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"Wal-Mart Doesn't Hold a Gun to Your Head!": Peter Schiff at Occupy Wall Street

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:54:00 EDT

"Did a corporation end slavery, or did the government end slavery?!?!"

That's the sort of question investment guru and radio show host Peter Schiff fielded as he debated Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protesters last week in New York's Zuccotti Park.

Schiff is no ordinary observer. As the prinicipal of the financial firm Euro Pacific Capital, he's a full-fledged and unapologetic member of "the 1 Percent." As an outspoken radio show host (listen online here) and commentator, he not only predicted the housing crash and financial crisis, he railed bank and auto-sector bailouts as they were happening. Schiff believes that capitalism offers is the only hope for young, frustrated people to have a vibrant and prosperous future (get information on his latest book, How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, here). So he went to Occupy Wall Street to engage and debate the protesters.

Touring the Occupy Wall Street scene in New York with a sign that read "I Am the 1%, Let's Talk," Schiff spent more than three hours on the scene, explaining the difference between cronyism and capitalism, bailouts and balance sheets, and more.

"The regulation we want is the market," said Schiff. "That's what works."

Schiff describes himself as "sympathetic" to the plight of the OWS protesters, but thinks their anger is misdirected at legitimate business interests and should be better at the White House, Congress, the Federal Reserve, and the crony capitalists they've bailed out.

If you dig this video, check out a 20-minute-long video from Schiff's day at Occupy Wall Street in which the unflappable defender of true capitalism spars with an eclectic mix of protesters and gets at least some of them to reassess where the blame for financial crisis really lies. That's at YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGL-Ex1CD1c

Produced by Anthony L. Fisher. Camera by Nathan Chaffetz.

Runs about 3.20 minutes. Go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions of our videos and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel for automatic notification when new material goes live online.

For Reason's coverage of the Occupy movement in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and elsewhere, go here.

Here's a playlist of Reason.tv's always expanding video coverage of the Occupy movement.

Rawesome Foods Raided... Again!

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EDT

A little more than a year ago, Rawesome Foods, a health food co-op based in Venice, California was the target of an armed raid by several agencies, and the resulting video went viral.

On August 3, 2011, Rawesome experienced another multi-agency raid, but this one resulted in the arrest of the establishment's owner James Stewart.

Stewart, and Sharon Palmer, the farmer who supplies him with raw goat milk, are being held on bails in excess of $100,000 and are each charged with four felonies and several more misdemeanors. Some examples of the charges are "processing unpasteurized milk," "improper labeling of food," and "improper egg temperatures."

The government has kept pursuing Stewart and his club for years, despite a lack of any reports of illness or injury from consumption of his foods. Rawesome members argue that they are part of a private club, not subject to government regulation, and that they are being persecuted for their alternative lifestyles.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office would not comment for this video, but offered this press release and also released a list of the charges against Stewart and Palmer.

Reason.tv covered the first Rawesome raid in 2010 here.

Approximately 3:30.

Produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Sharif Matar and Alex Manning.

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The FDA's New and Improved Cigarette Warning Labels

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EDT

The US Food and Drug Administration recently unveiled nine graphic warning labels that will appear on US cigarette packs in 2012. Some of the more gruesome labels include images of diseased lungs and tracheotomy holes. According to the FDA, these labels are "the most significant advancement in communicating the dangers of smoking and the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years."

Will the graphic labels reduce smoking? Do Americans really need to be reminded that smoking isn't good for them?

Approximately 2 minutes. Produced by Ozymandias Media.

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Anthony Randazzo Discusses Job Creation, the Housing Market and if Walnuts are a Drug on Freedom Watch

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason's Director of Economic Research Anthony Randazzo appeared on Freedom Watch to discuss GE’s CEO who criticized companies for not hiring, the Obama administration potentially renting foreclosured homes, and the FDA's claim that walnuts are a drug. Air Date: April 29, 2011.

Approximately 12.15 minutes.

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Peter Suderman Discusses the FDA Proposing to Regulate Medical Apps on Mobile Devices

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Associate Editor Peter Suderman appeared on Cavuto to discuss the FDA's recent proposal to regulate medical apps on mobile devices and argues regulation will create expensive products and limit consumer choices. Air date: 7/22/2011.

