In the episode on John Stossel’s book “No They Can’t”, John Stossel gives his opinion on the fact the government can’t fix our countries problems but the normal, everyday individual can.

He says that most of the problems that the government and politicians are trying to fix are problems that they themselves have created.

Some of these problems include job creation, airport security, educational programs for underprivileged children, and scientific programs dealing with natural disasters and space travel.

The government is not only making it more difficult for private businesses to succeed but they are also making it more expensive.

The government has spent 180 billion dollars alone on the government run program Heads Start, an educational program for kids with economic disadvantages. This program was proven to be ineffective. In government run tests of 114 indicators none of the 114 were proven to have any advantages for the children. The tests showed result when the children were in the program but just a year after leaving the program, in kindergarden or first grade any advantage that had been there was now not with the child.
The government thinks that if they increase the programs budget then the program will increase results but all they are doing is wasting money on a program that no longer works and has no use.
The government is making it very hard for small businesses and private companies to get a start. They say that they want to increase the job market and they want to give employment to the unemployed but they are making that very difficult by creating lots of new laws, requirements, and conditions.
Mark Cuban, billionaire, got his start by creating software which he then sold to CompuServe for millions. A friend of his then came to him with an idea to listen to basketball over the internet. He then started another company. Five years later he sold that to Yahoo for a billion dollars. Without a government program Cuban had been creating things and making money.
Cuban says that the most patriotic thing you can do as an American is be filthy rich. He says it is a great way to create jobs and opportunities. This is true. Creating a billion dollar idea and starting your own company will employ a tremendous amount of people, plenty more than the government seems to be creating for the unemployed.
But would it have been possible for Cuban to create his business now? He says he doesn’t think so. With all the new rules and regulations that the government is creating, it’s making it hard for people with million dollar ideas to get their plans up and running. The government says that they want to create so many new jobs but all they are doing is making it more difficult.
Yes, the government is holding small businesses and private companies back and the ideas that they come up with are failing to succeed. John Stossel is right, no they can’t.