John Stossel
  • October 27, 2009 12:54 PM EDT by John Stossel

    George Soros and Me

    Once I had dinner with George Soros. He called me a "market fundamentalist."  It was meant to be a playful insult, I think. But I take it as a compliment.

    My years of consumer reporting have taught me that nothing works better than markets. Nothing comes close. Nothing has lifted more people out of poverty.

    Now the Financial Times reports that Soros will give $50 million to start a new think-tank to counter "the unwavering belief in unchecked free markets, which remains pervasive in universities."

    What? At universities people believe in unchecked free markets? I thought most professors didn't even believe in markets, let alone "unchecked" ones, whatever that means.

    Soros says: "The ideologists in the free markets are still in command and I think they'll be very difficult to remove because they have tenure."

    Soros must live in an alternate universe. As Bryan Caplan writes in "The Myth of the Rational Voter," surveys show that economists are to the right of their university colleagues, but "[c]ompared to the general public, the typical economist is left of center."

    Will the new $50 million think tank be called the Socialist Fundamentalism Institute?

acolyte

Soros bought shares of Petrobras, the Brazilian oil company, just before Obama guaranteed $2 bill in loans with taxpayer money to the company. No wonder he prefers government intervention to free markets.

October 28, 2009 at 8:11 pm

ProudProfiteer.com

Colleges are filled with Free Market professors? Really, why are the recent grads so brain washed that they believe the gov't can solve all our problems. It takes years of real life experience to cure them of that, if they are ever cured.

October 28, 2009 at 9:00 am

Dixie

I can explain it to Soros in one word: corruption. There has been a full-on assault on Christianity & moral integrity in this country for decades, one that coincides with the recent rise of corruption. It would appear that Christianity is the only religion that teaches 'thou shalt not steal' & 'thou shalt not covet', as it is the only religion under attack. Deny the reality of God and you've removed the moral compass. I'll be watching the mail for my check, Mr. Soros.

October 28, 2009 at 7:29 am

zosha

Typical Fox Viewers commenting. You dont like the message attack the messenger. Funny the last I checked George Soros made his own money, without any government "TAXPAYER" bailout. He also gave away a lot of HIS money not taxpayer money. Lets take a look at all the friends of George Bush that were made whole or even profited mightely from the bailouts. Besides I thought this is a free country and a man could spend his money as he sees fit. He's also a US citizen lets see you pass the test.

October 27, 2009 at 11:03 pm

jaime motta

Most of Soros earning came from political mistakes of bureaucrats, and politic manipulation. That why he don't like free markets.

October 27, 2009 at 8:25 pm

don

Wasn't it Soros that shorted the Pound sterling and was able to make billion$ off this play!?? As I understand it,he is trying to promote himself as "The Greatest Economic Philosopher of All-Time".Just nobody has been "smart enough to figure it out".Sponsoring these left leaning political organizations "think NOBLE PEACE PRIZE".Attempting to promote his ideas and leave a legacy for posterity attempting to eventually be listed with the "Great Economists in History?

October 27, 2009 at 6:41 pm

lumi mist

What a surprise! Soros again? Spending his money to anihilate the very few not-socialist-enough faculty left in our universities? Everybody knows he "raised" and funded Obama and literally "gave" him the presidency. It's only normal for him to continue his support for "the cause". And what is the real "cause"? What is he really after? Not the free markets but the religious beliefs and values in America. For this to happen he must first destroy this country economically, though.

October 27, 2009 at 6:13 pm

Guill

Most of the Faculties at the universities lean towards the socialists views, I asume its because they could not make in a free market economy. Unfortunately that's why they are teaching. To bad there are not enough professors that choose to go into teaching because its trully their calling. Its Sad state of affairs.

October 27, 2009 at 5:43 pm

BMW

When is Soros going to get his bum kicked out of this Country! He calls himself a God and a Savior, he owns Obama and the Democrats and is reeking havoc in this country.He is a liar and is using his money to ruin freedom, when are people going to wake up and realize this is not the Country of our Forefathers but a country Under Soros and a future to communism! I want taxes cut for everyone, no more of these pay back tax cuts that benefit special companies!

October 27, 2009 at 5:28 pm

NWIOWA

JOHN; IT APPEARS MOST OF THE PREVIOUS COMMENTS REGARDING SOROS HAVE A COMMON THREAD...POWER AND DECEPTION. HAS THERE BEEN ANYONE IN MODERN TIMES WITH SIMILAR TRAITS / AMBITIONS? WHAT WAS THEIR WEAKNESS? HE DEFINITELY HAS ONE AND WE NEED TO FIND IT AND USE IT AGAINST HIM. THANKS FOR HAVING THE COURAGE TO TAKE HIM ON!

October 27, 2009 at 4:48 pm

LAD

Soros uses his money and organization to dominate the American political system. Unfortunately his agenda is to destroy capitalism in America. If you look at the government's actions from this perspective everything makes sense. It's a tragedy. I hope it stops. Please shed some light on this issue John.

October 27, 2009 at 4:44 pm

Jim Hall

Soros is a pedatory shollselling scumball. It's high time he pontificates from the inside of a jail cell.

October 27, 2009 at 4:18 pm

vicki

George Soros is the 'silent president.' He used the internet to fund Obama's campaign in small donations that could not be tracked. He is an atheist and helps the ACLU go after anything with a cross, he hates Fox News (hence the attack) he is an evil genius who is power crazy and will stop at nothing.

October 27, 2009 at 4:09 pm

Mike

This from the same man that made his fortune by using the market to force the UK to devalue the pound. Doesn't seem like he had much of an issue with free markets then. I don't see how much damage an additional $50MM can do, the endowments at our prestigious universities put that number to shame.

October 27, 2009 at 1:28 pm

Susan

Wow, I want to go to that university. Most of the tenured faculty I've seen, at least in the liberal arts fields, are Marxists, rabid anti-capitalists, and have Che Guevara posters in their hallways.

October 27, 2009 at 1:15 pm

Chris

This reminds me of a great quote from Thomas Sowell: “Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it”

October 27, 2009 at 1:06 pm

About this Web Site

  • John Stossel joined FOX Business and FOX News in October 2009. His show, Stossel, airs on the Fox Business Network on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET

    He is the New York Times best-selling author of Give Me A Break and Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity. His "Give Me a Break" commentaries take a skeptical look at a wide array of issues, such as education, the economy, parenting, and more.

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