Government is just too inefficient. Life long jobs to the friends of politicians with non-market wages and particularly benefits. They can't be fired, therefore have no motivation to maintain that $2mn sink.
To me this park is the literal embodiment of what I believe in, when someone owns something they give a shit about it, just caring is enough for most because it's something this world is slowly losing, just hope and care
I visited this park several years ago with my wife and I remember thinking what a great job NYC was doing. Now I know why, they let the private sector run it! Thanks for shedding a light on these things for us, John.
That's a beautiful park. He even managed to make it feel exciting and lively without "amusements" or too many other gimmicks, just old-fashioned activities. I'd like to see more things like this in America.
He’s not a genius. The fact that if you make a park look nice and fill it with fun activities and security guards people will enjoy it more should be blindingly obvious to everyone in government. but they aren’t concerned with that, all they care about is getting their cut from the initial grant money
@@Flame1500 The businesses in the area pay more to support the park but they benefit from the park being full and well maintained, especially over the long term. Government is full of a mixture of short term incentives and well established bureaucracies. Bureaucracies are typically inefficient and oppose even small changes while politicians rarely worry about anything past their next election or their current scandal. You see things like the disparity with the parks presented that in the video happen anywhere the government tips the scale with their incentives. They then proclaim these failures of government as failures of the marketplaces which they themselves hobbled.
Dont forget about the Public hearing to see if anyone is adversely impacted by the installation of the sink. Also , the Environmental impact study of the effects the installation of the sink will have on the rare species of Cockroaches that inhabit that bathroom.
The Rothschilds and Bilderberg meeting members and the secret societies are the enemy. JFK tried to warn us about them before he was killed. They are the ones behind the virus and the vaccine, for vaccine passports and digital currency and social credit score.
I agree! Team does have I in it. Ego is Latin for I. Humans are not insects with instinct (hardwired programming). Humans must learn their behaviors. Every EGO must learn how to cooperate and that requires Trust. TRUST is earned by doing no deliberate harm. Cooperation is trade; trade does not happen without trust. It all starts with the EGO learning first do no deliberate harm in any form. No Ego can be on a Team without co-operation. A team cannot succeed without many Egos working together. All of society is a combination of many egos. Or otherwise stated the smallest minority is ONE. One Ego must cooperate with others or live as an hermit. The breakdown of society is the refusal of so many egos refusing to abide by first do no deliberate harm.
Thanks Stossel! Just used this and the other bathroom movie to teach my daughter that she needed to understand the concept of millions so she could be smarter than New York politicians!
I love the continuity of your videos with regards to the fact that the 2 million dollar bathroom is made of "durable material" but is already missing a sink LOL
“Personally, I liked the university; they gave us money, and facilities; we didn’t have to produce anything… You don’t know what it’s like out there; I worked in the private sector - they expect RESULTS” -Dr Raymond Stantz
true when; ever I tell people im a libertarian, they think I don't want any government, but its like no, I want the government, just not when the private sector can do better
I don't know, a lot of public areas in European cities are pretty nice and I am sure you could find positive examples in other American cities, but there will always be some public areas that aren't that nice. And when the number of bad areas increases, it is maybe a sign of a bad local government. When a toilet, that looks like a normal public toilet, costs multiple millions, it is maybe not only mismanagement, but also corruption. The private park in the video has maybe also the advantage, that the drug dealers and consumers have already other parks (in the same city) to do there stuff.
@@chestercopperpot777 The toilet at the gas station or at the supermarket is already privately owned. So this does not have much to do with privatization. Things can be owned by private companies, but still be publicly available. Some things are better when they are owned by private companies, because there needs to be some competition (restaurants for example). Other things are better mostly owned by the state, because it could have severe consequences, if a private entity, that is not directly controlled by the people, would have full control over it (military, police, justice and public infrastructure for example).
Not necessarily more responsible. You are just more particular with your dollars. When they are taken by force, you have little choice in the matter where they go.
@@jimlovesgina fair enough. I meant more with the use of money, similar to how you are making a point of. Government doesn't care as they do not earn money. It's easy to spend money that doesn't belong to you.
Watch Milton Friedman explains how differently people use money whether it's their own money and whether it's for them. Spending your own money on yourself: You want the best product for the lowest price. Spending someone else's money on yourself: You want the best product, not caring about the price; prices increase exponentially Spending your own money on someone else: You want the lowest price, for an alright product; quality falls precipitously Spending someone else's money on someone else: You just use up the money and find whatever product will suffice; prices skyrocket so you need a larger budget next year and quality drops because they'll get the money whatever shit they make. ie. government
Every time I think Stossel can't possibly show more of government's ineptness, he outdoes himself again. If only the majority of people could see what is common sense to a select few. Fantastic exposé!
You do realise plenty of businesses are inept and failing... Just look at TH-cam they can censor right wingers because they aren't regulated enough. If government didn't exist who would we turn to hold TH-cam liable for their political bias?
@@Mintstar_Oceanpop Because censorship is a direct attack on the very nature of democracy. By censoring opposing views, you are restricting people from having a nuanced understanding of an issue. If you support democracy you should be against censorship.
