Privatize Air Traffic Control!

Private air traffic control would be faster, cheaper and maybe safer.
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In America, air traffic control is run by the federal government.
Since government doesn’t do anything well, our flight control technology is lousy.
Earlier this year, a government computer failure grounded flights nationwide.
For decades, the FAA has promised to modernize the system.
But it never happens. Government at work.
Private air traffic control works well in other countries.
Why can’t we have it here?

[@hyfy-tr2jy]

This is the closest thing I watch that could be considered "news" anymore. Thank goodness we have John Stossel

[@The10cmorgan]

💯 he is my favorite reporter

[@SF-dy6hn]

Privatize air traffic control? We can't even keep our trains safe while running on a privatized system and those Mf'ers are on rails, are slow, and use computers for 95% of the work and we're still messing up. No private industry can't be trusted; because they'll cut corners and when they cut corners they'll say the same dumb line they always use when they cut corners and get caught. "We had a legal responsibility to maximize profits for our shareholders." I'd rather have government ran slow, expensive, and safe air-travel. Than corporate shareholder fast, cheap, and dangerous. Planes go plenty fast to make up for how slow the system is and they're already plenty dangerous without the need to make them more dangerous.

[@Deontjie]

Billy Noelan?

[@rightwired]

I need John Stossel DAILY. Why he left Fox i'll never know.

[@brucewilliamsstudio4932]

As a commercial pilot in Canada I can tell you that the system works fairly well. However, there is one thing that bugs the heck out of me..... they now charge a fee for entering certain airspace. Additionally, the Government of Canada has had an exorbitant aviation fuel tax for many decades, but after selling everything off, including airports, the tax has not disappeared. One thing is clear, when the Government finds a way to take your money away from you they never let go...... disgusting.

[@jeffpadilla9891]

Our government is so convoluted and bogged down in politics that no money is spent where it should be.

[@barfo281]

@Jeff - Too much money is spent everywhere on things government has no constitutional authority to do.

[@NoGamble.NoFuture.]

It's called socialism

[@ILovePancakes24]

They would rather spend it on flashy woke DIE than on upgrades to critical systems. Once we end up with an avoidable accident they're gonna promise swift action on DIE initiatives.

[@hobsdigree2]

I like Stossel, but do you guys think this clip really conveyed that there is an issue? The grounding incident was bad, but that was also an exceptionally rare instance. I'm not saying privatizing air control would be a bad idea, but in order to make the change, there needs to be an incentive, which this clip didn't really convey.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

@@hobsdigree2 Reducing the bloat and thug tactics of unions would be a huge plus. Therefore, government would never do it as the more people they have working for government the more votes they can get for more government. A very vicious circle.

[@perropulgoso3351]

The incompetence of the federal government is absolutely pathetic.

[@vladtepes481]

When government installs a "new state of the art" computer system it is already 10 years old.

[@yoshisaidit7250]

I could never work for government, I would smfh all the time. People would take notice, and I'd be fired pdq.

[@generaljackripper666]

Can confirm.

[@5lcalais1]

10? U mean 30 🤣

[@arthurbrumagem3844]

When citizens buy computers or cell phones it is damn near as bad

[@Silverguise]

As someone who works for State government IT, trying to stay up to date is like pulling teeth. They don't see the point in investing money on technology because "what we have works right now"

[@arioch2112]

Multiply by a factor of 10 and you've got the Federal Govt. My best friend is a retired ATC, I've got an inside source.

[@mae2759]

I hear the federal government still has programs that run on very old windows versions like 98 and xp and require microsoft to still support them.

[@bikeny]

I imagine if we had govt-run dentistry practices, the dentist would be tying string to our teeth and then to the door so it could be slammed shut to yank the tooth.

[@briank5877]

Ever go to a state or federal website? They are insanely difficult to maneuver around but then again would you want to work for 10 times the money in private or the government.

[@BungieStudios]

@@mae2759Try DOS for STO.

[@robertperillo8738]

“Because governments don’t do anything well”. Ain’t that the truth!

[@thirdplanet4471]

Unless it's killing people or wasting tax money

[@yoshisaidit7250]

@@thirdplanet4471 Stealing money and lives. "wasting tax money" they have to do something with all the money they steal dont they? You care how they spend it, but not that they steal it in the first place? 🤔

[@nghtwtchmn129]

Let's replace the President's Secret Service detail with the lowest bidding rent-a-cop company!

[@LizRealGirlBeauty]

They're really good at taking credit for things other people did.

[@ericthompson3402]

​@@nghtwtchmn129 Great idea!

[@MultiPetercool]

This problem was solved ages ago. When I worked at Sun Microsystems, we had a solution, but the whole government procurement RFP system, basically made it impossible to implement. Sun wasn’t the only one with an answer. The entire government information technology acquisition process is broken. Everything from forcing purchases be made from minority and women owned businesses to ridiculous, and sometimes incomprehensible specifications provided by the government. Anyone in the information technology business will tell you that nothing is more expensive, and potentially a waste of time than responding to a government request for proposal.

[@BryonLape]

I do miss SPARC stations and SunOS.

[@CharlesGraham]

We have mass psychosis in this country with degenerates running it!

[@MultiPetercool]

@@BryonLape I spent an entire week in Washington DC trying to convince the Census Bureau to use SPARC instead of DEC Alpha in the 2000 census. Guess who they chose? 🙄

[@dycedargselderbrother5353]

​@@MultiPetercool That must have been frustrating. DEC was already acquired by Compaq by then and had a bunch of previous sell-offs. The tech pubs started souring on the Alpha going back to the Pentium Pro in 1996. Microsoft dropped support for Alpha in Windows NT before Windows 2000 came out. Unless a fire sale was going on, DEC Alpha wouldn't look like a strong choice at the time. Compaq itself looked weak by then. Hard to believe but it's the government.

[@MultiPetercool]

@@dycedargselderbrother5353 Yup! I have some other incredible stories to tell about the government computer deals I’ve seen over the last 40 years!

[@nebula0024]

Reminds me of a local story from a couple years back. There was a short stairway outdoors that lead from a lower part of the town to an upper part, which had been torn down due to safety concerns (it was really old). The city council estimated it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix, and couldn't be done until the following year, which caused a huge uproar. Well, a handful of local carpenters and trades-people took it upon themselves to rebuild it one weekend. It cost barely anything at all, which they themselves paid for. What did the city do? Well they tore it down of course! Cited additional safety concerns (which were BS), and local union policies as well. Regardless of the validity of their concerns, it proved that government was still completely incompetent and just about the slowest way to get something done.

