details he is the quintessential policy. you are going to bring out the mom in me. they are like pb&j. they need each other. >> if you can sell that john: of the past several years my show has made lots of people mad. some got mad about my affirmative-action. businesses didn't like it when i attacked their. >> hi i'm uncle sam. here, have some tax money. isn't obamacare great? thanks taxpayers. tonight we look back at the bizarre ways i try to make economic freedom interesting.

c how dare you take your money? tonight we will look back at my coverage of donald trump. the good. donald trump made it possible for me to ice cave here. and the bad. trump said he won't touch social security so old people like me will continue to steal from babies? i need this because i'm a baby boomer and i need this too. so many babies to rob, politicians to mock, business is to criticize but i'm out of time. the show tonight will be my last stossel show. >> and now, john stossel. john: this is my last show. over seven years we have done more than 300. i tried to explain that liberty,

free minds and free markets make life better. we have tried to show the downsides of big injuries of government that produces giant laws like this one. this is obamacare but no more. not on the show anyway. i will. i war main on fox going another shows a night at the project of my own. at the end of the show i will explain what that is that most of this last show will be about the best and worst things we have done over the past seven years. i'm glad i came to fox and got a chance to do these shows. i was a producer for 20 years before that. >> and now john stossel. on 2020 idea top stories but there were limits. when obamacare was first discussed i wanted to update or show id. expose the problems with government-run health care and people like michael moore whose movie claimed canadians live longer than americans because it government care.

that's the reason they're living longer. michael moore generously admitted that things overweight that short american lives but abc said you can't update your health care story. you are just doing predictable libertarian.. they said the same thing when i wanted to update my school choice show, that sure the show that inspired teacher shows who would yell at me. >> we are here to demand a apology from 20/20 john stossel. john: no, i won't apologize. their union hurts kids. a few years later there was a real choice movement. we had no interest whathey called libertarian dogma so i came here to fox for a been free

to report on whatever i think is important and that includes legalizing drugs legalizing marriage prostitution shrinking the military jailing fewer people letting in more immigrants, criticizing donald trump. some people think fox doesn't allow that kind of thing that they do. my main goal of the show is to explain the benefits of free markets. but free markets are hard to explain and the invisible hand brought us prosperity but how do we demonstrate that the hand is invisible? friedrich hayek apostate term spontaneous order is clear but still abstract. how do i explain the mysterious things that made america prosperous on tv? well i rented a skating rink. you have never seen a skating reaganite told you i'm going to charge people money to strap sharply to their feet and they're going to zip around on

the ice. young and old, skilled and unskilled and my only rule is go counterclockwise. if you were the government safety regulator and you had never seen a rank it say that's too dangerous. it must have stoplights, skating police and bears between young and old, skilled and unskilled. regulators might demand a skating director, an expert who tells skaters were to go so they don't run into each other. i actually tried that. >> you, turn left, turn right, go faster, go slower. it didn't improve anyone skating. i made things worse. government planners always think i can design a better system. obamacare is a good example. this was supposed to help her people and lower costs. in fact its subsidies in rich some insurance companies. to hide that the politicians didn't call their subsidies

subsidies, they called them risk corridors. how do i explain that on tv? i made a fool of myself at wearing costumes. hi i am cat insurance company boss. obamacare promising lots of nuke customers. uncle sam, hi i'm uncle sam. you heard about her risk corridors? they are obamacare sneaky way of dealing at insurance companies without you knowing. whatever the risk uncle sam will race down the corridor with lots of your money and give it to companies that the politicians want to please. here, have some tax money. isn't obamacare great? banks, taxpayers. we have regularly tried to challenge people's assumptions about good government because even popular programs are part part -- problematic. i once thought affirmative action was absolute the right thing to do but it is basically a racist program so i demonstrated that by holding a