Approximately 3.44 minutes.

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Who Wants to Live Forever? Dr. Stephen Coles on the Secrets of the World's Oldest People

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EDT

UCLA's Dr. Stephen Coles studies the oldest people in the world. Hitting the century mark isn't enough to pique his interest because Coles' research focuses on supercentenarians, that is, those at least 110-year-old. Today Coles recognizes only 88 people worldwide as supercententarians, and the list is available at the Gerontology Research Group website.

Dr. Coles sat down with Reason.tv's Ted Balaker to explain why supercententarians live so long, what eventually does them in (it's not old age), and what could be done to help them (and the rest of us) live longer lives.

Topics include: FDA regulations, the Singularity, and immortality.

Approximately 12:20 minutes. Music by Jason Shaw @ audionautix.com.

Shot by Hawk Jensen, Zach Weissmueller and Paul Detrick. Edited by Detrick.

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Nick Gillespie Discusses Four Loko Prohibition with Stossel

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason.tv editor-in-chief Nick Gillespie joined Stossel to discuss the FDA banning caffeine-infused alcoholic drinks and whether the government should limit choices in order protect the public. Air Date: January 6, 2010.

Approximately 6.19 minutes.

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Why the Feds Banned Four Loko (And is your favorite drink next?)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST

On December 21, Ramiro Diaz was arrested for selling eight cans of Four Loko to an undercover agent from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Diaz faces up to a year in jail for the offense, but just a few months ago Four Loko was perfectly legal. What happened?

The drink had been the subject of many media reports which suggested that Four Loko's mixture of alcohol and caffeine causes young people to engage in risky behavior. The drink was even dubbed "Blackout in a Can," and the story soon moved from newsrooms to Congress, where officials like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) demanded that it be pulled from shelves.

"We must protect children from the severe and deadly consequences of drinks like Four Loko," declared Schumer. The Food and Drug Administration agreed, and in November federal regulators banned Four Loko. The company promised to yank it from shelves by December and replace it with a decaffeinated version.

So do drinks like Four Loko pose a unique danger to America's youth or is this episode more proof that that mixing media and politics can be hazardous to your freedom?

“Why the Feds Banned Four Loko” is written and produced by Paul Detrick. Camera by Alex Manning, Hawk Jensen and Jim Epstein. Senior Producer is Ted Balaker. Music by Beight, DJ Cary, CrimsonFaced and Sophia Marie (Magnatune Records).

Approximately 3:30 minutes.

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Raw Foods Raid: The Fight for the Right to Eat What You Want

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 07:00:00 EST

This summer armed government agents raided Rawesome Foods, a Venice, California health food co-op. What were the agents after? Unpasteurized milk, it turns out.

Raw milk raids are happening all over the United States. The Food and Drug Administration warns that raw milk consumption can cause health problems, but a growing community of raw foods enthusiasts are ignoring government recommendations and claiming that they are getting tastier, more nutritious food by going raw.

Reason.tv visited Rawesome to examine the circumstances of the raid and discovered that this particular raw foods case stretches across county lines and involves at least five separate government agencies, despite the fact that not a single member of Rawesome has complained or been harmed by the raw foods. In fact, members have to sign a contract stating that they understand and accept the risks of consuming raw foods before they are allowed to step inside.

If members of a private club sign a waiver stating that they want to drink a certain type of milk, why is the government getting involved? As Jarel Winterhawk, a manager at Rawesome, puts it, "This is America. How are you going to tell me what I can and cannot eat?"

Though no charges have yet resulted from the raid, Rawesome is threated with shutdown due to the involvement of yet another government agency, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, and the club's raw goat milk supplier, Healthy Family Farms, has had its dairy license suspended.

"Raw Foods Raid" is written and produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Alex Manning and Weissmueller. Senior Producer is Ted Balaker. Music by Jami Sieber, Five Star Fall, and Kammen and Swan (Magnatune Records).

Approximately 7 minutes.