[@SteveJones172pilot]

Hopefully at least in a small town, that became fuel to oust all of the town council the next election cycle?

[@grizwoldphantasia5005]

I remember reading about that when it happened. I am so used to government incompetence that I just rolled my eyes.

[@SeraphsWitness]

Unions ruin everything.

[@Weirdomanification]

That's not just incompetence. That is malevolence.

[@cherylrobinson517]

Wow!

[@cajun1253]

I remember being told - nothing changes if nothing changes and this situation just reinforces that viewpoint.

[@johnmicheal3547]

Sadly there are things that need changes called maintenance. You don't do those changes, the bad changes will happen.

[@cajun1253]

@@johnmicheal3547 nothing will change our slide downhill unless we do something to change it - I think there was misunderstanding/bad wording but that’s what I meant.

[@TTM77]

@@cajun1253 Think I know what you meant. My point is like rust, it will keep rusting and the big change will be rust through. That's when the metal integrity become so weak that it can no longer hold, whatever it was holding will go through. Our economy is like that metal. The government been destroying the economy, been destroying the country. Eventually the whole thing is crashing but as you can see it still holding, eventually it won't hold anymore. So there will be a very bad change. It will get worse. Do you know the book "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand? The book detail crisis will happen more and more. Crisis will happen more often and the intensity will get worse too.

[@millsrickman7703]

'Our' government. Our 'public servants'.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

Who long ago forgot and or refused to be our SERVANTS and are not about to concede power to the Constitutionally defined MASTERS of this government, aka We The People.

[@joannleichliter4308]

LOL!

[@freethebirds3578]

we get serviced by government like a cow gets serviced by a bull.

[@Derideo]

@@freethebirds3578 Except that bulls are much kinder...

[@joannleichliter4308]

@@Derideo And the cow enjoys it.

[@beng4151]

This shouldn’t surprise anyone. Government always does this. It NEVER innovates. John stossel has been one of the more important figures of our time. Thank you John!

[@Warriormon87]

"Governments don't do anything well." Well said!

[@chrisferretti7020]

Fraud and corruption is done well.

[@scottp2462]

@@chrisferretti7020 you forget lying! Accomplished liars they are.

[@TheCredibleHulk]

Was 737 MAX made well? Or the recent train derailments? Or stock buybacks? Or opioid crisis? Or pharma gouging Americans? Or social media platforms doing wtv the fuck they want and destroying society? All privately owned. Maybe it’s more complicated than government=bad and private=good. People are corrupt, if there are no checks and balances, no matter if it’s government or private. They need to be constantly monitored, regulated and prosecuted for wrongdoing, if you want shit to stay legit.

[@et34t34fdf]

@@chrisferretti7020 Libertarians supports money in politics though, how about a ban on it instead?

[@JayJay5244]

Yeah very true… Air Traffic Control is just the beginning… We should also be privatizing Social Security, or better yet, get rid of it entirely!

[@hulenbryant5637]

Security should have STAYED private. Thank you G.W. Now we have to deal with a huge federal monstrosity that answers to no one.

[@breakupgoogle]

The private companies lobbied for these changes.

[@heresy1128]

@@breakupgoogle The employees did. The companies that employed security did not. They lost all of their business. No business lobbies to have the government take them over and they lose everything.

[@breakupgoogle]

@@heresy1128 yes the employees are the company..... The company made bad decisions and they all lobbies for deregulation so they dont have to be responsible and can get gov welfare called another bailout.

[@hulenbryant5637]

That doesn't justify the creation of tthe TSA, adding 50,000 new federal employees and billions of tax dollars spent through the most inefficient manner possible.

[@breakupgoogle]

@@hulenbryant5637 yes it does. private companies lobbied for a security state so they can get more money for war and the dnc/state/oligarchs can get more power. they did that. they used jan 6 to get 2 billion for private stasi. we have tsa bc of 9/11 which was the patriot act. private companies which are the military industrial complex are making record profits right now after the last 20 years and trillions in afganistan for 0 reason other than corporate profit. remember airlines dont make money being airlines they make all their money off credit cards that give miles. thats why all these private airlines service is crap compared to 40 years ago. they dont care about it. just high interest credit cards. we live in a failed state. private companies run our government and steal from us. the people that get elected are the most evil on the planet. they murder for money by the millions.

[@richard1313]

United States of Protectionism

[@Kennedy1op]

Security at airports needs to be privatized too. Get rid of the TSA!

[@smking100]

NOTAM used to stand for "Notice to Airmen" for decades. Now it is Notice to Air Mission because...wokeness.

[@WallStreetMaster]

Progress!!!

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

Oh and that fixed a nonexistent problem! Just like removing Aunt Jamima or Uncle Ben made a huge difference to part of our population who insist in remaining separate and hyphenated-Americans.

[@yoshisaidit7250]

You are missing the underlying problem. Changing "Airmen" to "Air Mission" is not as problem. Well, unless you hate change so much that simple word triggers you. The problem is that Governments use your life, to take lives. kids and parents alike are being brainwashed into joining a military where one of the two things happen that governments do well, take your money and life.

[@stevenscott2136]

​@@mikewurlitzer5217I still don't understand that! Aunt Jemima was a real person who started that business -- how do they figure it helps blacks by NOT giving them credit for their accomplishments???

[@sk8erboy5003]

It’s insane. Like, WTF is “Pearl Milling Company”? 🙄🙄🙄 I won’t buy their shit anymore just on the principle of the thing. It’d be like if they took away the Cap’n from Cap’n Crunch or something….it just wouldn’t taste the same lol

[@tuberroot1112]

The FAA is too busy worrying about whether Notice to Airmen is gender sensitive enough. It is yet to be determined whether the recent grounding due to failure of the Notam system was because a file or file contents got renamed as part of the "gender equity " make over. Maybe John Stossel could dig into that .

[@starventure]

It’s a notice to Aerosexuals.