racist bake sale. cupcakes for sale. asians had to pay $1.50, whites 1000 latinos and blacks just 50 cents. >> that's not right. john: but then some people defended me. >> you are trying to make a point, right? john: people started to think about what affirmative action means. >> we believe in affirmative action in colleges. >> i used to. no matter what race you come from everyone should be treated the same. if. john: when people think about touchy issues opinion sometimes change. for example do you give your money to needy people? i put on a fake beard and tried taking in new york city. people gave me money. they gave me money when my

cardboard sign said homeless and cold and they even gave one to change it to need a beer. i did well. i did this for an eight hour day would have made 90 bucks. 23,000 a year. tax-free. of course that smalltime begging compared to the organized begging that goes on in washington d.c.. this lawyer helps people get money from the government the timing they were farmers. the real farmer said the lawyers encourage cheating. >> they say if you can be -- you have regarding your fertilize it you are a farmer. john: they got the money anyway and the lawyer, he got the most money but won't admit it. you say you were losing money on this? you said you lost money in this. you are looking at this picture of you and your wife. >> i didn't say that.

john mackey said he didn't make money on it. you are a rich guy feeding off the taxpayers. >> he is a freeloader. washington is filled with them. that's why the housing bubble burst. washington wanted to spend more subsidizing mortgages. >> how are you going to get firefighters and police officers to work in those communities when they are never able to buy a home? john: was the best response to that? argument or stick? easy money here. taxpayer, keep it. subsidies like that are the one reason that have wrapped up -- racked up 20 trillion dollars in unsustainable debt that keeps growing. i say this is that the biggest threat to america's future but debt bores people. how do i get your attention lacks build a giant graph and take it outdoors? this is federal spending or person since america began.

it started low less than 5% of economy. here is world war i. here is world war ii. it tends to go down after wars but now even in peacetime it only goes up. soon we are up here. how are we going to pay for that? also how do we explain our most loved programs like social security are really just a way that old people steal from children? i need to take this because the young should take care of the old. i just borrowed from the children and stole from them. i need this because i'm a baby boomer. i need this too. need this scooter too. how do we stop the staff? how do i get you think about that? i know, i will get a chainsaw. horrible cuts.

since we are 20 trillion in debt we should take a chainsaw to the budget. the deficit will eat our future. i tried to explain regulation by showing the piles of rules every person must try to obey but what probably makes it clear is actually trying to open a business. even the simplest businesses are illegal under current law. what does it take to open a lemonade stand legally in america? i once tried to open one outside of bill o'rielly's tv studio. lemonade for sale. i tried to follow my governments rules but they were endless to the government said i had to take a 15 hour food retention class to sell lemonade and for this exam. if i had to wait weeks to find out if i passed and if i did i would have to buy a government in -- government approved fire extinguisher. to sell lemonade legally would have taken months of paperwork so i gave up.

fox's lawyer said i could replace sell lemonade only if i gave everyone refunds and got the lemonade back. >> i can't let you drink this. there are so many rules. i'm not allowed to sell this to you. i need it back. i should have sold it to you. my customers thought this was crazy. the founders would have said something like that. time for another costume. we wrote a constitution is said there will be limits to government. the things i do for tv. next, environmental hysteria. hydrogen monoxide is killing people. i went to times square to see if i could fool people into signing a petition to ban wa liberty mutual stood with me when i was too busy with the kids to get a repair estimate. i just snapped a photo and got an estimate in 24 hours.

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generosity is its oyou can handle being a mom for half an hour. i'm in all the way. is that understood? i don't know what she's up to, but it's not good. can't the world be my noodles and butter? get your mind out of the gutter. mornings are for coffee and contemplation. that was a really profound observation. you got a mean case of the detox blues. don't start a war you know you're going to lose. finally you can now find all of netflix in the same place as all your other entertainment. on xfinity x1.