@@theanimehub2180 Thank you for your reply. My curiosity leads to another question. How is censorship on a private company/corporation's platform an attack on democracy?
Private management and applying the Broken Windows Theory made this park wonderful. It’s a shame the rest of the city turned away from the policies that saved NYC a while back.
Unfortunately this is part of the problem. Any body with a public image has to be very careful with what they say. The result is overtime common thought and policies are becoming madder and madder.
Given how well Bryant Park was executed by a private corporation, I wonder if the city will ban further projects like this one? 4:00 onward is pretty embarrassing for them. If not for Stossel, I doubt I would've come by this information, and I've walked by Bryant Park several times in the past 10-12 years. Thanks again, John!
if government could do even one thing right, we'd probably be higher in personal freedom's instead we're even below norway, a place not really thought of for it's freedom's and yet here we are
It's these little things that people like that businessman think about because that kind of thinking helps to maximize profits. Such attention to detail is what he transfered to the design of the park.
I know someone that is working with NYC on a covid project. He said the amount of money they spent on flyers was 250k. Flyers!!! That’s just on paper. Imagine everything else.
Who the Hell uses flyers in the internet era? You could probably circulate an image on Facebook or twitter and get more attention than a physical piece of paper could.
in the uk there was a guy who decided to do some handing out flyers for brexit. he printed them himself and went around handing them out. But because in the uk political things like that have a limit on how much can be spent on them, much like how much money can be donated to politicians for election campaigns etc. he was charged by the regulatory body for attempting to exceed that, and they tried to claim he spent something ridiculous like £100,000 worth. Luckily the case got overturned, the guy was an unemployed working class lad who just printed some stuff on his home printer and they tried to make out what he did was worth more than his parents house was probably worth.
This is exactly why Bryant Park is so clean and relatively safe compared to other parks in NYC. The vendors around the park offer great foods and beverages which just enhance the overall experience. I’ve watched a few movies there too…always a good time. Keep up the great work!!
You really tell it like it is! We need more people like you to spread the word. Get the government out of our faces. Thank you for all your great videos!
It’s not even about corruption it’s mostly incentive. Corporate giants can get very corrupt but as long as our dollar means something they work for us. Ya heard that one politician saying “2mil” is a good deal! Clearly when they spend money that doesn’t belong to them they spend it like it’s a credit card with no cap. And we pay the dues.
Not just corrupt but unqualified. The people who take government jobs are usually too stupid to mop a floor properly. On the other hand business people are usually smart, organized, and know how to manage.
@iTz Wuzzi not supporting them, but didn't soviets turn their poor agrarian society to a national superpower within 30 years, it seems some policies did work.
The private sector should do everything, and it's always possible. Government is just an agency with a perceived justified monopoly on force. The difference is private agencies can't use the threat of force to extort money from people and force compliance, because they are kept in check by other private agencies. Of course, private agencies often use government to extort and oppress through legislation that allows subsidies, regulatory capture, zoning laws, and more; that's called corporatism.
Beautifully said. My BF is a private engineer, but guess what most of his company does? Government projects. The government doesn't actually DO anything, they subcontract with the private sector whenever anything actually has to happen. The same companies that would do the work for a private financer.
I don't know if that's totally accurate, specifically on the "it's always possible" part. There's such a thing as market externalities, this is things which simply aren't included in market equations, because they don't affect the parties in the trade. Another big example is national defense which would be a terrible idea left to the private sector, because mercenary armies have shaky loyalties and the incentive of money isn't enough for someone to genuinely give their life for another or their country - after all, how could they spend the money if they are dead?
@@opinionofmine3238 I wouldn't leave my trust in the private sector either, we're some form of oligarchy that is ruled by the people that own everything. Food, agriculture land, housing. And private companies can be as much against our supposedly inalienable rights (Freedom of speech) as they've come to be.
Great video, John. I love it when you highlight the good things the private sector brings to us in comparison to the relative "crap" government brings.
What makes John stossel believable to me is the fact that he is a New Yorker. I'm a New Yorker myself and I can verify everything he says on this video. John stossel is a libertarian legend.
just in america :D countries with proper educated people in a well run state like denmark, germany or switzerland also thrive. its just the stupid mix of things that makes the us so bad just take a look at crime rates. the privte sector is doing an awful job. never have there been so many people incarcerated as in the us right now
@@danieljohnonson9354 Sounds like you're making broad generalizations and comparing apples to oranges, so lets follow your example. According to the Economic Freedom index, compared to the US, Denmark scores higher on business freedom, higher trade freedom, investment freedom, and property rights. They have government healthcare, but they are not a socialist state, their private sector is thriving. And yes education does play a role, our public schools are run like garbage.
@@theanimehub2180 "So if everything was private who would hold corporations accountable for bad behaviour?" The reason corporation are getting away with bad behavior is because of big daddy government.
@@marckrause1027 the fed took control of our free market and we have been socialist ever since, let the market price interest rate and the treasure issue our own damn currency, end the boom and bust by ending the fed.
