Wow, John Stossel. That's breathtaking because it's so sensible. I say you should be chosen as an advisor to the next president.

These are not new ideas. The tea-party, Rush, Shawn, Mark you name the conservative have all espoused these ideas. Until the American people, as a whole, embrace these ideas we will continue on the Grecian road.

John,

Absolutely correct EXCEPT for one item that exposes your libertarianism.

Who else is going to protect freedom throughout this world?

France? Please.

China? Sure, and guess where the next oil derek will spring up.

Russia? Can't afford it, we or them.

The rag heads in the middle east? C'mon.

There IS no other country that can, and free trade is one of the only things that can benefit our world.

Love your other ideas though, thank you.

Fairly good post John.

I must disagree on military spending. Keeping our military number one in the world brings we Americans the peace we need to conduct our daily business. We need the f22, f35, and the missle laser Obama canceled. Further our fellow NATO allies must be brought to bare somewhat more responsibly in military spending, they are not doing their fair share.

Most if not all government agencies can and should be cut in part or in whole. Some immediatly some slowly over time.

Most importantly, taxes should be cut to fuel the fire of capitalism. Government spending must be cut to responsible levels insuring a level balance sheet. Lastly the bureaucracy must be cut in half. The biggest employer in America is the federal government with more than 2 million employees, just plain insane.

Democrats are by far the worst users and abusers of all things founding fathers America. They have hijacked the dream of our founding fathers and transmorgrified it into a democrat self serving monster. God complexed, self serving, narcisistic personalities, such as Obamas, should be avoided somehow someway by we the enfranchized citizenry.

It is the democrat "sheppard" personalities that need their flock of sheep. I would and will tell democrats I am not a sheep, I do not need nor want your shepparding me in any way, shape or form, will you?

Nobama 2012, vote republican. Thank you.

The only thing Obama has learned is how to convincingly lie. In his speach, he reversed numbers on regulations, claimed our economy is great, has cut two trillion, gained energy independance, and opened oil drilling. Every statement a lie. The sheeple better hope to change the leader of the flock. Mitch Daniels spoke the truth when he stated about the speach, "What he stated he knows in his heart is not true". He politely called him a liar that he truly is.

That's quite a dream you had there John!

@ JJStryder - You have hit the nail squarely on the head. Too many people think that if only we can remove 0bama from office our country will be back on track. The reality is there are some 40-45% of our fellow citizens who firmly believe in what 0bama is trying to accomplish. We can quibble about the exact percentage, but it's more than a fringe element.

Unless we change their hearts and minds we'll just see a continuation of teeter-tootering back and forth a mushy middle that is already biased to believe that more government is the solution to all our ills.

@PDK-

NATO? Help us?

A much better solution would be to transfer every penny we currently spend on NATO and put it into our military budget!

We need to get out of the UN, cut foreign aid to any country which does not have free and open elections under a constitutional republic, and cut all welfare, corporate and individual. As for military spending and the idea of "policing the world", I leave you with this thought: let he who desires peace, prepare for war.

The "fair share" mantra will not work because this government is claiming too many dependents on its tax return.

I am so tired of the "F" word. I'm talking about "Fairness." What is this world is fair? But, I'm thinking that this fairness approach will win Obama many, many votes. Those already living off the government (our money) will invoke the "F" word to their grave. Last I read, some 24 million folks are in that category, enough to swing any election.

Obama is slick, almost as slick as "slick Willy" (Bill Clinton). I believe he has a distinct possibility of winning the 2012 election based upon his "fairness" approach. He's casting the Democrats as fair to the "middle class", whoever that is, and the Republicans as the rich "Capitalist elite", who care nothing about the so-called middle class. That's a powerful argument to many weeny Democrats and Independents.

And the Republicans? They keep fighting one another, giving Obama all the ammo he needs to prove he is right. Looks to me as if Obama will ride the "fairness" tide right into the White House for four more years. What's to stop him?

I agree with your article except for the military cuts. We need a strong military with presence all over the world to help keep people at bay. It is safer to have an expensive military than to have a cheaper military!!!

Re;true economic status.The USA is now #10 on the Economic Freedom Index,down from #7,due to staggering debt load,and massive regulations on business.

Canada is #6,since cutting corporate tax rate to 15%,having 11 free trade treaties in effect,and 14 more in active negotiations.They encourage domestic energy production,with market friedly regulations,and will sell the oil to China if bho continues to block Keystone pipeline.

Canada maintains its Triple A credit rating across the board and has unemployment rate 2% lower than the (fake) 8.5% we have.