john: i'm such a good citizen riding my bike to work and i'm going to save the earth. i do feel righteous riding to work with the idea that kind of thing will help save the planet is just bunk. if he'd if you're worried about about global warming everyone in america riding bikes to work won't make any different difference. the earth won't notice. america is a small part of the

world and china builds a coal plant every week. because i say stuff like that many people are led the show will be gone. when this web site reported on my show's departure some internet trolls wrote they are happy to be rid of that no good liar and falsify or news who produces hippies. hopefully the cancer came back to finish him off. the cancer? actually i'm not edmund stossel because i've cancer. i have a small tumor removed and as you can tell it's gone. my next project i will describe at the end of my show. the villains just want let to let go. one wrote if stossel got his way scores more people would die every day from lancaster. seeing them get a taste of his own medicine is a beautiful thing. he's probably sad because i've argued things like pesticides

are good. they save lives. it's no healthier don't cost much more. my defending chemicals and commercial farming make some environmentalists. some believe all chemicals are bad. >> i went to times square to see if i could fool people into signing a petition to ban water. the what they want to ban water if i call the dihydrogen monoxide? it's another way of saying htl. would you sign this petition for me? we are trying to ban and dihydrogen dioxide. actually the printout just said it was found in tumors. take a read, take a look. these football players signed too. almost everyone we asked sign. odorless, tasteless. i haven't van de water yet but

local warming alarmists want to restrict all sorts of things. they say the science is settled. people debate that. for seven years i tried to get former vice president al gore define -- defend the lines of the snow belt prize-winning movie. it's very difficult but the client imitation such as yours but the unfortunate inevitability of fate climate crisis message and the demand on mr. gore's time we do apologize but thank you for your interest. you have time to go on programs next "saturday night live." out of time issue. you won't debate anyone but if you ever do want to debate we would love to offer you the airtime. i will give you special phone number that goes to this phone. for you mr. gore, the green phone. i await your call. he never called. people like or often say 98% of scientists agree.

that's just not true. 98% agree that the earth is warming that they disagree about how much of it is due to man and whether there's anything we can do about it. our government spends a lot to try to do something about it, to pretend to do something about it. they give subsidies to people who buy so-called green cars. when i started the show politicians that have twisted it to the point where i could get a free golf cart. you can get one too for free. it's free? because it's an electric vehicle so it runs on clean energy. it doesn't really but we'll get to that. now you could have gotten one of these too it been about this scam, i mean subsidies for -- alternative energy vehicles. i got mine from a dealership in arizona. here's the app. you are seeing they sell at first the spells and four to $90 that happened the wiki tax

credit was so subtract the credit in the cost become zero. eventually embarrassed politicians to read the handout but then they came up with another, cash for clunkers. congress decided to pay people to get rid of older polluting cars. they also said this would stimulate the economy. i am a cursor struggling. >> i guess i should destroy some cars. that will stimulate the auto business. of course you can stimulate the economy by destroying things. stimulate, stimulate, stimulate. fortunately government no longer pays us to destroy things but rulemakers assume their regulations do what they are supposed to do. often they have unintended consequences. the endangered species act seemed like a good idea. i want the animals protected but the complex rules mean

landowners who report endangered species will not be able to use their land because the government will put restrictions on it so the law has led to a new response called the chute, shovel and shut up another was landowners see an endangered species on their land sometime shoot the thing and then bury it and then shut up about it. next, fish pedicures. really? will donald trump reverse the onslaught of new rules that and things like this? >> we are going to get rid of the regulations that are destroying us. he can't breathe. he cannot read. my business was built with passion... but i keep it growing by making every dollar count.

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john: this presidential election was debate over the government controlled economy. hillard went to one of more bad. >> i will do everything i can as

president to set the rules, to set the relations. john: donald trump complaint we have too many rules. >> we are going to get rid of the regulations that are destroying us. we -- you can't breathe, you cannot breathe. john mackey is right. we are drowning in rules and that's the reason the economy hasn't grown more. you would never know that if he went to college in america. students are taught we need more regulation because unrestrained capitalism average americans make less money but work longer hours. this is just a lie but tell the chair of the sociology department at brooke and college. >> on my show she said said the poor of gotten poor and americans are working longer. they have less leisure time. we have more leisure time and we are working less. i can't believe you teach your students this. i can't believe i'm taxed to pay you to teach college students