[@sk8erboy5003]

LOL @ starventure! That comment wins the interwebz for the day 😉😛🤣

[@rockhopper01]

I am an FAA electronics tech. Take a guess which one of these gets more training time: Diversity Equality Inclusion (DEI), or safe ground navigation around the controlled areas of an airport (understanding taxiway/runway signage and lighting, communication with ATC, etc). Take a guess.

[@monkev1199]

​@@rockhopper01 sadly I am a cynic and it's probably dei that gets more time.

[@rockhopper01]

@@monkev1199 ding ding, we have a winner. Airfield driving is once a year. DEI, we now have half a dozen or so courses due at least annually. And did y’all know… our Transportation Secretary gives us an additional three hours of paid time off every workday preceding a Federal holiday as well.

[@bigblockz8]

We have a couple, literally, remote tower projects in the US, run by SAAB. We also have a few airports and facilities using digital strips. We have had hundreds of privately operated contract ATC towers for decades too. If we can't fully privatize, at least cut some of the red tape to expedite updates!

[@generaljackripper666]

Contract ATC doesn't rate a mention in this video for some reason.

[@skimbum510]

The FAA just canceled the remote tower in Leesburg, VA. This was one of the busiest remote towers in country for the past five years. Now there are no plans for a control tower at all. Sounds safer...

[@jimwerther]

This may be one of the best of Stossel's videos. Why? Because even a small-government guy like me was dubious about privatizing something like ATC, but Stossel turned me around in a matter of minutes! Excellent work.

[@YashArya01]

Good to know. What was your hold up before and how did Stossel address it?

[@dk-bw4gk]

The question I struggle with is do we need an FAA or NTSB?

[@jimwerther]

@@YashArya01 Government should be as small as possible, but certain basic services is where it should be put to use, such as the military, law enforcement, firefighting, and building of public roads. I would have put ATC in that group, but Stossel made an excellent case to privatize it. Trurthfully, I'm still not clear how that would work in practice, but Stossel made a strong enough case that I'm convinced it can be done, as it apparently has been in numerous countries. Were I a member of the United States Congress I would certainly want to hear more from both sides, but I'm already convinced by Stossel that the answer most likely involves its privatization. Thank you for the intelligent follow-up question. Worthwhile discussion on YT does in fact exist. Who knew?

[@jimwerther]

@@dk-bw4gk I say yes, definitely as regards the NTSB. It appears they do an excellent job after disasters (God forbid) in order to make sure that they don't repeat. As Stossel noted here, Aeroflot crashes were relatively routine in the USSR. Even today, it is hardly unusual for other countries to invite in the NTSB to investigate should things go wrong. It is good to know that we live in a time and place wherein we have the capability and will to follow up should disaster strike, in an attempt to make the necessary changes to ensure that nothing of the sort happens again. There is no question that the changess implemented due to comprehensive investigations by the NTSB have saved many lives over the years.

[@larryk1865]

I am generally a big Stossel fan, but he glossed over quite a few issues here. For one thing, I fail to see how converting paper flight management strips into electronic images constitutes a major improvement in the system. Secondly, privatization does not get rid of government oversight. Many prison services are privatized. Who do you think those private companies are ultimately accountable to? Modernization of the air transport system is certainly needed, but is expensive, complex and should not be rushed. For example, one advocated improvement is a fully automatic, computerized flight deck. No pilots or first officers. Is that truly what we want when a plane is forced to ditch in the Hudson River due to multiple bird strikes, or would you rather have "Sully" Sullenberger making those decisions? There is far, far more to this story than Stossel gave us here.

[@nicholashahn3476]

Absolutely insane that government jobs are unionized.

[@Derideo]

Totally.

[@edhuff6780]

Even the socialist president roosevelt warned of unions in the public sector

[@motorcitymanman7711]

Stossell.......THE VOICE OF REASON!!

[@christopher4459]

I am an Air Traffic manager for a private air traffic company in the USA. I also have my Masters in Public Administration where I focused on Airport and Air Traffic Privatization. I concluded, pre-pandemic that privatization can work well when implemented properly, However, it isn't a simple fix so I want to make a couple points: 1. We use paper strips and most facilities do so as well. Yes, paper is old school dark age technology. But paper doesn't crash because someone pressed the wrong button, or bumped a wire. Paper doesn't get hacked. Imagine that scene from airplane where the guy pulled the cord on the lighting system. 2. Remote towers are great for smaller or less busy airports. The larger the airport, the less effective remote towers are. There is a big difference between LAX and a bush airport in Alaska. We don't use binoculars to find aircraft as much as to look for wildlife near the runway, or to check that the wheels are down during emergencies. 3. Yes, Canada has a privatized air traffic system and it works well, but it also handles about a fifth of the flights that we do. 24 million USA vs 5 million Canada. Which doesn't really mean that is scales properly. 4. Who would run the ATC system? Right now air traffic is neutral. In other words it is first come first serve. Just because Atlanta is a Delta hub, does not mean that Delta gets priority over United at ATL. How will that change if we go private? 5. If there is an incident, who pays for it? If the controller is at fault, even partially who pays for it? 6. If we privatize the US ATC system, the fees that passengers will pay will go up, as it did in Canada. How will the public react when their flights are 10-15% more expensive because of ATC fees? Privatization can work, but our airspace is so much larger, and in some cases complex than most nations in the world. If we privatize ATC, what about airports? Not all airports in the USA run a profit, most actually lose money? What business would take that deal? I could go on as to why, but I won't here. It isn't a bad idea, but it isn't as easy as having some company take over and things will be much better. It is much more complicated that that.

[@XlPackratlX]

1. Crashes don't occur in computers because of user error. It occurs due to syntax errors in programming, which are weeded out through rigorous testing and years of development and research that has made the technology we use today (even in hospitals), and you don't see crashes often that could crash a plane at all outside the U.S.. So, no worries about pressing the wrong button or tripping wires, if they use them at all if you know what I mean.

[@HerculesBallsInc]

Before you calculate the cost to consumers for increased air traffic costs, first subtract the costs they are CURRENTLY PAYING for constant government intervention often with terrible results. As is usually the case with government I would wager that the end result is far cheaper but the costs are much more visible because they can't launder costs like the government can. To cite a specific example, charter schools everywhere have been proving they can produce better results for the same money... and they don't even get all the money that public schools regularly waste.

