DAVID: TWO ECONOMISTS INCLUDING
THE FORMER CHIEF ECONOMIST FOR
THE WORLD BANK RECEIVED THE
NOBEL PRIZE FOR ECONOMICS FOR
THEIR WORK SUPPORTING MORE
GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION IN THE
MARKET.
SPECIFICALLY AS IT AFFECTS
CLIMATE CHANGE BUT ARE ECONOMIES
BETTER OFF WITH THIS KIND OF
INTERVENTION?
HERE NOW TO REACT A MAN WHO
SOMEHOW, I DON’T KNOW HOW HE
DOES IT, HE SPLITS HIS TIME
BETWEEN THE WORLD OF PUBLIC
POLICY AND THE WORLD OF
HOLLYWOOD, MR. BEN STEIN.
I’M WONDERING WHICH WORLD IS
MORE OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY,
BEN?
>> NEITHER WORLD IS IN VERY
CLOSE TOUCH WITH REALITY BUT I
THINK THESE GUYS GOT IT RIGHT.
I THINK WE NEED GOVERNMENT
INTERFERENCE IN THE ECONOMY.
WE NEED GOVERNMENT TO STABLIZE
THE ECONOMY.
WE NEED GOVERNMENT TO BE RESCUER
OF LAST RESORT IN THE ECONOMY.
WE NEED GOVERNMENT TO BE THERE,
TO BE BAILER OUTER A NAME I MADE
UP IN GOVERNMENT IN CRISIS.
WE’VE HAD TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE,
RECESSIONS AND DEPRESSIONS IN
THIS COUNTRY, LONG BEFORE THE
DEOPERATION OF LATE ’20s AND
EARLY ’30s, ALL THROUGH THE
’30s, THE GOVERNMENT WAS NOT
THERE TO HELP.
WHEN GOVERNMENT IS THERE TO
HELP, GOVERNMENT IS THERE TO
STABLIZE THE ECONOMY THE RUNS
MUCH MORE SMOOTHLY.
DAVID: I DON’T KNOW.
>> WE NEED FREE MARKET ECONOMY,
SORRY.
DAVID: SPECIFICALLY WANT TO TALK
ABOUT WHAT THESE TWO ECONOMISTS
WERE BASING THEIR WORK ON.
THIS IS WHAT THEY WON THE AWARD
FOR, THEIR WORK ON POLLUTION
CONTROLS, SPECIFICALLY WITH
REGARD TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
FREE MARKET ECONOMISTS LIKE
YOURSELF RESPECT EXTERNALITIES,
WHERE YOU HAVE GOVERNMENT STOP
POLLUTION BECAUSE IT SAVES
PEOPLE’S LIVES, BUT THIS GOES
WAY BEYOND THAT.
>> RIGHT.
DAVID: TO THE POINT OF SUBSIDIES
FOR ELECTRIC CARS THAT COME OUT
TO ABOUT 7500 PER VEHICLE.
IS THAT REALLY WHERE WE WANT TO
GO?
>> I DON’T THINK IT IS WHERE WE
NEED TO GO RIGHT NOW FRANKLY.
I THINK MORAL AS SITUATION WILL
BE ENOUGH TO GET PEOPLE TO USE
ELECTRIC CARS.
I THINK PEOPLE WILL REALIZE IT
IS BETTER FOR THEM TO USE
ELECTRIC CARS.
I DON’T THINK WE NEED GOVERNMENT
BRIBING PEOPLE TO JUST ELECTRIC
CARS.
THE IDEA WE PAY THAT ENORMOUS
AMOUNT PER CAR, JUST TOO MUCH
MONEY BUT THE IDEA WE SHOULD
HAVE GOVERNMENT EXPLAINING TO
PEOPLE THAT ELECTRIC CARS ARE A
GOOD IDEA FOR THEM FOR THEIR
CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN IS
NOT A BAD IDEA.
DAVID: ADD UP BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS SPENT WITH GOVERNMENT
SUBSIDIES OF ELECTRIC CARS, BUT
YOU ADD UP PRIVATE SECTOR
FUNDING WHERE INDIVIDUALS AND
ORGANIZATIONS AND GOVERNMENTS
ALL, KIND OF CONSPIRE TO GET IN
ON THIS ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE,
I JUST WONDER IN THE END IF IT
IS WORTH IT?
>> YOU KNOW WHAT?
ONE OF THE THE GREATEST ECONOMIT
ONE OF THE THE GREATEST ECONOMIS
OF ALL TIME WAS A MAN FRANK
KNIGHT FROM UNIVERSITY OF
CHICAGO.
HE SAID TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL
GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES.
EVERYBODY IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF
GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES.
THEY SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES.
IT IS FREE MONEY IF USED FOR
NOBLE CAUSE, MAKING THE AIR MORE
BREATHABLE ALL THE BETTER, I
HAVE NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER TO
ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BREATHE
CLEANER AIR.
I DON’T THINK $7500 A VEHICLE IS
THE RIGHT NUMBER BUT SOMETHING
IS THE RIGHT NUMBER.
DAVID: BEN STEIN, I HAVE TO ASK
YOU ABOUT KAVANAUGH BECAUSE
YOU’VE BEEN VOCAL ABOUT THIS IN
THE PAST.
>> YES.
DAVID: WHAT EFFECT DO YOU THINK
THIS WHOLE KAVANAUGH BUSINESS
WILL HAVE ON ELECTIONS IN
NOVEMBER?
>> WELL IF I WERE THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY I WOULD COMMIT HARIKARI IN >> WELL IF I WERE THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY I WOULD COMMIT HARIKARI IN
SHAME THE WAY THEY TREATED
MR. KAVANAUGH.
THE WAY THEY TREATED
MR. KAVANAUGH MAKES JOE
McCARTHY LOOK LIKE
GEORGE WASHINGTON OR THOMAS
JEFFERSON BY COMPARISON.
THE WAY THEY TREATED HIM WILL BE
SHAMEFUL FOR ALL ETERNITY.
I THINK DEMOCRATS DO WELL IN
ELECTIONS AND MIDTERMS.
I DON’T THINK THEY BEAT OUT THE
REPUBLICANS.
I THINK REPUBLICANS HAVE NEW
SURGE OF ANGER AND ENERGY I
THINK THEY HOLD ON TO THE
CONGRESS.
I COULD BE TOTALLY WRONG ABOUT
THIS.
I’M VERY OFTEN WRONG BUT I THINK
DEMOCRATS WENT WAY, WAY TOO FAR
BELIEVING THESE INSANE,
LITERALLY INSANE ALLEGATIONS
ABOUT HIS SEX LIFE.
DAVID: BEN STEIN, LOVE HAVING
YOU ON, BEN.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.