@@bilderbeargroup4217 crony capitalism is ruining the game for everyone except for the cronys. Maybe not ruining but definitely making it almost impossible for those who have to start at 0. I want a truly free market, a pure one if you will
Public property isn't really owned by everyone. It's owned by the city. Politicians neither use nor pay for the majority of their programs, so there is no incentive to make them work.
I remember my economics teacher back in high school saying something that stuck with me forever. Would you rather use a public or private bathroom? Usually people tend to take care of the things they own better.
I was in that park a week ago for two days, never used the bathroom, now I wish I had. It was such a beautiful park, take a tour of the historic library next door to it, the books are all stored under this park.
This isn't going to end well. Government and their poor management will take over health care eventually. You can expect high costs and long lines since there won't be any other option. Yay socialism!
What I learned from this video is that if you want your community to be thriving and beautiful you need to take it into your own hands and cultivate that culture and environment.
Y’all should checkout the Getty’s museum in LA. Similar concept, only things you have to pay for is parking and food. The museum itself is entirely free, a Gift from Mr. Getty.
Having worked for a state dept. of Natural Resources with the task of inspecting parks with Land & Water Conservation Fund $$$ in them, I can attest to John’s claims about shoddy parks.
Other that the 60 seconds this video focuses on the "city" bathroom towards the end, THIS HAS TO BE the most positive video I have ever watched regarding the City of New York. EXCELLENT work, Mr. Stossel, and thanks for all your years of hard work. Honestly, I'm amazed here.
The city just tried to come in and "help" our HOA manage the walking trail behind my house. They did such a terrible job that our HOA had to deal with twice the headaches, one from the city involvement and then another because they had to take over all the jobs the city attempted. We're back to paying 100%, and now the city thinks it's a public park.
My cousin got married there. Very nice. Another really nice place is “Grounds for Sculpture” near Princeton NJ. They have a really nice restaurant on the property. Top notch.
Thank you Mr. Stossel for showing us such an excellent example of what citizens with good ideas and private management/funds can provide. This park is it’s own thriving ecosystem existing in a very difficult place to get anything done without bureaucracy making it difficult. It’s very impressive and it makes me hopeful for a future where conscious capitalism like this is the norm.
Thanks Mr. Stossel for showing us that there is still hope for mankind, even in N.Y.C. Thanks also for reminding us that government can screw up role-call on a one man submarine.
"Governments rarely take care of things like maintenance and trash pickup" - Yeah, so we're supposed to be okay with it running our lives? No thanks joe, nancy & soros, inc. - LET'S GO BRANDON!!
@@vikingjv1969 I think it might be something like a flawed theory of mind. They don't put themselves in the other person's place. How could they? When do they need that skill?
@@ActuatedGear hm... maybe because countries like mine just do so much better with more state intervention... like less people dying of covid, less people beeing in dept, all of our parks look like that one, low crime rates we've go it all. Do you people think privatly run prisons will lead to less crime? Why would the people running the prisons do that?
The reason "privatization" has taken on such a negative connotation, because government even managed to screw that up. People with no understanding of economics were allowed to sell communally owned monopolies to shady international investors. Because apparently they had to show to the world that they found the one thing worse than state controlled business: non-locally owned private monopolies.
@@Adi-ri2sx My definition of bad government is; The people that can, and you can't not. Good government is; Everybody can. Everybody is 100% audited and punished if found guilty of wrongdoing. Now, playball!
The response to the bathrooms costing more than homes in the area at a paltry sum of 2 million, *"Well, compared to the surrounding homes, the materials used are more durable and the labor unions make paying workers cost more too." 🤔... 🤣🤣 Cement, cinder blocks, institutional tiles, and institutional sinks as well as toilets won't even account for 80k in materials! They took care of the contractor because that can afford to blow money in a big city and all because they have "friends with benefits."
I watched John Stossle’s public vs. private park restrooms video in an Economic’s class years ago, but the video itself was older I think. Spot on stuff, though.
I honestly and genuinely wish Stossel got the attention and viewership he deserves. This guy calmly argues and presents cases very logically and objectively regardless of whether he's republican or democrat
@@loona_mew Uh, the same one that's the majority in the US where public parks are more likely to be unsafe and in disrepair? Did you think it could have something to do with economic policy and social programs that accounts for the number of homeless people in one country vs the other, the kind of people that congregate in parks and make it unsafe? Of course you didn't, it's gotta be cuz of brown people being brown and that's all there is to that. Fuck outta here with that racist horseshit
2 mil builds a mansion. They spent jack on that bathroom and the politicians with their partner in crime contractor made off with 1.85 mil at a minimum. That scumbag was in on it.
That's the BS he was fed by lobbyists & colleagues to persuade him to green light that ridiculous $2m bathroom. That kind of BS only works on folks with deep pockets & small brains or the corrupt.
When you put unqualified, stupid people in charge (like governments tend to do) you get moronic rationalizations of decisions that most of us would consider idiotic.