this priest is wrong. >> it's not wrong. we have plenty of evidence. economic policy institute has dozens of papers on how americans are more productive than working more than ever before and we have not kept up with that. john: the average household income has grown by 40% for the middle 49% from the bottom fifth. >> don't have the purchasing power that you have 30 years ago. >> we have more purchasing power things are cheaper. this used to cost a thousand bucks. >> absolutely but you know what, more people are in debt. john: it never ends. why all this deceitful gloom and doom? becomes not just from democrats. >> workers in nine states are making less than they did almost 20 years ago and yet they are working harder. john: no, it's just wrong. maybe he doesn't really believe that prevent told we should take him literally but i want to believe trump when he trashes regulation.

lots of the show's guests told us they have been crushed by rules. this woman ran a school that taught people how to apply theatrical makeup. the officials told her that's illegal. >> you are in violation of the law by teaching makeup and i have to open the cosmetology school which would cost me thousands of dollars probably 100,000 or more. john: dryers and shampoo bowls for things you don't use. and they kept adding rules. i say people shouldn't be allowed to do what they are getting to do here getting a pedicure from fish. today some entrepreneurs have rocked this to america. people like this? >> they loved it. john: why? [applause] >> because it's different than a traditional pedicure. the only pedicure where you sit

in the water and laugh and have a good time at the same time. john: why not? because it's not safe said this new york politician. >> this is an important health issue. people can get very sick. john: at the time no evidence of anybody getting an infection or having any problem. someone lost a fingernail from a regular manicure. should we ban all manicures? >> this is a tightly regulated industry. this is something that i think needs to be banned. john: and now this band. new york state says it violates animal welfare rights. politicians always want more rules. my show and my career were possible because i got insurance to do some of the research. college students helped me just for the experience but that's illegal now thanks partly to president obama's labor department and lawsuits from people who claimed unpaid internships are not fair.

>> lawyers can say we can afford to pay anybody so why should we be forced to pay anybody in this room? john: because they wouldn't get people to clean the floors of bidding get paid. that woman wrote a "new york times" article that said interns are exploited so i got a bunch of my former interns to join my show audience. they said they learned more as interns than they did in college and they had to pay for college. >> felt like i was exploring the opportunity. >> i had a job to pay for my rants while i was working for you and i didn't regret it for a second. john: how unfair you had to work a second job. >> i chose to do it. john: choice, there's a concept that we have fewer choices today because of government and because of lawsuits. once a year the show's audience picks the winner of the wacky warning label contest, the

contest that mocks silly warning labor -- labels because of lawsuits. that's why there's there's a driving warning on there's a driving warning on this hot tub. why would a company put a label like that on a hot tub? because they know if they don't the lawyer will say you failed to warn us. john: so we kept getting more label words. there is always more government. will that change with probably not. conservatives want more control over what you put in your body. >> how was it and eager business would i choose to put my body if i'm not affecting anyone else? [applause]

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john: the drug war is a failure. get rid of it. >> you libertarians. john: for seven years on the show at talk to conservatives about personal freedoms. ann coulter says i'm not only wrong i am well, i can't say what she said. >> this is why people think libertarians are [bleep] we are looking in a country that is 70% socialist. the government takes 50% of your money. they are taking care of your health care, their pensions. they are telling you who even higher and what the regulations are and you want to up to your liberal friends and say that we want to legalize pot. john: not just pot, all drugs and i'm not up to my liberal friends. i'm upset about the drug war because it's terrible. lots of nonviolent people,

creates a vicious black our kids and makes drugs more dangerous. on one show one of my favorite guests from reason magazine took on prohibitions current crusade banning e-cigarettes. >> should i be allowed to open this case and do this? [applause] of course aping nicotine should be with illegal. >> this is safer than regular cigarettes. that's because somebody they get out how to make money selling us drops the we want to consume. people make an entrance now are people who are willing to operate a black our kids and i'd rather see it out in light of day. john: fortunately we have made progress. marijuana is now legal for recreational use in seven states and washington dbc. sex is also legal for chilly but some people get area upset if money is involved. sex workers, prostitutes we call them say it's my body.

