John Stossel Corresponds With Viewers

ByABC News
September 1, 2005, 3:49 PM

Sept. 1, 2005 — -- You feedback is important to us. John Stossel includes a sampling of message board comments and e-mails from 20/20 viewers in his weekly e-mail (To subscribe, click here.)

He addresses some of the comments below.

I wanted to let you guys know you that you're doing a GREAT job. ... I teach Spanish and Sign Language now and the only extra credit I allow is for my students to watch "20/20" and translate one of the segments into their perspective language.
-Mark Bauman, Los Angeles

Watching Mr. Stossel's piece on modern art. Let the libel suits begin! Was Stossel so puny in high school that even the art students beat him up? Is he now exacting the type of revenge reserved for whiny journalists who have nothing better to do than make easy money on facile, meritless "reporting?" Why not gather a bunch of monkeys in a room full of typewriters, so we can all thank Stossel for the knowledge that Shakespeare was a sham as well?

Or does Stossel simply want to cement the ignorance of the American public, so we can all enjoy the fine ABC shows like "Hope and Faith", one of the benchmarks of modern American culture. Stossel's brand of incredulous reportage has devolved into the pathetic, reactionary thoughts of a jaded philistine. I certainly don't expect any kind of response to this e-mail, though my righteous indignation demands one.--Kurt Dahlke

I gasped when I heard the button of your "Real Deal" report on the abstract art market. Civilized societies have always included art amongst the schools of thought and civility. It is a sad truth in the United States that the importance of art has taken a back-seat to other disciplines. To hear your criticism of government support of the art world re-affirms my disgust with the corporate media, and disappoints a life-long supporter of Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs. I am thankful to have those rich people supporting the world of art, our future will be brighter because of it.
Regards,
Leigh Boone

I'm thankful rich people support the world of art too. Why do you assume government has to fund it?!!! Government is force. Let the arts flourish in the voluntary sector. The following is discussion from my message board about it:

Re: RE: Art as Wasted Tax Dollars? I guess we know where John is politically!

Harpcat (Aug. 18, 2005 1:16 p.m.): Wow, I am amazed that having an opinion that varies from yours puts a human being automatically in "someone's pocket." It is so much easier to level accusations, apply labels, and call someone a "liar" than it is to reply in a thoughtful way to the points that a person makes.

Dreamer_71 (Aug. 22, 2005 12:22 a.m.): Stossel certainly gets more than his fair share of ad hominems on this board, especially by obsessive people with anger management problems who assume he is an ultra-conservative for not toeing the liberal-speak line.
Oops, looks like I just did an ad hominem myself.

KitoKaelin (Aug. 19, 2005 11:18 a.m.): Yeah! We should go back to the good old days of the 18th century! Strictly following the letter of the law in the original Constitution! Just imagine: no income tax! No welfare! No Social Security! And if you want some art, you can just force your slaves to make it for you.

JoJo8739 (Aug. 19, 2005 04:34 p.m.): I would be delighted if there were no income tax, no welfare, and no Social Security. If I wanted some art, I'd take all the money I saved from being ripped off by those programs and pay an artist.

Dorado2200 (Aug. 20, 2005 07:48 a.m.): "If you want some art, you can just force your slaves to make it for you" is exactly the thinking behind public art. Public art is funded with money that is forcibly taken from citizens.

theprez8686 (Aug. 24, 2005 02:39 p.m.): Ummm ... if I'm not mistaken, kitokaelin, the 13th Amendment outlaws slavery and the 16th Amendment (much to my dismay) gives Congress the power to levy income taxes so I'm not sure how following the written rule of the Constitution conflicts with either banning slavery or taxing income. You may want to actually try reading the Constitution before criticizing.
And as for the 18th century (which you seem to imply was so evil and horrible), you'll forgive me if I think some good things came of it -- namely the establishment of our free Republic, the first to recognize the rights of the individual above the right of the state. As much as you may dislike them, and despite the personal failings that SOME of them had (slavery as one example), America's Founding Fathers were generally some pretty smart, enlightened men with some major accomplishments in government, economics, and science. I'm sorry if that conflicts with your agenda.

KitoKaelin (Aug. 22, 2005 3:45 p.m.): Is there a part of the Constitution about giving corporations massive tax subsidies?

Dorado2200 (Aug. 23, 2005 07:53 a.m.): Nope. And there isn't a part that says corporations, whose shareholders already pay income tax, should be subject to their own special taxes either.