There's a huge difference between true private management by businessmen that have a stake in their communities and the soulless corporate management that is now running most of our world. It used to be considered the civic duty of any rich person to care for his own town or city. They contributed hundreds of thousands of hospitals, parks, museums and libraries across the country. Now everything is contracted out by government to corporate management. This is the direction that healthcare is headed which is why going to the hospital is becoming a soulless, dangerous affair.
The reason that parks commissioner was smiling ear to ear was because knew he got a large chunk of that 2 million for the bathroom and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Every time a government official says “we pay”, “we spend” or “we invested”, they should be corrected: “No, no. You don’t spend anything. You force the public to spend, pay and invest.” Government has never spent a penny of its own money.
@@NotMyWar We all have to abide by the same set of laws. We have to have our military working together, not in separate private groups. I can't buy a nuclear rocket and install it in my backyard, to launch whenever I feel like it.
@@NotMyWar Well we privatized the prison system and by doing so created businesses who get paid based on incarceration rates. Most people who go to prison will get out at some point so one goal of prison should be making sure people do not become repeat customers as it were. However if you are a private prison you have no incentive to want to keep people out of prison, on the contrary you want repeat customers since you get paid by the head. As a private company those that run prisons get less scrutiny and more privacy protections than they would if they were government run which is a bad thing. Less accountability can lead to poorer conditions. Then these large companies use lobbyists that push for harsher punishments and longer prison sentences even for petty and nonviolent crimes because again they get paid by the head. Some people do terrible things and will rot in prison for the rest of their lives which they deserve. However the vast majority of people who go to prison will eventually get out, societally it is preferable that these people see the error of their ways and get whatever help they need to decrease the likelihood of them spending their entire lives in a revolving door in and out of prison. We actually already have privatized military they are called contractors, and are behind a lot of sketchy stuff shall we say. Again the people who own such companies benefit from war and conflict so they have no incentive to stop or prevent them. It’s not a coincidence that we went into Iraq militarily even though it had nothing to do with 9/11 and that Dick Cheney the VP had been the CEO of Halliburton. Halliburton made a fortune off the global war on terror.
Because the Left do not care about any of this. They only care about transferring your power and money to themselves. They want control, not quality or liberty or creativity.
@@theanimehub2180 I personally do not oppose all regulations. However, we have far too many. Most regulations stifle the economy and harm consumers and make it harder for small businesses to have long term success. Unbeknownst to some people, a lot of our regulations are actually created in part, if not wholly, by the largest corporations working with politicians. The purpose of those regulations is to reduce competition.
I could never live in a city. Your day being good or bad seems like it depends on the mood of the people around you. Just my opinion. I live around cows 🐄 and crawfish farms in Louisiana, so my viewpoint is limited 😄
I liked the quiet of the country but I like the convenience of the town. And by town I mean 6k population maybe. Big cities are nice to visit but I wouldn't want to stay long.
No you are correct. I am from rual Arkansas and lived in nyc for years. It sucks how much a place like nyc can drain you of your energy just by being around hoards of miserable people.
Your viewpoint is clearly natural. When I travel to a city, my blood pressure increases, the closer that I get. I'm in rural Pacific Northwest, and can testify.
Cities are full of psychosis. From overpayed ass oles and overworked workers ready to blow up at the next inconvenience, to criminal gangs and homeless drug addicts taking advantage of a placid distracted people. No common sense, no seeing eye to eye, just the worst selfishness humanity has to offer.
Problem is folks somehow started using the word "care" in the same sentence as "government" . Govts are not designed to "care". The role is to build the infrastructure under which we care for ourselves, families and our communities.
Governments are not supposed to build infrastructure. The only legitimate role of government is punishing violence against people and property. Allowing them to do anything else leads to injustice.
The union labor diligently sitting in that backhoe playing on their phone was a perfect snapshot of how ineffective, incompetent, and inept union labor is
The bigger the city the more government sucks at its job. Small towns do better with their public parks, a bit. But a privately owned park is Almost always going to be better. Especially if the owner is actively working on the park.
“Today, that $2 million bathroom is missing a sink”
Got an audible laugh from me.
Probably going to cost 10k to replace it
Same lmao. Someone stealing a sink out of a bathroom is the epitome of 'public property.'
More
Government is just too inefficient. Life long jobs to the friends of politicians with non-market wages and particularly benefits. They can't be fired, therefore have no motivation to maintain that $2mn sink.
@@gx.santiago9604 That sounds about right...
Listening to a Beethoven symphony while taking a dump in the park must be an epic experience.
Beats knocked over the head by a drug addict while taking a piss in a stall that would make a fly vomit I suppose.
It’s little things like that, that can improve the public bathroom experience so much.
You think that now but wait until the officer takes off your headphones to interrupt.
There is a toilet on top of a mountain in California that is truly an epic experience.
@@dadofducks Wait flies vomit on their food... But their food is 💩 is that some kind of double entendre? 🤣
The sad truth is that when property is “public”, that is, owned by everyone, it’s treated poorly, like it’s owned by no one.
To me this park is the literal embodiment of what I believe in, when someone owns something they give a shit about it, just caring is enough for most because it's something this world is slowly losing, just hope and care
One of the reason of why communuism is that bad.