why is it the governments business if i charge money for sex? you are selling your body. that just feels sleazy. >> really i am renting it. i still on myself. the beauty of this country is i get to live my life based on my morals and my values. john: only in a few counties of nevada. >> i move from the midwest to be able to do it within the confines of the law. john: why would they get a free country? adults to get to own their own body and do whatever they want with them as long as we don't directly hurt others. we should certainly be able to do what we want with our possessions but again politicians want restrictions. donald trump recently tweeted nobody should be allowed to burn the american flag. if they do perhaps a year in jail. what? i wouldn't burn a flag but it's

free speech. also it's private property. bye bye the flag or make one it's mine to do with what i want you can criticize me, jamie, ban me from your home but don't tell me what i can't do what i want with my own personal property or person. in some states even my friendly poker game is illegal. government has banned all sorts of gambling to protect as they say but then they have run their own gambling scan. it's called a state lottery. i call this a scam because the odds the government monopoly gives are far worse than any casino game. the players are disproportionately poor people. it's disgusting that government promotes this. while at the same time some states ban versions of this. that's my friendly poker game. i'm surprised some of the

players supported a gambling ban. they are not all mentally or psychologically strong enough. this. john: the liberals want government to do something. >> the addictive elements of gambling forces the government because it's the victim. john: give me a break. >> we are intelligent enough to know our limits. leave the government out of it and let me decide for myself. john: politicians do all the time. next, what can we expect from donald trump? i will ask some of my favorite libertarians. am i in trouble because i called trump ruthless, dishes, (war drums beating)

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like most politicians. trump is xlib old things. donald trump ate it possible for me to ice cave here after government wasted millions in taxpayer dollars trying to fix this rink. trump got it done.

that's skating rink is in central park. i don't expect trump fans to thank me for praising him since i've also called trump ruthless and vicious ignorant selfish grasping and i set it to his face when he used political connections and in eminent domain law to grant this woman's house. >> for you to call these people's cronies is very unfair. john: what's happening than? >> it's a pretty sick assumption and it's pretty jaded. john: that's me, jaded so let's ask other libertarians for their take. it shows kennedy and matt welch at reason magazine.

matt, you are happy it's trump and not hillary? >> no although trump has potential upside to hillary doesn't. there wasn't a big libertarian gain to be had with the president hillary. with trump there is possibilities of the department said he's going to get to regulatory president in areas like education and perhaps energy and some other things. >> i don't agree with everything he says and does but i do like that he is nominate people who have other disdain for the departments they are going to run and i can't think of a greater champion for freedom than people who will tear down the behemoth institutions that have slowed down the of business and the economy. john: are the freaks people out around here in new york. people are scared. >> he doesn't speak in the nice ways that we are supposed to have politicians. john: it's interesting you close up are what we can talk about. the bad part is when he blows

apart in the direction that directly limits freedom and then also engages in crony capitalism that you criticized him for it. john: people say is not presidential. >> i like that we have had enough people who have been managed and facilitated for long enough. john: the mainstream media sneering at trump after he chose the oklahoma general to head the epa. "the new york times" ran a headline trunk takes climate change to center the climate change to center? he doesn't defend climate change. climate changes. aggress this claim america must hurt her people by doing pointless things for the climate. pruitt understands the epa stands for enough protection already but the "times" article is so hysterical. they badgered the times until they journalists change it to climate change denial is. what's going on in places like

that? >> policing language languages assign that they have learned anything from the elections. people are hysterical that the secretary of labor take someone who is a critic of labor restrictions and there's only one possible ideology to have if you were in that position. john: some of these appointees are great. i assume lindemann and because her husband had me beaten up by one of those wrestlers once, she's a good ehrsam but she's been appointed head of the small business administration. why don't they just get rid of it? >> that's what i'm hoping for. rick perry was nominate to be the head of the energy department which was the third apartment he was supposed to want to close when he was running her president. a small business administration should be number one or two on the list. john: ahead of the education department's a great pic. >> this is a great pic nick is here someone who police and school choice. here someone who will at least encourage people to talk about charter schools so parents can