[@BW022]

3. Yes, Canada has a privatized air traffic system and it works well, but it also handles about a fifth of the flights that we do. 24 million USA vs 5 million Canada. Which doesn't really mean that is scales properly. That makes no sense. What computer system can't scale by a factor of five just via hardware? Google has scaled by nearly 20% per year for 25 years. More over, what matters is the size of individual airports. LAX and Toronto have about the same number of departures per day. Screens, UIs, etc. work.

[@c172215s]

NOt to mention General Aviation. We have the largest GA fleet in the world. By multiples. If those people have to pay they will try to save by not filing IFR and scud running etc. More accidents will result. Expense for the little guy will go up and more will be forced out. But, maybe that is the goal. I don't know. I just know the last time I flew into Canada I avoided using ATC. Crossing lake Erie I used to use Lake follow service offered by Erie PA AtC. Might not if I had to pay. I do not mind my fuel tax being used to pay for the system. DO you think that will go away if the ATC system is privatized? NOt likely. There are 19,400 airports in the US the entire rest of the world has only 24,600. THat should shed some light on why what works everywhere else does not work here.

[@PreferredCustomer]

1. The system can still be hacked. How do you get the info for the paper strips to begin with? Another computer or teletype, which could be interceped. Phones and others could always be taped, and agents always inserted or controllers bribed. You can't eliminate the possibility of data or personnel corruption entirely. What you ARE doing in increasing the chances for human error. This is the same sort of argument that would keep users adopting manual spreadsheets instead of Excel. (I would also think you'd have generators in case of power outage). 2. The persons in the video example aren't anywhere near the airports. They can use tge viewscreens to zoom in on planes and such for details they find odd or suspicious; otherwise, they just have a nice background. You replace the old tower with a thin structure with cameras that takes up no space. 3 This example doesn't make sense, since different airports have different sizes. Comparable Canadian airports are doing better than those in the U.S. of the sane size. Concerns about a larger airport require more structure and different personnel. In fact, that's an argument FOR privatization, since they can flexibly adapt instead of a government mandated single system that doesn't fit all. 4. Private controllers aren't beholden any more to the airlines; in fact they have LESS incentive, since their goal to keep traffic moving through the skies gives them fewer reasons to play favorites. Currently it sounds like the hub airlines enjoy a benefit that the government knows it. 5. The private company and employee pays for it, instead of the public, under our current system. Negligence is still Negligence, when it comes to loss of life, so criminal charges can still be levied on individual controllers. And private companies do not want accidents, since that costs them money in legal fees. 6. How will fees go up? If it's because the government will slap a whole lot of regulatory licensing requirements, fiel prices and additional travel fare taxes in return, there's your answer. Deregulation allowed more people to fly affordably,, not less. But even if things get more expensive, folks will fly less....and fares will get cheaper as airlines try to encourage air travel. Look at what happened after 9/11, covid and recessions. Also, the privatized regulators have an incentive to get people to fly, since if they don't have the business, they're out of a job.

[@rhomotor]

The government really needs an overhaul.

[@johndoez6481]

Time to defund the bureaucrat class 🇺🇸

[@jimruby9657]

"If you think the problem is bad now, wait until the government solves it!"

[@JustinDOehlke]

I just found your channel. I couldn't be more happy about it. Takes me back to the good old days when journalists had integrity.

[@sk8erboy5003]

Oh wow! Well, welcome aboard! I’ve been a Stossel fan for years 👍☺️. If you like his content, and enjoy reading, he does have a few books he published which I still reread from time to time and which are timeless….I highly recommend looking them up! His books actually got me turned on to libertarian thought!

[@JustinDOehlke]

@@sk8erboy5003 Well, I'm no groupie. I'll see what turns up though. Thanks man

[@ViriatoII]

Tegridy! He's fun, reasonable and gentle. I follow him from Europe

[@ResortDog]

THIS is why I will never fly again unless it is for a family funeral. Leaving days ahead of the date to be there due to airlines service failures.

[@richardhorlings3774]

I have a friend who works for NavCanada, our private air traffic control company. He speaks well of the organization.

[@nikwagenfeiler923]

A few points - I’m an air traffic controller for almost 30 years. 1. About half of the control towers in the United States are run by private companies (See FAA Contract Tower Program). 2. Yes, we still use paper strips, its not the worst thing ever. Some towers have to write them out. 3. Most of NextGEN has already been implemented. Aircraft are on more direct routes these days as opposed to flying VOR radials everywhere. 4. Air traffic control facilities in the US are the only place where you’ll see an “ABCDE” keyboard. 5. Old in aviation is a relative term. Anything under 20 years old is considered new. Yes we have old computers (one of our systems has a 486DX processor), however they aren’t designed to be obsolete after three OS upgrades. They’re built to last.

[@tedubadu2536]

I had no idea that other countries had already privatized. Interesting and informative as always, John

[@TheBudDex]

None of these countries have privatized air traffic control: - In Canada, the non-for-profit corporation "Nav Canada" has a monopoly on all air traffic towers. - In Germany, the DFS is a corporation that runs all the air traffic towers, and it is owned for 100% by the state. - In the UK, NATS holdings is owned for 49% by the government, but they have all the voting rights. If by privatization you refer to the ownership of state-run agencies going from public to private.

[@c172215s]

At the expense of the little guy. Try flying a private plane in any other country 'cept Canada. ANd that is only because they have beaucoup uncontrolled airspace

[@PreferredCustomer]

​@TheBudDex So what would be the solution for the U.S., then? The current system doesn't seem to work as well as others.

[@stenyethanmathews945]

Let's privatize the highways too! And toll booths! And road construction! And all schools! And get rid of Medicare! And social security! And traffic lights! And local health departments! Shall I keep going?

[@mattphillips5529]

At least they would be held accountable if they made a mistake, unlike the federal government.

[@kingofthorns203]

This is up there with the “who will build the roads?” meme

[@paullee4210]

Government is always full of excuses.

[@bobbarnes4399]

If you have ever looked just a little bit deeply into ANY government operation, you’re going to find disgusting levels of waste and abuses and gross inefficiencies every time. If you think not, then you have not looked.

[@clayz1]

We sure as heck don’t want to go private.

[@thehuguenot5615]

"is the system out of date?" "the system is continually being updated and improved" A system that is constantly being upgraded means... its out of date.

[@dave-yj9mc]

Windows 8, 10, 11, 12 ,15.... your point was? I do prefer Dos Shell...

