Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media...

by John Stossel and STOSSEL

Book 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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060529148
• ISBN13: 9780060529147
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 294 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Very entertaining, will be appreciated by all who enjoy his reporting

I have always enjoyed John Stossel's reporting and looked forward to reading this book when I got the chance. Stossel chronicles his career as a consumer reporter and correspondent for 20/20, ABC's news magazine. What is most significant in Stossel's book is his personal about-face regarding what we can do to improve public safety and prosperity. Initially as a reporter, Stossel became famous for his on-camera confrontations. When working on a story about an individual or business that was ripping us off, he would confront them live on camera, often with entertaining results. Over time, however, he began to get tired of these low-level crooks and schemesters and started to realize there were larger problems at stake. The rise of government regulation agencies were supposed to make people safer, but eventually were misused to stifle competition and discourage innovation. Trial lawyers, quick to push their client's tales of woe before Stossel's camera, never seemed to solve the problems they campaigned against yet always profited handsomely in the end. Stossel's political outlook can roughly be described as libertarian. He's certainly not right-wing or left-wing, but he does believe that the private sector does it better (U.S. Postal Service vs. FedEx, JetBlue vs. Amtrak, etc.), deregulation and free markets are good, and we have got to end corporate welfare and the war on drugs. While I don't agree with all of Stossel's opinions, his views resonate with many of my own. Obviously, many readers will disagree with Stossel's conclusions - that is natural. While I believe the book's second half is weaker than its first, Give Me a Break is certainly a thought-provoking take by a well-respected journalist. Those who appreciate Stossel's reporting will certainly enjoy reading this book.

This Epiphany Rattled the Elite Media

Epiphanies are good things. They are psychological wake-up calls to clarity and truth. They cut through years of mental and societal conditioning to expose common sense like a bright copper penny at the bottom of a swimming pool.ABC consumer reporter (and co-anchor of the news show "20/20") John Stossel shares his epiphany through the pages of his entertaining and informative book, GIVE ME A BREAK. For years, Stossel developed a reputation as a fearless and relentless crusader by exposing rip-off artists, scams, boondoggles, and other unspeakable corruption--all in the interest of protecting the public at large from greedy and selfish corporations. For this, Stossel was an award-winning media darling, a welcome addition to the leftist culture that permeates and controls network news.But a funny thing happened on the way to liberal nirvana: Stossel began taking a look not only at the warts of the private sector, but at those who regulate the warts as well. And he found some troubling wart hairs--from a $330,000 outhouse paid by tax dollars, to a town in Missouri essentially bulldozed because dioxin found in the soil "might" be harmful to its inhabitants, to corporate "welfare queens" who grow even richer on the backs of hardworking taxpayers. Thus, after 15 years of reporting, Stossel's epiphany was born: government isn't the solution, it's the problem. We don't need more government to interfere and obstruct, we need less.And this revelation really hit below the belt: capitalism actually works.Accordingly, Stossel began broadcasting this heresy (giving credit to several people at ABC for having the backbone to air his opinions); he instantly went from media darling to pariah. The "totalitarian left," as Stossel phrases it, was incensed. Countless efforts were made to get him off the air, get him fired, yet Stossel persevered, and now shares his trials and tribulations in this delightful book.GIVE ME A BREAK is a quick, energetic read that will get you pumped up, regardless of your political persuasion. Stossel's writing style is identical to his broadcast narrative, making the reader feel comfortable and casual. Finally, this is anything but a conservative tome; it is a libertarian manifesto, as sacred cows on both sides of the spectrum are gored. Give me a break? No, give me an epiphany, instead. Highly recommended.--D. Mikels

Libertarian truths

John Stossel has been giving the world exactly what it needs: a shot of classical liberalism in the strict Austrian sense of the word. Leftists hate the book because it encourages free markets, and neoconservatives hate it because it spells out the obvious: Republicans have outspent Democrats for the last 75 years! Neoconservatives like more spending in their government pork than any other demographic, bar none. I expect that the book will ultimately be rated 4 stars, as the extreme left and rights will give this book a cursory glance and not the full attention it deserves. True intellectuals have no choice but to give it 5 stars. The facts are there people! Read the book! He has empirical data that is backed up not only by the "evil corporations" but also by the U.S. government. I would also like to add that Stossel has never pledged allegiance to any political party, but Libertarians know a great Jeffersonian when they see one. God bless you John. God bless you!

a great book very informative

Let start out saying i thought this was a great book even though being union affilated i did not agree with mr. stossel's views concerning that avenue.Even if you are not a fan of the news program 20/20 you should read this book,i will say that i like 20/20 an especially mr. stossels give me a break.This book covers a few topics but things gear toward how people generally consumers are cheated and lied to and this bookmade me wonder if we as a nation perpetrate fear.Reading this book it is no wonder the author has many that do not like from companys,lawyers,govermant officials and even his own colleaguesbut this should be i good thing there should be people out there that are exposing how we are being cheated and misled.The author shows how the news media wants to report stories about exploding lighters shark bites numerous other things that grab peoples attention and grab headlines but when you look at the overall picture they are not as a serious a problem as the media makes out.The media wants to report how things are harmful to us which would be a goodthing but when it is shown wrong or only a half truth they do not to report that part because it is not glamours or attention grabbing.I thought it was interesting what Mr.Stossel had to say about the Erin Brockovich moive and other cases along those lines things you really never hear about. I liked how he pointed out after september 11th the goverment wanted to start homeland security to maintatin the airports but shows many examples how goverment wnats to get involved with different things thinking they can do a better job then the private sector where they really do it better and cheaper.Did you know that alot of the so called high dollar makeup and lipstick that say they are made with "there qwn special formula" are the same as the cheap brands made by the same company. There are many things that caught my attention in this book and it really gives you things to consider there are more i would like to list but you should buy this book give it a read one example he gives goverment beauracy and overspending is in a pennsylvania national park they built a 330,000 outhouse didnot even have running water and to go even farther they built one in montana that cost 1 million