Friday, October 30, 2009

550 Attend John Stossel Mtg in Jonesboro/800 in Little Rock/345 in Texarkana

Jonesboro: Anyone would have had a hard time adding any information to the knowledge this group already had on government run health care or to entertain them. But John Stossel was able to do both. The audience could complete several of the sentences and nod and applaud at every allusion made to any aspect of the health care bill or health care discussion made by those who introduced Stossel. It was obvious the 500 plus people had been thoroughly educated on the topic by Fox. Below the following excerpts from newspaper articles are a few of the applause lines by Stossel.

The meeting was well covered across the state except KAIT television in Jonesboro who ignored it. In fact Google showed 67 possible articles and blog reports on the meeting.


From American For Prosperity excerpts (organization that brought John Stossel to Arkansas)
"At 7am this morning-- yes I said 7am--345 activists joined us bright and early in Texarkana for a rousing town hall meeting. We were in the district of Congressional Blue Dog leader Mike Ross, and hundreds of folks signed the “Hands Off My Health Care” petition urging Congressman Ross to do the right thing for Arkansas.

"Next we arrived in Little Rock, after a two hour drive, where over 800 Arkansas citizens from all walks of life overflowed a large auditorium.
http://www.americansforprosperity.com/102909-road-arkansas-john-stossel

From Jonesboro Sun (Excerpts)
Stossel rally draws 500

JONESBORO — About 500 people crammed into a hotel ballroom Thursday to express their displeasure with what supporters say is the potential of government-run health care.A group, Americans for Prosperity, hosted the meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn on Caraway Road featuring Fox Business Network host John Stossel.Stossel, who formerly appeared on the ABC newsmagazine “20/20,” said he believes a free market-based system will address many of the issues in the health-care debate.“Right now, the numbers don’t add up,” Stossel said of a $894 billion plan brought forward Thursday by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “The current system is unsustainable. I believe President Obama is right on that issue. But we have a $36 trillion liability with Medicare and Medicaid.” Rest of article can be read at this link. http://www.jonesborosun.com/story.php?ID=40442

Arkansas News Bureau excerpts
Stossel talks health care; Lincoln won’t rule out filibuster
By John LyonArkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — Government-run health insurance is a “ponzi scheme,” former television newsman John Stossel told about 800 people today at a forum on health care.

“They locked Bernie Madoff up for running a ponzi scheme, but Congress walks free,” Stossel said at a forum in Little Rock sponsored by the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity. “There’s no way it can keep going this way.”

Eventually the government will create “something like death panels” to ration care, Stossel said.

“At some point they’re going to have to say, ‘No, you can’t have that. You can’t have this experimental drug.’ That’s what happens when other people pay for your needs,” he said.
Link to rest of the story:
http://arkansasnews.com/2009/10/29/stossel-government-run-health-insurance-%E2%80%98ponzi-scheme%E2%80%99/

Other Quotes and Applause Lines by John Stossel

Stossel gave federal fund insurance as an example of government irresponsibility in sort of a parable: Went something like this. "I want to buy a house. I go to my father and say I want to buy a beach house. Will you help me with the mortgage? He said, No, are you nuts? It is on sand next to the ocean. I said but actually Dad we can't lose because there is this program called federal fund insurance. This program called the federal fund insurance is like the public option - it is going to break even! They offer me this policy for $100 to $200.00 a year. Eight years later, the ocean came and sucked out the lower floor. I want to hank you. I did not invite any of you there, but you paid for it. And it happened again – the whole house went down, and you paid for it again.

Stossel asked "How Big Should Government Be? Percentage of GDP (gross domestic product) is a good way to frame it. For most of the history of American government the GDP was less than 5%." Then he showed on the graph how it has risen in recent years.

"I would say that the government is spending money like drunken sailors - but that would be unfair to the sailors because they are spending their OWN money."

So what's the answer? I say it is to unleash the force that has done wonderful things for us all over the world. The free market.

"We know what works We are just not trying it here because capitalism has become a pariah in the universities and every news room I have worked in - until this one I just go to." [Loud applause]

In his closing remark in discussing free enterprise and the government, Stossel said, "We can go to a foreign country and stick a piece of plastic in the wall and cash will come out. You can give the same piece of plastic to a total stranger who doesn't even speak English, and he will rent you a car for a week. And when you get home, VISA or Master card will have the accounting correct to a penny. By contrast, the government can't even count the votes accurately. Now we are going to turn health care over to the government. I hope not. "

1 Comments:

Anonymous Harold M. said...

I called KAIT news director Hatton Weeks to ask him why they chose not to cove the AFP event. He said that they pulled the crew to cover flooding.

6:55 PM, October 31, 2009  

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