[@ljpung]

Your smart phone is constantly being updated... And pothole Pete is not good at his job.

[@juangalton999]

Keyword being constant in your statement. If it's gradual it's much less taxing (quite literally) on society.

[@ChristopherRyans]

If there is a hall of fame for journalist John would be in there as The People's Champion

[@KA-qw5cv]

I agree. He is a truth seeker. However, the ego laden, high paid, so called journalists who regurgitate the "talking point" lies would certainly be against it!

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

Imagine how much corruption and waste would be eliminated if ALL news media practiced true Journalism like John does. This is what the Founders expected from the "Press" when they carved out such a special privilege for the "Press" in the 1st Amendment. Had they known what ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NY Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Baltimore Sun etc would become I guarantee there would be NO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS carve out in the 1st Amendment.

[@quinnsnextstep]

"Pushing Tin" (1999), is a great movie for looking at Air Traffic Control Operators.

[@thomasmyers9128]

I remember during the Obummer years that they lowered the standards to be an air traffic controller…. to help minorities get interested in get a job… Lowering the standards doesn’t seem to be a good idea for such an important job.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

Unions love lower standards. Such people are much easier to keep in line.

[@thomasmyers9128]

@@mikewurlitzer5217 …yeah… union’s had some use a 100 years ago…. They’ve crooked and worthless now

[@davidanalyst671]

This is better reporting than anything done on any TV network. stossel always sounds whiny, but his ability to go from investigating a problem, asking questions is there a better way, and then IMMEDIATELY without warning start playing the devils advocate with someone he disagrees with, arguing their own position is incredible. Stossel needs a TV show, podcast or anything.

[@sk8erboy5003]

Amen! I like how he plays devils advocate. Instead of just saying his viewpoint, he says, “Well, why won’t XYZ position work?” And sadly he did have his own hour long show on Fox Business not that long ago. I miss it. He had some really good episodes that featured a plethora of intelligent conservative and libertarian minds. He even was the official host of one of the Libertarian presidential debates once (It was the year Austin Peterson, Gary Johnson and the Macafee dude were running). We definitely need his voice now more than ever on mainstream outlets. Sadly those days are over. Fox News isn’t what it used to be, and the other news outlets are basically legit propaganda shills for Democrats.

[@Derideo]

He does have a you tub channel... 😏

[@amarissimus29]

First indicator or an intelligent debater is the ability to frame the opponent's argument better than they can, and in good faith. You'd figure it would be more common, given that it's arguing 101. But of course it's easier to just edit a pause into a gotcha. I'm amazed he's still at it... I remember hearing his voice on television for as long as I remember hearing. Full credit to the man, still chugging away, trying to drop reason bombs in a sea of stupid. It can't be easy.

[@briant7265]

What John does isn't so much devil's advocate as ask a stupid question to set up the response.

[@cuttnhorse2013]

The government privatized the flight service stations, (Weather), and it went so wrong. I stopped even calling them because of their incompetence! Retired now, want fly anymore!

[@Alipotamus]

I’m sick of it too. So glad you’re here!

[@flyhead5972]

I worked 30 years as a controller and have seen the most incredible amount of waste you could imagine. It’s a lobbyist jackpot, So many big name companies have their hands in the budget.

[@abeismain]

I can’t believe people don’t know about John Stossel….

[@user-pp6gx2rk8t]

Share his content and buy his books.

[@thoughty1263]

John Stossel is one of the best channel's I've seen when it comes to libertarian ideas and he is the only channel that can make me completely change my mind from "surely you would need government for that" in the span of one short video. Keep up the good work!

[@sk8erboy5003]

Dude- Stossel is legit THE reason I changed from a hardcore conservative to a libertarian minded individual! 😉 And I got there from reading his books. His ability to just lag things out there in a no nonsense fashion is incredible. Today though I have moved beyond libertarianism to outright voluntarism/anarchist lol….and the corruption exposed by Trump, plus just the general state of things the past few years have solidly moved me into that corner 😉. But Stossel definitely helped move me in that direction!

[@bevo65]

By all means, let's have this organization guide my children's health care!

[@Guitarzan8]

Govt unions are so ... wrong. Unions had their day when private companies underpaid workers that had no choice, but those days are LONG gone! Unions exist today to exist, and they’ll do anything to maintain that. Hooray for competition!

[@ARockRaider]

I definitely agree with the idea to let the business do the work and let the government have oversight to make sure the basic rules are being followed. Also there should be ways for people directly affected by bad regs to demand change, looking at you HOS for truck drivers.

[@HealthyDisrespectforAuthority]

government oversight goes to the highest bribe.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

There is another bonus of Privatization. Today if a union FAA ATC screws up who do you sue? If it was a Private firm, now you have thousands of sue happy lawyers waiting to help you get compensated. Not that I like lawyers, but they can be helpful in such cases.

[@ARockRaider]

@@HealthyDisrespectforAuthority yah but it's better then the government overseeing itself. Sides, rotate the inspectors properly and that stops working as well. (Not that I expect the government to do anything properly)

[@ARockRaider]

@@mikewurlitzer5217 very true, and yet another reason why the government should pass on roles like this.

[@Archedgar]

@@HealthyDisrespectforAuthority That's leftism for ya.

[@johnpatrick1588]

The best hope of getting good service efficiently is competition. Neither a government-run ATC or a private ATC company monopoly operating alone will deliver.

[@johnneedle8119]

Our government needs to be overhauled

[@djrickysmith]

I love John's delivery !! Very unique but easy to grab the story. That's not easy to do

[@smoothALOE]

I think Unions is what is holding us up on this. The second I heard “Unions,” I felt my nose twitch, haha!

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

Unions using their typical thug and gang like tactics were the reason Air Traffic Controllers were fired under President Reagan. These thugs did not care how much damage they did to the country. I was on a flight from NY to Dallas which was held up during that time by ATC thug tactics and the pilot got on the intercom and told us if any ATC employee tried to board the plane he'd have them kicked off.

[@smoothALOE]

@@mikewurlitzer5217 wow!

[@John_II]

I love this kind of reporting: it's punchy, factual and balanced. Stossel actually challenges every guest, even if he happens to agree with them. That's good journalism because it explores the issue - it doesn't pander and it doesn't deride. I get more out of one video by Stossel than a week of listening to MSM news.

