Opinion> John Stossel> What S Michael Moore Talking About

	15 Feb 2012 Never Trust Government Numbers President Obama said in his State of the Union speech, "We've already agreed to more than $2 trillion in … Read More.
	8 Feb 2012 Government Can't Make Us Happy In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson called the pursuit of happiness an unalienable right. … Read More.
	1 Feb 2012 Policing the World With an election approaching and at least some Americans upset about irresponsible spending, the president … Read More.

What's Michael Moore Talking About?

Michael Moore is confused.

His new movie, "Capitalism: A Love Story," begins by suggesting that all was well until Ronald Reagan became president and cut the top 90 percent income tax rate. Everything was downhill from there.

But by the end of the movie, he says the problems really began in 1945, when Franklin Roosevelt died without enacting his proposed Second Bill of Rights, which would have "guaranteed' everything from a "remunerative job" and a "decent home" to "adequate medical care," a "good education" and "adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident and unemployment" (http://tinyurl.com/c2jedq).

Adding to the confusion, he lavishes praise on Barack Obama and his "spread the wealth around" rhetoric. But Moore also demonizes as symbols of capitalism Clinton Treasury secretaries Robert Rubin (formerly of Goldman Sachs) and Lawrence Summers, and former New York Fed President Timothy Geithner without mentioning that Rubin has been Obama's adviser and that Summers and Geithner are, respectively, his chief economic guru and treasury secretary. Nor does he acknowledge that Obama continued the bailout policies of George W. Bush.

Moore declares capitalism evil, but he's never clear about what "capitalism" means. Considering how much time he spends documenting the cozy relationship between business and government, I thought he might mean "state capitalism."

But then he uses the term "free market" as a synonym for what he doesn't like.

What does the free market have to do with businesses manipulating government and strong-arming Congress for bailouts? Moore properly condemns both.

What does he want instead of "capitalism"? He's coy about that. Claiming that the public became increasingly curious about socialism once Obama was accused of favoring it, he goes to the only self-described socialist in Congress, Sen. Bernie Sanders, to ask for a definition. Socialism, Sanders tells Moore, means "the government represents the middle class and working class, not the wealth."

Huh? That's socialism? It's not government ownership of the means of production and the abolition of private property and free exchange? Sanders reads Marx and Lenin very broadly.

By his definition, I'm a socialist. I want government to represent the middle and working classes. Of course, Congress does that best by leaving them free, economically and otherwise.

Moore visits the National Archives to see if the Constitution establishes capitalism as the country's economic system. Seeing the words "people," "union" and "welfare" in the document, he says, "Sounds like that other ism."

That's just silly. The Constitution limits government's power to interfere with the people and their property. The Constitution is on the side of the free market.

Toward the end of the movie, Moore says capitalism is irredeemably evil and "has to be replaced." With what? I assumed he'd say socialism, but instead his answer is "democracy."

This apparently means expanding "hundreds of worker-owned businesses" in the United States.

But since workers are already free to start businesses, what's his point? A more astute observer would show how government intervention — licenses, taxes, regulations — inhibits such businesses.

Thankfully, I will soon have my own show on Fox Business Network to make such points. I'll invite Moore to come on as a guest.

For two hours, Moore rails against reckless banks and government bailouts, but never once mentions the government-business partnership that created the conditions for the turmoil. The fact that America no longer has a genuinely free market is the unnoticed 10,000-pound elephant in Moore's room.

Watching "Capitalism," you'd never know that the federal government colluded for decades with the financial, real estate and construction industries to divert resources into housing in the name of promoting home ownership — even for people who couldn't afford it. You'd never know that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were, and are, privileged government-sponsored enterprises that encouraged shaky loans.

At least Moore has an inkling of what's wrong: cozy ties between Wall Street and government. Moore thinks the answer is better regulators or nationalization of banks. But his own evidence suggests that the real answer is a separation of state and economy — stripping away Wall Street's privileges.

In other words: Limit government's power. Let the free market work.

John Stossel joins Fox News on Oct. 19. He's the author of "Give Me a Break" and of "Myth, Lies, and Downright Stupidity." To find out more about John Stossel and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

Comments

1 Comments | Post Comment

Dear John Stossel, It's no secret - Taxpayers know that Hollywood and politicians are joined at the hip! No one, including myself, can write a 'Love Story' and connect it to the destruction to America, caused by politicians! While these 'blood-sucking ticks' continue to borrow trillions, without Taxpayers consent, bailout companies that should have filed bankruptcy so they could learn the meaning of 'what it takes to run a private business in America' and, now, they want to continue on same path, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, the country is running on empty heads! What's going to happen to America when the interest isn't paid on the trillions of dollars? Scary thought, folks!
From 1998 until 2004, I asked the NRCC why Taxpayers couldn't get honest answers from
politicians of all affiliations. The form letters they sent in return, hand stamped, written by a
staffer, made me wonder where the greedy politicians stayed all the time. It further told me that
politicians had no interest in anything except their very deep pockets.

Economy never fully recovered from the 70's! Due to lack of American businesses, higher taxes,
plastic cars and other overpriced consumer products, these greedy politicians should have been
concentrating on America's future. Politicians should have started cutting their salaries,
retirements, taxing and spending and going over the high-dollar budgets, line by line, until
everything was cut back fifty (50%) percent.

The enormous debt brought about by incompetent politicians, high salaries, retirements, social,
welfare programs, and frivolous overspending should have stopped. Instead, it's now boiled over
like a run-a-way train. The only thing the greedy politicians can say is ‘I inherited this debt!'
Instead of cutting and changing what should have been done, they're way of thinking is still ‘we'll
stimulate the economy with more bailouts and handouts' and once the great recession ends, we'll
reduce the deficit!' A little late, wouldn't you say? All Economists and Taxpayers, know the
politicians will never get control of the imbalances; therefore, it's time to hand out pink slips.

I pointed out that all manufacturing jobs had to be brought back to America. We couldn't be a
‘service country'. The only thing America is servicing is unemployment, social and welfare
programs. It's now late October 2009, and the trillions of dollars, borrowed without Taxpayers
consent, is growing to the point it's making Taxpayers think “Who's going to own America when
the interest isn't paid?”

I further pointed out that Social Security belonged only to Taxpayers that had worked and should
be their retirement! Folks, through corrupt and greedy politicians, social security has been
borrowed against for illegitimates and people not wanting to work leaving nothing for the people
that paid money in. Democrat and Republican Taxpayers, of all races, should be outraged by the
radical and socialist proposed Healthcare. Anyone, with common sense, should have guessed that
1012 pages (unread by politicians as usual) wasn't about Healthcare but about hidden agendas and
building a bridge over the sand in the Arizona desert.

What's really going to happen to Social Security since there's no one working to pay into the system
for future generations? Do you think the politicians are going to continue to hand you a check that
you're not entitled to?

Politicians say ‘you must volunteer and give back to your community!' By the way, why don't you
get off your duffs and volunteer at homeless shelters and without the secret service, since this costs
Taxpayers. While I'm on a roll, you could also donate eleven (11) months of your salaries and
retirement benefits to Taxpayers that's having to work two (2) jobs just to survive due to your
incompetency!

By the way, Taxpayers ‘Pledge to Fight Socialized Medicine!'

Comment: #1
Posted by: Shirley deLong
Sun Oct 18, 2009 9:56 AM