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Katherine Mangu-Ward Discusses New Tobacco Warnings on Seattle Tv

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

Reason Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward discusses the FDA's new graphic tobacco warnings and whether government should be deterring smokers at all on KING 5 News, Seattle's NBC affiliate. Airdate: November 10, 2010.

Approximately 2.06 minutes.

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What's the Matter with Menthols?

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:44:00 EDT

Recently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned “flavored” cigarettes, preventing the sale of clove and (the hitherto unknown) "chocolate" cigarettes. These "candy flavored" smokes hook teenagers by masking, according to one anti-smoking activist, “the taste of the poison.” And earlier this year, the FDA prevented the branding of cigarettes as “light” or “medium,” instead forcing manufacturers to rechristen them with innocuous names like “Marlboro Gold” and “Marlboro Blue.”

At the end of September, the FDA will announce the formation of a Menthol Subcommittee, which will review the available scientific literature on the health effects of menthol cigarettes. But are menthol cigarettes any worse for smokers than “non-flavored” cigarettes? Are they harder to quit, as anti-smoking activists suggest? Or is the government campaign against menthol simply another step on the road to the complete abolition of cigarettes?

Approximately 4 minutes. Produced by Meredith Bragg and Michael C. Moynihan.

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Nanny of the Month for May 2010: Anti-Raw Milk Federal Lawyer Stephanie Rose

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 07:00:00 EDT

Got milk? Only if Uncle Sam allows it.

Runners-up for Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for May 2010 features a proposed ban on drive-through restaurants in the hometown of In-And-Out Burgers, one of America's most beloved drive-through restaurants, and the mayor of Kure Beach, North Carolina, whose got his undies in a bunch over thong bikinis.

But there can be only one Nanny of the Month and this time it goes to the federal lawyer who wants to give raw milk drinkers a raw deal, and who really, truly believes that Uncle Sam can control what you shove in your pie hole.

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for May 2010: U.S. Attorney Stephanie Rose!

Watch previous Nanny of the Month videos here.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate producers are Alex Manning and Zach Weissmueller, and animation is created by Meredith Bragg.

Approximately 1.15 minutes.

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Don't Get Hurt

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

What if you were injured and developed severe pain that wouldn't go away? Would your government let you take the kind of pain medication you need? If federal officials follow the recommendation of a Food and Drug Administration panel, many of the most effective prescription painkillers—including Vicodin, Percocet, and countless generics—would be banned.

Scott Gardner says that kind of a move would be "intensely cruel."

"I took Vicodin for three years," says Gardner. "I needed it. It got me through a very tough period of my life." The tough period began after a cycling accident shattered the left side of his body. After eight surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy, Gardner's once active life is now filled with limitations. He suffers from chronic pain that prevents him from sleeping more than a few hours at a time, and yet his pain today is nothing compared to the agonizing days and months following his accident.

"When there's nothing but pain, there's no reason to live," says Gardner. "There were times where the only way I could stay sane and civil was because I could take painkillers."

The fear of addiction and abuse already makes many suspicious of pain medication. Media reports about celebrities like Rush Limbaugh or Matthew Perry suggest that it's common for people to become addicted to medications they once took for legitimate medical conditions. And countless public service announcements remind us of the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

Now the old fear of prescription drug abuse takes a new twist. The FDA panel is targeting drugs like Vicodin and Percocet because they contain acetaminophen, a popular painkiller also found in many over-the-counter drugs. Panel members warn that some Americans ingest too much acetaminophen, and overdoses can lead to liver damage, even death.

But maybe the FDA panel isn't putting this threat into context. After all, mundane threats like falling down stairs claim more lives than acetaminophen overdoses. And it turns out the more common fear—that patients will become addicted to prescription drugs—is also overblown. In fact, the barrage of warnings we hear about prescription drugs obscures an important point—people saddled with severe chronic pain need these painkillers.

Says Gardner, "I think people who haven't dealt with pain don't really know what it's like."

"Don't Get Hurt" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. The director of photography is Alex Manning, the field producer is Paul Detrick and the animation in the piece is from Hawk Jensen.

Approximately five minutes. Scroll down for downloadable versions.

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For Reason.com's coverage of "opiophobia," or overblown fears by the government about prescription painkillers, go here.