[@scottytissue73]

Research ATC in the UK and see how privatized traffic control is a nightmare for general aviation pilots. Constant handoffs, frequency changes, transponder code changes, generally just WAY more radio traffic because of double the amount of specialized airspace. Flight planning for private general aviation flights in the UK is a tedious method of meandering through a complicated maze of allowable airspace and altitudes that must have required radio permission and confirmation. Imagine privatizing all the national parks and acquiring permission from 3 different authorities just to visit one for a few hours.

[@andygetz7343]

Thanks to Stossel, I bought a bunch of bitcoin in 2016. Stossel is an American hero!

[@Mostopinionatedmanofalltime]

Agree 100%

[@BryonLape]

The government spent $1 billion and couldn't launch a website.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

But we've spent hundreds of Billions and can now fight a war on Pronouns and Balloons.

[@victorco.6308]

Government bureaucracy is the worst approach in the majority of things in our life.

[@bryonmiller7887]

I remember watching John Stossel do a special on the Nintendo Entertainment system when I was a child, he has remained an interesting journalist this entire time. It's a shame there are not many more like him out there...

[@bikeny]

Was there a problem with it? I never had one, so I don't know.

[@EtiandroRosa]

Stossel, cê é demais. Great job! 😎

[@RVJunke1]

Mr John Stossel, the ONLY true journalist left! Thank you for doing what you do best sir!

[@Levman74]

If there is a telecommunications failure, we will be grateful we still have binoculars and paper strips

[@zg-it]

Better yet, privatize EVERYTHING!

[@freddyboy800]

😂

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

Absolutely! Let the failures fail and be replaced by someone, some firm that is better. Government should be more like a ref in Football. Make sure everyone plays by the rules and otherwise STF out of the way.

[@zg-it]

@@mikewurlitzer5217 privatize the refs too!!!

[@juangalton999]

Absolutely agree with this. But people will complain "Muh roads though!"

[@brianpendergast2894]

1st to go should be lousy Amtrak!!!

[@Dont_Think_Do_Films]

As a private pilot, as long as they do not charge a lot of money for us to use their airports and control services I’m and we get to still go to any airport we want I am all for private control companies

[@nikwagenfeiler923]

As a private pilot, you probably flew into an airport staffed with controllers from a private company.

[@Dont_Think_Do_Films]

@@nikwagenfeiler923 can you explain how there are private companies. I thought they where all government employees

[@nikwagenfeiler923]

@@Dont_Think_Do_Films There are several private companies that provide air traffic control services to towers. (MidwestATC, Robinson Aviation (RVA) , Serco, AdvancedATC and CI2(squared). There are FAA Towers (your class B and C airports) staffed with government employees and then there are Federal Contract Towers (FCT) and Non-Fed Towers (NFT) (most of your class D and E airports) that are mostly staffed by the companies I listed. Big reason for the FCT's and NFT's is the hiring restrictions by the FAA. The FCT's and NFT's cannot age discriminate while the FAA is allowed.

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

hahaha the little girl at the end was too cute

[@smillpupstick4323]

My understanding is that certain controllers simply prefer physical information. Digital is well available.

[@Sometungsten]

One of the sticky wickets to privatization was the the likelihood that general aviation would be excluded from certain areas/services due to air carriers demanding exclusive access. Other proposals included preposterous access fees for general aviation etc. While some European locations have adopted privatization, the general aviation sector has been severely impacted by fees and routing restrictions.

[@SoloPilot6]

1:35 -- studies have shown that there is a better awareness of physical positions of an item by people who manually move markers representing those items than by anything other than direct line of sight. Something about arranging the markers by hand just seems to work a lot better. This is one of the few things that needs to NOT be changed.

[@samandmikikhardian1117]

So, if the government says something shouldn't be privatized, do the opposite 🤔

[@briant7265]

The 1980s attempt to upgrade the ATC system is actually a case study in how to eff up a major software project. Literally. I read a book on how not to run a project. Each chapter was a case study, and this was one of them.

[@DerykRobosson]

It is as though a story of a transcontinental railroad hasn't been told before. Government needs to get out of the way.

[@paulbrungardt9823]

But at the University, I was taught more government would cure every problem.

[@commanderstraker1082]

Back around 1968 I got to take a 'behind the scenes' tour of Bradley Field (now Braley International Airport) in Connecticut. The radar room was still using units from the 1950s with 5" screens. We saw a room filled with wires, and another, identical room, as the wiring system had to be duplicated exactly. There were new radar displays waiting to be installed that were much larger and would display aircraft ID and altitude. Apparently, they were already obsolete, as it had taken years to do the upgrades. This is one of the problems- it takes years to do ANYTHING to upgrade an airport, as every municipality and local activist group has to be involved. Privatizing might streamline the 1930s attitude too many municipalities have concerning airpoprts.

[@mikeelliott9067]

Like everything the government does, they say " we're working on it" (MAN!)

[@DurzoBlunts]

Just don't let a privatized ATC company go public, that's when the accidents and cost cutting will increase.

[@niclash]

Corporations as such should be scaled back, and basically every owner of a corporation are PERSONALLY responsible for everything that the Corp does. If it commits a crime, you go to jail, if it cause preventable accidents, you are charged with manslaughter and so on. Remove the political protection of corporations and we will all be better off.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

And then we would have actual recourse. When government screws up, who are you going to sue? Yourself, as you and the rest of us are forced to pay for government screw ups.

[@tstbad59]

I was in an argument with my Spanish teacher about privatization. I argued about that private road in England you had a video about. It’s nice to put more examples in my arsenal.

[@davearbogast2882]

If you are in the USA, try going to your local airport and getting an intro to flight. Try doing the same outside the USA and you'll pay 3x - 4x the cost and require much more time for the 20 minute flight.

[@patrickbateman1660]

That road lost money.

[@tstbad59]

@@patrickbateman1660 because bureaucrats relentlessly tried to shut it down.

[@lordjaraxxus5418]

@@davearbogast2882 Is it because the flight has less people, and thus needs more to make up the fuel costs?

[@HerculesBallsInc]

Once you realize how truly expensive even ONE airplane is, you understand that NO ONE who owns an airplane wants it to crash if they can do ANYTHING about it. The problem is that the government DOESN'T LET THEM do anything about it.

