Center for Independent Thought

05/29/2026

What’s the best way to reduce poverty? Government programs or free markets?

John Stossel believes that protecting property rights and allowing markets to work leads to greater opportunity and prosperity.

Watch his weekly videos at johnstossel.com

05/26/2026

Political labels don’t always tell the full story. Ronald Reagan was a lifelong Democrat who supported FDR’s New Deal before growing concerned that government had become too large and too powerful.

Stossel in the Classroom’s Voices of Liberty guide features a lesson on Reagan’s famous “A Time for Choosing” speech, where he argued that liberty should come before party loyalty.

Explore the lesson and share it with educators to help students examine the role of government, political change, and the meaning of freedom in America:

Home > Teaching Resources > Voices of Liberty Voices of Liberty Engage Students. Debate Ideas. Celebrate Liberty. As we celebrate America’s 250th birt ...

05/22/2026

Have you heard? Capitalism sucks.

A recent poll suggests 62% of American young adults favor socialism. John says they're just ignorant, arguing that capitalism is the only system that creates better lives for more people.

John Stossel sits down with Steve Forbes, who explains why free markets work and why socialism falls short.

Watch the interview:

62% of American young adults favor socialism.But that’s just ignorant.Capitalism is the only system that creates better lives for more people!_ _ _ _ _ _To m...

05/18/2026

Looking for engaging ways to teach America’s founding ideals?

Stossel in the Classroom's Voices of Liberty guide features lessons on influential thinkers such as Frederick Douglass, whose famous 1852 speech challenged America to live up to its promises of liberty and equality.

Explore the lesson on Fredrick Douglass' "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" speech and share it with educators to help students understand the ideas that shaped our nation:

Home > Teaching Resources > Voices of Liberty Voices of Liberty Engage Students. Debate Ideas. Celebrate Liberty. As we celebrate America’s 250th birt ...

05/17/2026

Five years ago, John Stossel reported on a Dallas car wash shut down by the government over neighborhood crime. Owner Dale Davenport did everything city officials asked: installed lights, fences, and even hired a security company. But the city still shut him down.

What's happened to Dale Davenport, Jim’s Car Wash, and the city since?

Watch John's latest Clean Business, Dirty Politics: 5 Years After Dallas Shut Down Jim’s Car Wash video to find out:

Dale Davenport ran a car wash in Dallas until politicians shut it down, blaming it for crime in the area. Five years later, the car wash is still closed. The...

05/11/2026

that while the Farewell Address was delivered in George Washington’s name, it was largely drafted by Alexander Hamilton, with input from James Madison and final edits by Washington himself.

Explore George's Washington's Farewell Address in Stossel in the Classroom’s Voices of Liberty guide, and share it with educators to help students understand the ideas that shaped our nation:

Home > Teaching Resources > Voices of Liberty Voices of Liberty Engage Students. Debate Ideas. Celebrate Liberty. As we celebrate America’s 250th birt ...

05/08/2026

Zyns are considered a safer alternative than smoking. But in some states, they’re taxed the same as ci******es. Sometimes as high as 95%!

John Stossel says that doesn’t make sense.

“If you make the safer alternative more expensive,” Guy Bentley explains, “more ci******es will be sold.”

Watch Joh's latest video, Ni****ne Pouch Panic: How Government Keeps People Smoking:

23 likes, 2 comments. "Ni****ne Pouch Panic: How Government Keeps People Smoking"

05/05/2026

The Bill of Rights affirms a founding principle: our rights come first.

Stossel in the Classroom equips students with lessons on the ten amendments that protect those rights from government power.

Explore the Bill of Rights in our Voices of Liberty guide and share it with educators to help students understand the ideas that shaped our nation:

Home > Teaching Resources > Voices of Liberty Voices of Liberty Engage Students. Debate Ideas. Celebrate Liberty. As we celebrate America’s 250th birt ...

05/01/2026

Reading scores have declined for decades — why?

Teachers replaced phonics with“balanced literacy,” an approach designed to foster a love of reading. Many students, however, end up guessing words using pictures, rather than learning how to actually read them.

The result? Too many kids never develop strong reading skills.

Watch John Stossel break it down in his latest video, Why Johnny Can’t Read:

28K likes, 7.3K comments. "Why Johnny Can’t Read: Not Enough Phonics"

04/27/2026

the original Preamble listed all 13 states by name? The final version chose a single, powerful voice—“We the People”—to show that power came not from the states, but from the citizens themselves.

Explore The American Constitution in Stossel in the Classroom's Voices of Liberty guide, and share it with educators to help students understand the ideas that shaped our nation:

Home > Teaching Resources > Voices of Liberty Voices of Liberty Engage Students. Debate Ideas. Celebrate Liberty. As we celebrate America’s 250th birt ...