BRIAN: MIKE TOBIN IN CHICAGO,
THANK YOU.
HERE NOW IS BILL McGURN, "WALL
STREET JOURNAL" COLUMNIST AND
FOX BUSINESS CONTRIBUTOR.
BILL, I CANNOT BELIEVE I’M
SITTING HERE TALKING TO YOU ONCE
AGAIN ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF
THESE SCHOOLS GOING REMOTE.
IT SEEMS LIKE IF THERE’S ONE
THING WE COULD ALL AGREE ON OVER
THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, IT’S THAT
CLOSING SCHOOLS WAS A DISASTER.
AND YET IN CHICAGO AND
ELSEWHERE, BILL, WE’RE TALKING
ABOUT IT AGAIN.
YOUR THOUGHTS.
>> YEAH.
AND WHY IS THAT?
I THINK WHAT WE LEARNED IN
CHICAGO IS CONFIRMATION THAT
IT’S NOT THE MAYOR WHO CONTROLS
THE SCHOOLS, IT’S NOT THE
CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ CEO,
IT’S THE TEACHERS UNION.
AND WE SEE WHOSE PRIORITIES THEY
HAVE.
I’D LIKE TO SEE A POLL OF MOMS
AND DADS THAT SAY DO YOU THINK
THE SCHOOLS SHOULD BE CLOSED OR
NOT.
BRIAN: BILL, WHY ARE WE DOING
THIS BY POLLS?
[LAUGHTER]
IT STRUCK ME THAT THE UNION
POLLING ITS MEMBERS, THIS IS NOT
A POLLABLE SUBJECT.
THIS IS OUR KIDS NEEDING TO GO
TO SCHOOL.
I DON’T CARE WHAT A POLL SAYS,
YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS
QUESTION.
BILL, WHAT IT SAYS TO ME IS
WE’VE GOT OUR METHOD OF DEALING
WITH THIS COVID CRISIS SO
BACKWARD THAT WE’RE USING POLLS
INSTEAD OF USING COMMON SENSE
AND THAT WORD WE LIKE TO THROW
AROUND, SCIENCE.
BILL, WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH
THESE POLLS?
>> WELL, IT’S NOT UNCOMMON FOR A
UNION TO WANT TO SEE IF ITS
MEMBER MEMBERS SUPPORT AN EFFORT
THAT IS CONSIDERING.
WHAT IT JUST SHOWS IS HOW OFF
THE WHACK IT IS -- OUT OF WHACK
IT IS WITH SCIENCE AND THE
PUBLIC CONSENSUS.
AGAIN, MOST PEOPLE HAVE
CONCLUDED CLOSING SCHOOLS IS A
BAD IDEA.
A LOT OF SCHOOLS IN EUROPE
STAYED OPEN THROUGHOUT ALL OF
THIS BECAUSE IT’S RELATIVELY
LOWER RISK AND SO FORTH.
AND, AGAIN, WE SEE WHO’S THE
BOSS.
AND THIS ISN’T GOING TO CHANGE
UNTIL WE INTRODUCE MORE SCHOOL
CHOICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY INTO
THE SYSTEM SO THAT PUBLIC
SCHOOLS ONCE AGAIN ARE
ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
BRIAN: THE PROBLEM IS SO MUCH OF
OUR MONEY IS TRAPPED.
IF THE MONEY FOLLOWS THE
STUDENT, YOU GET A DIFFERENT
RESULT.
IF IT FOLLOWS THE UNION, YOU GET
EXACTLY THIS.
BILL, WHILE I HAVE YOU HERE,
I’VE GOT THE GET -- TO GET YOUR
TAKE ON THIS.
A HONG HONG KONG PRO-DEMOCRACY
MEDIA OUTLET WAS RAIDED AND SHUT
DOWN BY POLICE.
MULTIPLE STAFF MEMBERS WERE
ARRESTED ON SUSPECTED, QUOTE,
SEDITIOUS PUBLICATION OFFENSES.
BILL, THIS IS JUST THE NEWS WE
GET OUT OF HONG KONG, IT SEEMS,
DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
SOMETIMES IT, YOU KNOW, FLIES
BELOW THE RADAR OF THE
HEADLINES, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT,
AND IT’S A BAD MUSE STORY FOR
HONG KONG. -- BAD NEWS STORY.
>> YEAH.
LOOK, IT’S DESIGNED TO
INTIMIDATE.
ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE WHO
TRIED TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT
WHAT’S GOING ON IN HONG KONG.
MY GOOD FRIEND JIMMY LYE, WHO IS
THE FOUNDER AND PUBLISHER AND
EDITOR OF APPLE DAILY, HE’S BEEN
IN JAIL FOR A YEAR.
YOU KNOW, HE WAS A BILLION
THEIR.
THE MESSAGE -- BILLIONAIRE.
THE MESSAGE IS IF WE CAN GET
THESE GUYS, WE CAN GET YOU.
AND THEY’RE VERY SERIOUS ABOUT
THAT IN BEIJING, AND HONG KONG
IS NOW A PLACE THAT CARRIES OUT
BEIJING’S TO WISHES.
BRIAN: BILL, IT STRIKES ME THAT
THIS CONTINUES TO HAPPEN IN HONG
KONG, AND REALLY THERE’S VERY
LITTLE PUSHBACK FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION HERE IN THE
UNITED STATES.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE
HAPPEN?
I MEAN, WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE SO
THAT HONG KONG HAS SOME
POSSIBILITY OF PRESERVING THE
FREEDOMS THAT HAVE HISTORICALLY
MADE IT A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE, A
GREAT PLACE TO DO BUSINESS AND A
BEACON OF HOPE IN THAT PART OF
THE WORLD?
>> WELL, I’D LIKE TO SEE, ONE,
JUST A FRANK DIVISION BY U.S.
OFFICIALS THAT CHINA IS
VIOLATING THE AGREEMENT IT MADE
WHEN IT TOOK HONG KONG BACK TO
PRESERVE ITS DISTINCTIVE WAY OF
LIVING AND ITS FREE MARKETS AND
ITS OPEN SOCIETY.
I MEAN, ALL THIS IS CHANGING.
IT’S AMAZING TO ME -- I LIVED
THERE FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS -- HOW
RAPID THIS DECLINE IS.
AND IT’S, IT’S JUST RUINING THE
PLACE.
AND IT’S NOT JUST THAT IT’S
ANTI-DEMOCRACY.
YOU KNOW, WHEN BUSINESSES SEE
THIS, THAT YOU CAN GO IN AND
RAID A BUSINESS, YOU HAVE TO
WONDER IS THIS THE PLACE I
REALLY WANT TO INVEST IN, YOU
KNOW?
IS THIS THE KIND OF HONG KONG
THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS ONCE
MADE FAMOUS BY PEOPLE COMING
THERE, ARRIVING DIRT POOR AND
ACHIEVING RICHES THROUGH WORKING
HARD IN HONG KONG’S OPEN SYSTEM.
ING AND THIS IS AN ONGOING
EFFORT BY CHINA WITH THE FULL
SUPPORT OF HONG KONG
AUTHORITIES.
BRIAN: YOU KNOW, YOU MAKE A
GREAT POINT, BILL.
THE DECLINE HAS BEEN SHOCKINGLY
RAPID.
IT’S A GREAT REMINDER THAT WHEN
YOU LET TOTALITARIANISM TAKE
ROOT, THE NEGATIVE CHANGES CAN
COME QUICKER THAN YOU CAN