[@adampdx]

Privatizing air traffic control would be one of the worst things that could happen to air travel. Putting any corporation in control of anything this high level is an obvious mistake.

[@waverna]

The federal government will never give up control of any aspect of air travel, they picked up the last remnants of it after 9/11 which is why air travel has not gotten better and cheaper.

[@chedisLoL]

They use it as an excuse to hold more power.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

When "Security" was replaced with Government TSA operatives in direct violation of the 4th Amendment I went from over 100 flights/year to ZERO as I changed jobs rather that have my 4th Amendment rights violated especially when members of the know problem group were allowed to board a plane while I was searched at the gate, stem to stern AFTER I had already gone through "Security".

[@jeffs2809]

The overwhelming cost of air travel is set by the air carrier and airport, that’s the private part of your air travel. The funding for privatization WILL come directly from your air travel.

[@stuartwilkinson172]

We need to privatize just about everything and get rid of the bureaucrats and political pushes for unimportant innovation.

[@breakupgoogle]

Yea private banks like signature and svb and ftx. They worked so well. Good thing we rolled back regulation bc private banks paid the government off.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

@@breakupgoogle WRONG! The execs at SVB ignored government regulations and even cashed out just before it crashed. Regulations just like Gun laws only work with people of character and who are honest. NO law, regulation has any effect on scummy people.

[@breakupgoogle]

@@mikewurlitzer5217 bc they know nothing will happen to them. the gov never did anything to anyone in 08 why would they now? and why is that? oh bc the banks own the gov. right now the 4 largest banks are consolidating all these smaller ones and rolling out CBDCs just like designed. see kim iversens recent vid. she does a great breakdown. this is by design.

[@raincoast9010]

Out of the mouth of babes, "they're sick of this!"

[@daniellewis2133]

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

[@SP-qo1so]

I will say those "paper strips" are an amazing contingency. That's the point of them... if a system fails catastrophically, paper doesn't fail. It's an archaic but reliable way to separate aircraft. Just because something is older doesn't mean it is bad. With that being said, the FAA's systems are outdated and technology is slow haha

[@fads90]

It’s good to have a backup system in case of emergencies but we should have a similar system to Canada, the Uk, or New Zealand. Their models are superior.

[@stimproid]

Consider that Southwest is a private company however they haven’t invested and innovated to upgrade their computers, leading to much of the flight gridlock we saw over the holidays. The answer apparently is not as simple as privatization.

[@lordjaraxxus5418]

I blame south west being a budget airline. Upgrading to better tech does not increase the amount of people who would buy the tickets. That is why economy never gets any upgrades in terms of comfort. It is to drive an incentive to go economy+/business/first class.

[@stevenscott2136]

Would they be ALLOWED to upgrade if they wanted to? "Oh, your system is incompatible -- you have to do it our way if you want to land here, or here, or here, or here...

[@stimproid]

@@lordjaraxxus5418 My understanding is that Southwest needed to update their employee scheduling software. The system they had was decades old and unable to cope with the amount of schedule changes required. Even for a budget airline, incompetence has the effect of reducing your market share.

[@George4943]

"Governments don't do anything well." -- John Stossel Why yes! Absolutely! Government messes up education and makes it cost more. Government makes costly political decisions about climate change. Government makes medical care cost more. Etcetera.

[@Johnny_Cash_Flow]

Privatize every industry.

[@Tread1775]

Reminds me of going to the DMV for plates, registration, or a drivers license. Inconvenient hours, dumb and lazy employees, and ridiculous required documentation. My 87 year old mom isn’t able to get an ID, to vote, because she can’t find her marriage license. She’s been divorced for 40+ years. Unable to get a copy of her birth certificate either. Illinois is messed up.✌️

[@HealthyDisrespectforAuthority]

There's an organization, vital-chek that gets those documents for people.. for a fee of course but getting them yourself can cost just as much.. and they guarantee the service.

[@joannleichliter4308]

At 79 years of age, all I had to do to renew my driver's license was show up at the DMV, take the eye test and get my picture taken. Douglas County, Nebraska. And the wait time was very brief. We did the updating of drivers' licenses years ago, when I did have to dig out my birth certificate (to prove citizenship) and present a couple of household bills (to prove residence).

[@rlight7334]

This is the argument voting activist use to get rid of ID to vote. Instead of working to fix the process to be able to obtain documents needed, which would help more than just being able to vote.

[@yoshisaidit7250]

Never fear, in a few short years the government will use her vote anyway.

[@Archedgar]

@@joannleichliter4308 That's the difference between a place where leftists reign (socialism) and another where they don't.

[@arioch2112]

My best friend is a retired ATC from the Memphis Center. You seriously would not believe the ancient level of technology they use/used. The paper strips are still used as backups if computers drop.

[@clarencethomasisthegoat]

I'm at an FAA tracon and we still use paper strips

[@arioch2112]

@@clarencethomasisthegoat God bless you and the other ATCs for the work you do.

[@yoshisaidit7250]

@@arioch2112 And imaginary invisible SkyMonkey magically enchant you also. Geez, Like government not able to update, people think ancient campfire fairytales are true.. Time to put away the funny story books kids, it's the 21st century now.

[@yoshisaidit7250]

@@arioch2112 Opinion and fact are two different things. I'll try to explain. You think a god is real, and can somehow intervene in someones life with magic. That is an opinion. You have no evidence whatsoever that it's even possible. Your god is not real, that is a fact. The reasons you think a god is real is because someone in your childhood used fear against you. That is a fact. Long ago, people that didnt know anything, had to put something in all the gaps of knowledge. That is a fact. I could go on, but I also know that people in cults like yours, typically dont care what the facts are.

[@arioch2112]

@@yoshisaidit7250 You are making comments based in ignorance as you know nothing about me beyond a single statement, despite saying FACT repeatedly. Thank you for sharing your opinion.

[@kimharbaugh]

And don’t t even get me started on the government run post office 😑

[@mattdemo6387]

The USA has changed a lot since the 90s and 2000's: it's more like a soon-to-be abandoned amusement park, ● stuff we buy is expensive ● food's getting expensive and crappy ● the place you stay at night is really crappy and expensive ● and you're stuck in line trying to get your life moving forward

[@skycop56]

John you are correct. Government has no competition so very little incentive to improve service. And everything is run by committee with layer upon layer of bureaucrats who again have little incentive to improve service. I was a controller for 30 years and am convinced computers can do the job safely with fewer errors (how does zero sound?) and at a huge savings to the taxpayers. Privatization is the only way this can happen but the entrenched powers will fight it and win.

