Stossel in the Classroom

Are you living in the freest country? Not if you live in the United States. America rose seven spots in the latest report, to number 17. But it's still far from where it once was.

The Trump administration says a steel tariff will be announced in the next 2 weeks to preserve American industries. John Stossel says that won't work.

Socialism, Nazism, progressivism… these “isms” do so much damage. But people still believe. Matt Kibbe of Free the People says, "I’ll be on your side as long as you don’t hurt people and don’t take their stuff."

"Bottleneckers" use occupational licensing to stop competitors and innovation in the name of keeping us safe.

We learn from CSI, Law & Order, and NCIS that forensic science is infallible, leading to the conviction of people who might otherwise have gotten away with their crimes. But DNA testing has shown that bite marks, fingerprints, and carpet fiber and hair analyses have all led to the convictions of innocent people.

Stossel says all entrepreneurs (if they don't partner with, or freeload off government) create more wealth than they take. Do your students agree?

The Manhattan Institute's Oren Cass explains what he's discovered reading the Paris Climate Agreement.

John Stossel got an eyeglass prescription over the internet. Should that be illegal?

Would you eat food grown in a lab? What if there were a way to oppose the killing of animals and still eat meat? If it doesn’t come from an animal, is it still meat? This video discusses the development of meat grown in labs and how it can disrupt the traditional, entrenched food interests.

It is sad when a business we have grown up with closes. Often, that closing is a result of creative destruction. But is that good, bad, or just the natural course in an ever-developing world? This video looks at some of the changes brought about by creative destruction and argues that to stop creative destruction would stop progress.

Should there be limits on what advice people can give others? Should people need licenses or permits-- government permission—to give advice? Does it matter if the advice giver is being paid? What does that say about the First Amendment? This is a thought-provoking video about free speech and occupational licensing.

Debt. Many people have debt. So does the U.S. government. But people in debt frequently worry about paying it off and hope to live debt-free. U.S. government debt more than doubled between 2008 and 2018, from $10 trillion to $21 trillion, yet our elected representatives don’t seem to care and vote to spend more money every year.