It's called "The Tragedy of the Commons." If *everybody* is responsible, ultimately, nobody is.
Tragedy of the Commons
Or tragedy of the commies
I visited this park several years ago with my wife and I remember thinking what a great job NYC was doing. Now I know why, they let the private sector run it! Thanks for shedding a light on these things for us, John.
Do you have to pay to visit this park?
I'd like to visit the park but I don't want to visit New York City.
@@squeiner1No, but the businesses which operate inside the park do.
That's a beautiful park. He even managed to make it feel exciting and lively without "amusements" or too many other gimmicks, just old-fashioned activities. I'd like to see more things like this in America.
The world needs more developers like this, he is a genius.
@@eugene3560 you are so right about government never wanting to give up control. Thank you for trying to make a difference.
He’s not a genius. The fact that if you make a park look nice and fill it with fun activities and security guards people will enjoy it more should be blindingly obvious to everyone in government. but they aren’t concerned with that, all they care about is getting their cut from the initial grant money
And I bet they pay their taxes too!
It is incredibly sad that basic common sense these days is seen as "genius". Like we are living in idiocracy or something...
@@Flame1500 The businesses in the area pay more to support the park but they benefit from the park being full and well maintained, especially over the long term. Government is full of a mixture of short term incentives and well established bureaucracies. Bureaucracies are typically inefficient and oppose even small changes while politicians rarely worry about anything past their next election or their current scandal.
You see things like the disparity with the parks presented that in the video happen anywhere the government tips the scale with their incentives. They then proclaim these failures of government as failures of the marketplaces which they themselves hobbled.
I'm guessing the missing sink cost $10k to get it replaced and takes 6 months to install it?
I’m sure they’re still waiting on the paperwork to be approved
nah, 100k. gotta give everyone their kickbacks.
Dont forget about the Public hearing to see if anyone is adversely impacted by the installation of the sink.
Also , the Environmental impact study of the effects the installation of the sink will have on the rare species of Cockroaches that inhabit that bathroom.
@@jimsmith9853 yeah 100k and 9 months is the budget. realistically we're looking at 140k and 15 months
Prevailing wage and all that. Union = high pay but short supply.
The park is just a manifestation of the intelligence and vision of private entrepreneurs working cooperatively.
The Rothschilds and Bilderberg meeting members and the secret societies are the enemy. JFK tried to warn us about them before he was killed. They are the ones behind the virus and the vaccine, for vaccine passports and digital currency and social credit score.
I agree! Team does have I in it. Ego is Latin for I. Humans are not insects with instinct (hardwired programming). Humans must learn their behaviors. Every EGO must learn how to cooperate and that requires Trust. TRUST is earned by doing no deliberate harm. Cooperation is trade; trade does not happen without trust. It all starts with the EGO learning first do no deliberate harm in any form. No Ego can be on a Team without co-operation. A team cannot succeed without many Egos working together. All of society is a combination of many egos. Or otherwise stated the smallest minority is ONE. One Ego must cooperate with others or live as an hermit. The breakdown of society is the refusal of so many egos refusing to abide by first do no deliberate harm.
@@barbarahouk1983 This is why free will is so important. Unintentional harm is just as bad for trust as intentional harm.
@@thegeneralist7527 False. Intentional harm is worse for trust, for obvious reasons.
Uh huh. And democrat socialists not being allowed to get their filthy hands involved.
Thanks Stossel! Just used this and the other bathroom movie to teach my daughter that she needed to understand the concept of millions so she could be smarter than New York politicians!
4:42 "high union wages" shows a clip of a fork driver on his phone 🤣 I love stossel
I love the continuity of your videos with regards to the fact that the 2 million dollar bathroom is made of "durable material" but is already missing a sink LOL
10% went to the durable bathroom.
90% went to the durable bribes.
That just speaks to the quality of that institutional sink... Probably stolen by a homeowner looking for that luxury that only tax dollars can buy. 🤣
That sink was $238,000 just don't ask to see any receipts.
I was hoping he'd say how much the other one cost.
@@Aint1S Or some people sat on it trying to F and busted it.
John Stossel still making perfect sense. You have to wonder why he hasn't been banned.
No need to ban him when you can suppress his reach by labelling the content as Misinformation.
Everything but…
Oh they are trying. That's for sure.
Fear
He has been banned on Facebook multiple times, hes made videos of it .
“Personally, I liked the university; they gave us money, and facilities; we didn’t have to produce anything… You don’t know what it’s like out there; I worked in the private sector - they expect RESULTS”
-Dr Raymond Stantz
. . . And we can't have THAT!
It's fun when classic films from my childhood become even better as I now appreciate the jokes aimed at my parents.
It’s fun to pickup on these jokes when revisiting the classics!
"It's true, Mr. Mayor. This man has no dick"
- Dr. Peter Venkman describing another government turd
You got that right 👍🏻😂
"Whenever possible, let the private sector handle things."
that's the main point of, well, everything
true when; ever I tell people im a libertarian, they think I don't want any government, but its like no, I want the government, just not when the private sector can do better
this literally can be done for everything.
