liberal people who run network news. He discusses why they are losing views every day, and why once mighty newspapters like NY Times alianates thousands of once obsessive readers to cancel their subscriptions. Stossel is refreashing in his observations and is well written and well spoken. Watch out Bernie Goldberg you have competition!
Gets your blood boiling...
Written by Tom in SJC on May 19th, 2005
- Book Rating: 4/5
...just like his 20/20 segments. Excellent 'book' for listening to....only helped by Stossel doing the narration. If you like 20/20, primetime, dateline, etc....you'll enjoy this CD
Give me a Break
Written by Dawn Hare on April 15th, 2005
- Book Rating: 4/5
Excellent, a very good book to listen to. Will make you think about all sorts of things and question everything that you see on the television and hear on the radio. Good insight into the television world and the government!
Fantastic
Written by Anonymous from Austin, TX on February 24th, 2005
- Book Rating: 5/5
This was so eye opening! His points are interesting and well thought out. Definately gives you a different and more expanded version on the world we live in!
Give Me A Break
Written by Arthur Stalbow on January 12th, 2005
- Book Rating: 5/5
If you have a great deal of faith in government bureaucrats running your life, you might not care for this book. If, however, you believe in personal responsibility and individual freedom, you’ll find this book a breath of fresh air. In this age of depending on the government for just about anything, Stossell points to numerous occasions when nice sounding government programs prove to either waste our money or do the opposite of what they intended to do. Stossel’s reading of his own book adds to the quality of it.