The Michigan Daily

In the midst of a presidential primary season in which candidates have promoted universal health care coverage, ABC "20/20" co-anchor John Stossel condemned the notion of government-provided health care at Palmer Commons yesterday.

During the talk, called "Why Socialized Medicine Stinks," Stossel pushed for free-market health care and less government intervention, saying the private sector is more efficient.

"The government doesn't do many things very well," Stossel said. "The private sector is often better, quicker and cheaper."

About 160 students, professors and Ann Arbor residents filled the room. Several attendees had to watch the lecture from an overflow room on live video feed.

The event was sponsored by College Libertarians along with Students for a Free Economy and Young Americans for Freedom. LSA sophomore Eric Plourde, president of the College Libertarians, said partnering with other groups made it easier to bring such a high-profile speaker.

Stossel said the media and universities often oppose capitalism but that free markets drive the economy.

"People seem to think that if somebody makes money out of you, you lose," he said.

He also criticized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, saying that while the FDA tests to ensure a drug is safe before the organization approves it, the process takes too long to put effective drugs on the market.

"They want to protect people from getting hurt, but if, for instance, an effective drug takes 15 years to get approved, wouldn't they have been 'protecting' people from a good thing, too?" he said.

Flyers saying "John Stossel Stinks" were posted around the Diag this week, condemning Stossel for "fabricating stories." The person or group behind the fliers couldn't be identified.

College of Engineering junior Sarah Ledford, the chair of YAF, said she wasn't put off by the flyers.

"That means people are paying attention," she said. "They could have come listen to the talk themselves and asked questions to Stossel himself."

LSA junior Philip Mintz said he thought Stossel's talk facilitated good discussion on campus.

"He has a different voice from ones on campus, and it is very refreshing," Mintz said. "Here at the University, we always hear the same old typical voice against capitalism."

LSA junior Danielle Ashbaugh said it was refreshing to hear a new voice on campus.

"I've often heard of people pushing for socialized medicine, and this is a first," she said.

Article Tools