Public funded shit sucks because theres no incentive to keep it clean.
Its just a handout
I don't know, a lot of public areas in European cities are pretty nice and I am sure you could find positive examples in other American cities, but there will always be some public areas that aren't that nice. And when the number of bad areas increases, it is maybe a sign of a bad local government. When a toilet, that looks like a normal public toilet, costs multiple millions, it is maybe not only mismanagement, but also corruption.
The private park in the video has maybe also the advantage, that the drug dealers and consumers have already other parks (in the same city) to do there stuff.
@@chestercopperpot777 The toilet at the gas station or at the supermarket is already privately owned. So this does not have much to do with privatization.
Things can be owned by private companies, but still be publicly available.
Some things are better when they are owned by private companies, because there needs to be some competition (restaurants for example).
Other things are better mostly owned by the state, because it could have severe consequences, if a private entity, that is not directly controlled by the people, would have full control over it (military, police, justice and public infrastructure for example).
Just an example of when it's your money money you are usually more responsible or at least careful.
Not necessarily more responsible. You are just more particular with your dollars. When they are taken by force, you have little choice in the matter where they go.
@@jimlovesgina fair enough. I meant more with the use of money, similar to how you are making a point of. Government doesn't care as they do not earn money. It's easy to spend money that doesn't belong to you.
Watch Milton Friedman explains how differently people use money whether it's their own money and whether it's for them.
Spending your own money on yourself: You want the best product for the lowest price.
Spending someone else's money on yourself: You want the best product, not caring about the price; prices increase exponentially
Spending your own money on someone else: You want the lowest price, for an alright product; quality falls precipitously
Spending someone else's money on someone else: You just use up the money and find whatever product will suffice; prices skyrocket so you need a larger budget next year and quality drops because they'll get the money whatever shit they make. ie. government
Props to this guy for taking matters into his own hands and making something beautiful.
Every time I think Stossel can't possibly show more of government's ineptness, he outdoes himself again. If only the majority of people could see what is common sense to a select few. Fantastic exposé!
You do realise plenty of businesses are inept and failing... Just look at TH-cam they can censor right wingers because they aren't regulated enough. If government didn't exist who would we turn to hold TH-cam liable for their political bias?
Out of curiosity, why should a private company be held accountable for political bias?
@@theanimehub2180 You can do what I've done and watch Stossel on Rumble or Lbry. Where there is demand there is opportunity!
@@Mintstar_Oceanpop Because censorship is a direct attack on the very nature of democracy. By censoring opposing views, you are restricting people from having a nuanced understanding of an issue. If you support democracy you should be against censorship.
@@theanimehub2180 Thank you for your reply. My curiosity leads to another question. How is censorship on a private company/corporation's platform an attack on democracy?
Please live forever and never stop doing journalism. Thanks
Stossel, one of the few remaining journalists. Most are soulless, corporate and politician propagandists. We love you John!!!!
Private management and applying the Broken Windows Theory made this park wonderful. It’s a shame the rest of the city turned away from the policies that saved NYC a while back.
The current mayor wants to return NYC to the late 60's and 70's.
@@generalzod7959 wow aye aye ….
the rich people see all the money government is spending and think "wait a minute, that could be MY money"
@@BlastinRope kinda fax lol
Didn't knew what the broken windows theory was, learned something new today, thanks!
I must admit, the park owner was diplomatic in portraying government positively!!
True! Just shows what a great / reasonable guy he is.
Actually, he was condemning the NYC government by showing that they are CAPABLE of doing it right, but REFUSE to do it right.
@@vossenjonk3448 Better than I would have been
@@SoloPilot6 Still diplomatically. Beats what resident potato would say.
Unfortunately this is part of the problem. Any body with a public image has to be very careful with what they say. The result is overtime common thought and policies are becoming madder and madder.
Unfortunately very few if any politicians will see this video. It's too embarrassing.
if they do see it what would they do anyways... they wouldnt care
@@jonavuka they’d just double down on the 2 million dollar bathroom and put even more money into it
That is why we need to give up this stupid religion that we need a ruling class of criminals controlling us.
Left wing socialists want to perpetuate the "private tyranny" agenda.
@@ricardocantoral7672 "You mean Public tyranny" agenda.
Given how well Bryant Park was executed by a private corporation, I wonder if the city will ban further projects like this one? 4:00 onward is pretty embarrassing for them. If not for Stossel, I doubt I would've come by this information, and I've walked by Bryant Park several times in the past 10-12 years. Thanks again, John!
God bless you and keep you John Stossel. Thank you for all that you do.
Government has no incentive to do anything beyond the minimum of what's required.
* laughs in european *
They do way below what’s required. They are too busy stuffing their pockets with our money.
if government could do even one thing right, we'd probably be higher in personal freedom's instead we're even below norway, a place not really thought of for it's freedom's and yet here we are
You’ll eat your gruel and like it. What’ll u do about it? Boycott the IRS? They’ll get paid or shoot you trying.