realize that these government runs one-size-fits-all curriculum and schools might be harming their kids. if we will have greater choice as a parent i think that's a wonderful thing. again here someone who will take an unorthodox approach education because the orthodox way is not ready -- benefiting us and not helping parents and especially students. john: some of these departments at the shona shocks me that they are going to be running departments. mike pompeo head of the cia. >> i will wait and see on that one. i think he was on the wrong side of the issue in the san bernardino shooting with apple trying to -- john: trying to brea >> and trying to force a company to break their own encryption. john: but he is a budget qatar. >> that's not what i worry about in attorney general. they enforce the law in ways that i don't like getting courage the blocking of criminal

justice reforms that happen around the country. he has a 1980s view of drug legalization in this country. john: posner is a great pic for labor department. >> is much more pro migration than a lot of donald trump septic. john: elaine chao and rex tillerson. >> i don't have a problem with rex tillerson at this point because i think the fact that he is in anti-interventionist is implicit and in his personal professional history. he favors global stability and he knows fewer wars make for more prosperity. you can also argue he is pre-trained and a globalist which runs contrary to don't trust messages and i think that balance can be very healthy. john: i'm in the future the libertarian party. gary johnson got more votes than anybody before.

>> that's enough? god bless gary johnson. started out with so much promise and i think you is absolutely right when he said most people in this country are libertarian. the problem is he was able to seal the deal and sell his message on a much greater scale. if ever there were each year to sell the message of liberty 2016 would have been it. john: a historic success and a historic failure. thus the libertarian party really was. they cemented their place. they put the green party and absolutely every state. never have no forget it should have been so much when i was. john: kennedy. >> before we go john stossel i have something for you. that is the golden shovel award. it's the first and only commemorative golden shovel for a man who has shoveled so much liberty in the right direction and so much away from the tv. john stossel you are certainly

responsible for my career here at fox and so many of the great things that matt and i have done alone and together. john: kennedy and matt. and next i will tell you about the new things i'm going to do, instead of this show. start your day with the number one choice of dentists. philips sonicare removes significantly more plaque versus oral-b 7000. experience this amazing feel of clean. innovation and you. philips sonicare. save now when you buy philips sonicare.

john: will donald trump president? i hope so but i won't hold my breath. what i do know is there were better candidates than trump and clinton but they didn't get into the big debate. as a result americans had to choose between the lesser of evils. >> asking me to choose between a case of the measles in a bladder infection. john: he was one of the libertarian presidential candidates. thisear the show held the first nationally televised libertarian debates to show people there were other choices. the libertarian candidate said you can run your own life. >> i believe people are inherently good and they can be trusted with freedom. john: trusted with freedom. the libertarian candidate supported many forms of personal freedom. >> legalizing marijuana will lead to overall substance abuse

can do damage to themselves. the damage we do is assuming we know what's right for you. john: they proposed responsible limits on spending. the american people have to develop their check that comes issued to congress. john: and the people when they heard the libertarians would realize limited government is better idea. the majority of the people in this country are libertarian. they just don't know it. lots of americans do say they are socially liberal but economically conservative. that's the libertarian. and forsake gary johnson did run a great campaign and he won no electoral votes. but for a million people voted libertarian, more than ever before and that's a good sign. young people's interests and liberties another good sign. all around the world their gatherings of liberty minded young people. we take the stossel show like this one. young people got excited when i talked about our constitution. .

have a good day everyone. . >> we'll see you tomorrow. since the election, stocks soaring, consumer confidence rising, small business optimism leaping. and the fed predicting a stronger economy is coming. so why are so many liberals and the media still warning about a trump presidency? hi everybody. i'm dagen mcdowell in for brenda bu butner. this is "bulls & bears." welcome to our panel. john, what do you say? >> i say that they're wrong and they're mad about it. i think that's what it is. look, the media that is out