And all we get is bho spouting the same lies he has since his election campaign 2008!!!

mmccrindle, PDJ, and Craig,

As an active duty service member that has served in many of these places around the world, it pains me to disagree with you. Mr. Stossel is correct in asserting that we cannot act as the world's police force. Would it be ideal to keep bases open all over the world? Yes. Is it the most critical issue facing our nation? No. Military cuts are a necessity. Any honest service member knows the waste they see everyday. Our military tries to be everything to everybody. One day its providing humanitarian relief, the next it is fighting a proxy war for Europe and the Arab League (see Operation Odyssey Dawn(that's Libya)). Figure out the most serious threats, develop a strategy to combat them and start making cuts to things that interfere with those missions. Will western Europe miss the bases? Yes. Will Japan? Yes. Can we project throughout the world to protect our interests? That's what the Navy was designed for. It isn't easy to swallow, but drastic cuts and eliminations are what's necessary to defeat the biggest threat to our Republic...our spending.

mmccrindle;

the USA can still protect freedom with a volunteer paid military. Mercs if you will. So. Korea needs help-pay us or we leave. Don't have the money? When I need money the bank gives it to me with collateral and fees. We prepare a "menu" of what we will do and not do and the charges. The population of Kuwait was being killed, raped, and robbed. We kicked Saddams guys out and left. Now Kuwait votes against us in the atrocious UN most of the time. Without US intervention they would be GONE. They owe us their lives, their fortunes, and their cooperation-WITHOUT QUESTIONS!!! My grandchildren have been counseled about their military duty and it does not include death or maiming for political purposes by scumbag US pols. We all have an obligation to protect our country and our freedom. I would rather see my grandchildren march armed to DC than No Korea.

TERM LIMITS-IMPEACH-PROSECUTE

John

Re: Has Barack Obama learned nothing in three years?

He has learned a lot.

First, he has learned just how easy it is to shred the Constitution without opposition.

Second, he has learned just how much he has in common with certain segments of our society who claim to be for liberty, but actually recoil from its basic requirements--a people capable of government themselves.

He knows how easily manipulated they are and that THEY will provide just the road map needed for the final destruction of our nation.

I would imagine he couldn't be happier.

God bless

"There is a natural and necessary progression from the extreme of anarchy to the extreme of tyranny; and that arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of Liberty abused to licentiousness." -- George Washington Maxims

@ bj-

I can see that.

First- we're out of NATO -along with all our money (we pay somewhere near 80%)

Then- if a country gets invaded and wants help - then sign this tab bub - no more free lunch.

We will need some strategically placed bases but not every country hates us yet.

But I just saw this - If you want peace - prepare for war.

Right on.

"I know. Medicare and Social Security are popular." They are also unconstitutional. All the agencies and bureaus mentioned are also unconstitutional.

Here here Johnny. Well, except the part about drugs. I personally don't find it humorous that you used drugs. Depending on the drugs you used,I'd have no problems with you going to jail for it. Thats why we have laws. In any case, "there are reasons to doubt whether the crime rate would fall quite as dramatically as advocates of legalization have suggested. Amsterdam, where access to drugs is relatively unproblematic, is among the most violent and squalid cities in Europe. The idea behind crime—of getting rich, or at least richer, quickly and without much effort—is unlikely to disappear once drugs are freely available to all who want them. And it may be that officially sanctioned antisocial behavior—the official lifting of taboos—breeds yet more antisocial behavior, as the “broken windows” theory would suggest." http://www.city-journal.org/html/7_2_a1.html

Other that your hippy view on drugs, I am with you!

KR

KR,

Stossel wasn't writing that he was the user of drugs...remember he said "this is what I wish" (Oblahblah) had said...so he was writing what Oblahblah should have said, according to Stossel, in the SOTUS. If you recall, Ozero had put in one of his books about his magnificent life written while he was a young man, that he used drugs when he supposedly lived in NYC and supposedly was a student at Columbia.

Are you people messing with me again? I tell you these comments seem scripted and it bugs me no end. It is things like this that make me wish I was a computer geek.

"Where vision is lacking the people perish" That's a quote from the Bible, a few thousand years ago, but it is very likely the epitaph for our future if it isn't heeded as a warning. And it's damn near impossible to assume that it will be heeded by our political establishment. Just look at any problem, old or new or future. Where was-is the vision to bring about a defense or solution? Name one of the multiple problems that could sink our future and nothing much is being done to deal with it. Instead we throw money down rat holes and by billion dollar fighter-bombers that will never be used. We may be on the same path as the Anasazi. We don't have leaders who have the power to effect the huge changes that need to be made, nor have the wisdom to know what they are.

When one with "big ideas" about fixing government spouts off wtih pipe-dreams of settlements on the moon or exploring Mars, then you know there's a serious problem of even those who should grasp the "big picture" better than any of us are instead still living in LaLa Land and and breathing the opium-den smoke of escapist fantasy. Not only do we not have the money for such things, neither do we have the desire, (other than as work-fair for the techno class) neither does BIG FAT ASS government have the right to extract taxes from us at the point of a gun to pay for frivolous flights of fancy for the techo-science elites. Your heads would explode from reading the prices of science grants and what worthless programs they funds.

But what I don't get is how in the world any intelligent sane person could suppose that listening to an hour of the biggest prevaricating gas-bag socialist to ever usurp the airwaves would be a good idea that one would want to inflict upon himself. I sat next to the TV...with it turned off, while I read important writings, like John's piece and actually stimulated my mind instead of insulting it.

http://obama--nation.com [Obama was not an American at birth---new facts uncovered]

Just try to imagine everything after "What should Obama have said in his speech? Here's what I wish he'd said:" in Obama's voice...but put down your drink first because you'll laugh so hard you'll do a spit-take and blow soda out your nose!