[@MrVvulf]

You wrote - "...bureaucrats who again have little incentive to improve service." I would argue that in many cases they have significant incentive to NOT to improve service. I'm reminded of Dr. Thomas Sowell's story of showing the Labor Department that the minimum wage costs the least qualified workers (poorest people) most because they become unemployed instead of making more money. They didn't want to hear it - their very jobs depend on administering wage issues. Politicians (and by extension, bureaucrats) care about votes, NOT results.

[@hammerfist8763]

So, put someone like Norfolk Southern in charge of air traffic safety? I'll privatize my air travel if that happens.

[@skycop56]

@@hammerfist8763 accountability will incentivize people to perform. There is no accountability in government. None.

[@hammerfist8763]

@@skycop56 Completely Wrong. I worked for the government (as a frontline combat soldier) and work in private industry, now. The Office of the Inspector General is the government's accountability arm. There are a lot of safety and legal rules government workers need to follow that private industry does not. Do we need more accountability in government? Yes. Do we need private industry crashing our airplanes like they are crashing our trains? No.

[@skycop56]

@@hammerfist8763 the railroad industry is one of the highest regulated of all. Every move they make is controlled by regulations

[@velocity550]

Maybe safer, maybe faster...but definitely not cheaper. All the other countries that have privatized, are more expensive to fly in their airspace. Pilots come to this country to earn a license and ratings because its cheaper to fly here, rent the aircraft and get the ratings than to stay home and operated in the expensive privatized airspace. A lot of these other countries are so expensive to operate in, that pilots give up flying or don't start flying thereby reducing the number of operations and thereby decreasing accident exposure.

[@milkywaffles5701]

Don’t you think the reason it’s more expensive to fly in privatised airspace is because it’s not funded by the taxpayer? Someone has to foot the bill for the operating costs private or not

[@TheMichaelMove]

@@milkywaffles5701it’s amazing how expensive free things can be

[@velocity550]

@@milkywaffles5701 ATC is financed through fuel taxes. Every gallon of aviation fuel is heavily taxed. The user is already paying the bill. The money is not making it to where it needs to go.

[@CooberPedy007]

The government would never give it up. Never!

[@isaian2e]

I remember workinf for Airfrance and every morning we had to print metres booked flights in dot matrix printers then express mail to new york for processing. That was a while ago & hope the system improved over time.

[@fjwjr]

The people here using paper strips are far more skilled at their jobs than than other countries whose people rely entirely on computers. People working with paper strips (a backup in case other systems fail) have to have a picture in their heads of the information and data of every flight they control. People working in other countries would be lost if their system went down. Not to mention what would happen in another country if controllers working remote lost connection. The answer has to be a combining of the two systems, not junking of one for the other.

[@stevenscott2136]

If the radar computer goes down, ALL air-traffic control is f**ked, so it's not like there's a way to avoid depending on tech.

[@fjwjr]

@@stevenscott2136 No. The point is that controllers are supposed to be able to (with the paper slips) keep a mental image of the flight space and every plane in it in their heads so they can land those planes in the event of a failure.

[@bigblockz8]

John, I'm a pilot and have a few years in the ATC realm. We have some privatized ATC towers but they don't exactly interact well with the FAA. Two main companies do this. They do very well for their setups. Problem that pilots have with fully privatized ATC is the user fees which Canada is a more realistic example of versus Europe. It adds costs and then perks like free access to ATC audio goes away unless you pay a fee and get permission. That said, I think we could never get rid of the federal ATC entirely. En Route and TRACON services could probably be transferred over to the private sector but we will unfortunately require a government POC to manage nationwide delays with any contractor. Also, don't forget the FAA is the only agency charged with promoting, operating, and regulating the entire aviation industry. Kinda hard to regulate and promote, as well as criticizing yourself objectively.

[@adrianalexandrov7730]

You could contract operating ATC towers, though. Or you could go same route as with policing, when state or even county operate it's police

[@starventure]

@@adrianalexandrov7730What benefit would that provide? Center and Tracon are the whole game.

[@dmalcolm24]

I agree with what you said. The private Part 61 pilots can't be left out of the mix. Flying privately is already pricing prospective pilots out of the market. Adding user fees to an already expensive avocation would further erode the private pilot population. The US is currently suffering from a shortage of ATP level pilots. Many of the pilots needed will come from the private pilot community up through Commercial level pilots building time, to ATP level.

[@adrianalexandrov7730]

@@starventure it would provide incentive to optimize costs and provide quality service to customers (airlines in this case). And it will be easier to modernize the systems as you'd have to deal with one ATC at a time, not all of them simultaneously. In theory feds might do that as well, but I guess bureaucracy burden is too high

[@starventure]

@@hello7431 Mister, everything is about litigation and the potential for it and preparation for it. You don't start a business without insurance for every facet. You don't drive a vehicle without some kind of insurance protection. The same goes for safety oriented jobs. Or healthcare.

[@williambaker1136]

As an end user if the natuonal airspace system, I greatly appreciate the controllers who work for the government. Next Gen that is a great point..years and years. Canada is very very expensive

[@larrydugan1441]

That's a real hero.

[@johnpatrick1588]

Those paper strips also serve to keep aircraft awareness in the event of a computer failure. On $10 billion aircraft carriers the aircraft controllers use nuts, bolts, monopoly pieces or whatever on a board to keep track of aircraft.

[@Tank50us]

on the first two sub-classes of the NImitz this is true. However on the third sub-class and the new Fords they've gone to a digital system that is able to keep up. Although I imagine they probably have a manual backup should that be required, however if it were required I get the feeling that the ship would be dealing slightly bigger issues...

[@jaxkal9596]

Computers nowadays don't fail unless somebody is fucking it up real bad

[@sidwhiting665]

How do the countries with advances systems handle it? Maybe instead of making excuses for why it doesn't work, we learn from those who are using it today without any problems.

[@andy347]

@@jaxkal9596 wow, that is so not correct.

[@currentfaves65]

@@jaxkal9596 Not even close to being true