@@murdermeoninterchange norway has a larger government and ranks very highly on personal freedoms...
maybe your ideology isn't accurate
John I’m 50 and I’ve been listening to you for years. Thanks for all you do. God bless.
Stossel, you hit the ball out of the park so often it's almost boring. but DON'T STOP!
Right? It’d be a change up if not every video was a banger lol
A private park at that!! :)
Praise God And God Bless You All!🎄➕
It's these little things that people like that businessman think about because that kind of thinking helps to maximize profits. Such attention to detail is what he transfered to the design of the park.
I know someone that is working with NYC on a covid project. He said the amount of money they spent on flyers was 250k. Flyers!!! That’s just on paper. Imagine everything else.
Who the Hell uses flyers in the internet era? You could probably circulate an image on Facebook or twitter and get more attention than a physical piece of paper could.
@@kuuryotwo5153 those who launder money I'm guessing
in the uk there was a guy who decided to do some handing out flyers for brexit. he printed them himself and went around handing them out. But because in the uk political things like that have a limit on how much can be spent on them, much like how much money can be donated to politicians for election campaigns etc. he was charged by the regulatory body for attempting to exceed that, and they tried to claim he spent something ridiculous like £100,000 worth. Luckily the case got overturned, the guy was an unemployed working class lad who just printed some stuff on his home printer and they tried to make out what he did was worth more than his parents house was probably worth.
A rather modest, polite man who is providing a good service. I quite enjoyed this one.
Stossel is a hero among most men. DC and Marvel wish they could write stories as good as his. Thank God for this man.
This is exactly why Bryant Park is so clean and relatively safe compared to other parks in NYC. The vendors around the park offer great foods and beverages which just enhance the overall experience. I’ve watched a few movies there too…always a good time. Keep up the great work!!
You really tell it like it is! We need more people like you to spread the word. Get the government out of our faces. Thank you for all your great videos!
Government can't do what the private sector does because they're corrupt.
Beautiful work as always Mr. Stossel. Thank you.
It’s not even about corruption it’s mostly incentive. Corporate giants can get very corrupt but as long as our dollar means something they work for us.
Ya heard that one politician saying “2mil” is a good deal! Clearly when they spend money that doesn’t belong to them they spend it like it’s a credit card with no cap. And we pay the dues.
Not just corrupt but unqualified. The people who take government jobs are usually too stupid to mop a floor properly. On the other hand business people are usually smart, organized, and know how to manage.
@iTz Wuzzi bullshit. The chinese government is comprised of genociding communist scum. Nice try though.
@iTz Wuzzi not supporting them, but didn't soviets turn their poor agrarian society to a national superpower within 30 years, it seems some policies did work.
The private sector should do everything, and it's always possible. Government is just an agency with a perceived justified monopoly on force. The difference is private agencies can't use the threat of force to extort money from people and force compliance, because they are kept in check by other private agencies. Of course, private agencies often use government to extort and oppress through legislation that allows subsidies, regulatory capture, zoning laws, and more; that's called corporatism.
Beautifully said. My BF is a private engineer, but guess what most of his company does? Government projects. The government doesn't actually DO anything, they subcontract with the private sector whenever anything actually has to happen. The same companies that would do the work for a private financer.
Well said!
I don't know if that's totally accurate, specifically on the "it's always possible" part. There's such a thing as market externalities, this is things which simply aren't included in market equations, because they don't affect the parties in the trade. Another big example is national defense which would be a terrible idea left to the private sector, because mercenary armies have shaky loyalties and the incentive of money isn't enough for someone to genuinely give their life for another or their country - after all, how could they spend the money if they are dead?
I've had the private sector use threats of force to stop petitions. In the name of "customer protection."
And they won't stop looters. 🙃
@@opinionofmine3238 I wouldn't leave my trust in the private sector either, we're some form of oligarchy that is ruled by the people that own everything. Food, agriculture land, housing. And private companies can be as much against our supposedly inalienable rights (Freedom of speech) as they've come to be.
Stossel at his best. So glad to see a follow-up on this bathroom story
My hat is off to this gentleman. I worked by Bryant Park 25 years ago and enjoyed it most days during lunch. It was a wonderful place.
Great video, John. I love it when you highlight the good things the private sector brings to us in comparison to the relative "crap" government brings.
What makes John stossel believable to me is the fact that he is a New Yorker. I'm a New Yorker myself and I can verify everything he says on this video. John stossel is a libertarian legend.
Public survives, Private - thrives.
Even the "survives" is doubtful
just in america :D countries with proper educated people in a well run state like denmark, germany or switzerland also thrive. its just the stupid mix of things that makes the us so bad
just take a look at crime rates. the privte sector is doing an awful job. never have there been so many people incarcerated as in the us right now
@@danieljohnonson9354 Sounds like you're making broad generalizations and comparing apples to oranges, so lets follow your example. According to the Economic Freedom index, compared to the US, Denmark scores higher on business freedom, higher trade freedom, investment freedom, and property rights. They have government healthcare, but they are not a socialist state, their private sector is thriving. And yes education does play a role, our public schools are run like garbage.
@@hyperreal So if everything was private who would hold corporations accountable for bad behaviour?
@@theanimehub2180
"So if everything was private who would hold corporations accountable for bad behaviour?"
The reason corporation are getting away with bad behavior is because of big daddy government.
GOD I freaking love capitalism! Politicians are a burden to progress.
@Donny D and yet Conservatives are the ones pushing this kind of progress while progressives are trying to stop it.
Its better than communism.
It's called free market economics.
Capitalism is a marxists term created to demonize free men and women.
@@marckrause1027 the fed took control of our free market and we have been socialist ever since, let the market price interest rate and the treasure issue our own damn currency, end the boom and bust by ending the fed.
@@bilderbeargroup4217 crony capitalism is ruining the game for everyone except for the cronys. Maybe not ruining but definitely making it almost impossible for those who have to start at 0. I want a truly free market, a pure one if you will
Public property isn't really owned by everyone. It's owned by the city. Politicians neither use nor pay for the majority of their programs, so there is no incentive to make them work.
I remember my economics teacher back in high school saying something that stuck with me forever. Would you rather use a public or private bathroom? Usually people tend to take care of the things they own better.
I was in that park a week ago for two days, never used the bathroom, now I wish I had. It was such a beautiful park, take a tour of the historic library next door to it, the books are all stored under this park.
John Stossel is a national treasure. Cherish him ! 🤗🇺🇲
Indded I liked him as a boy too!
Unfortunately we're just getting more and more government nowadays
This isn't going to end well. Government and their poor management will take over health care eventually. You can expect high costs and long lines since there won't be any other option. Yay socialism!
“We are begging more and more government” - correct that for you!
What I learned from this video is that if you want your community to be thriving and beautiful you need to take it into your own hands and cultivate that culture and environment.
Exactly
Y’all should checkout the Getty’s museum in LA. Similar concept, only things you have to pay for is parking and food. The museum itself is entirely free, a Gift from Mr. Getty.
Having worked for a state dept. of Natural Resources with the task of inspecting parks with Land & Water Conservation Fund $$$ in them, I can attest to John’s claims about shoddy parks.
"as long as they follow the rules we treat them like any other visitor."
Beautiful, the way it should be
Which is almost never because bums hobos are usually insane, on drugs or both.
@@wadu7205 That’s rarely the case. You just notice the ones that need help more.
I’m sure you’ve heard this before. You are a national treasure and I hope there is someone like you in the wings to carry on after you retire.
Other that the 60 seconds this video focuses on the "city" bathroom towards the end, THIS HAS TO BE the most positive video I have ever watched regarding the City of New York. EXCELLENT work, Mr. Stossel, and thanks for all your years of hard work. Honestly, I'm amazed here.
hats off to the staff for having pride in their work
The city just tried to come in and "help" our HOA manage the walking trail behind my house. They did such a terrible job that our HOA had to deal with twice the headaches, one from the city involvement and then another because they had to take over all the jobs the city attempted. We're back to paying 100%, and now the city thinks it's a public park.
Try the bathroom at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania supported by the Duponts and private donations. Like a little slice of the garden of eden……
Sounds great but anything supported by the Duponts is something no one should support
@@BiigiieCheeese // why?
@@BiigiieCheeese private is private. Try the city bathrooms in philly for contrast. Oh wait there are none!
My cousin got married there. Very nice. Another really nice place is “Grounds for Sculpture” near Princeton NJ. They have a really nice restaurant on the property. Top notch.
Don't eat a slice of that apple, though!
Thank you Mr. Stossel for showing us such an excellent example of what citizens with good ideas and private management/funds can provide. This park is it’s own thriving ecosystem existing in a very difficult place to get anything done without bureaucracy making it difficult. It’s very impressive and it makes me hopeful for a future where conscious capitalism like this is the norm.
I wish more people watched these and really listened. He has good messages.
I always look forward to John's videos, glad we have someone like him on TH-cam
Thanks Mr. Stossel for showing us that there is still hope for mankind, even in N.Y.C. Thanks also for reminding us that government can screw up role-call on a one man submarine.
"Governments rarely take care of things like maintenance and trash pickup" - Yeah, so we're supposed to be okay with it running our lives? No thanks joe, nancy & soros, inc. - LET'S GO BRANDON!!
Well said!
That's what I don't get about the socialists and marxists they actually think government will make everything better, at least the naive ones.
@@vikingjv1969 I think it might be something like a flawed theory of mind.
They don't put themselves in the other person's place. How could they? When do they need that skill?
Let's remember, our Government hasn't paid it's bills for over 100 years.
But don't forget to pay yours! 👮♂️👮♂️👮♂️
@@ActuatedGear hm... maybe because countries like mine just do so much better with more state intervention... like less people dying of covid, less people beeing in dept, all of our parks look like that one, low crime rates we've go it all. Do you people think privatly run prisons will lead to less crime? Why would the people running the prisons do that?
2:54 Had to chuckle when Dan Biederman paused to carefully choose his words about criticizing the government. Thankfully, Stossel never pauses...
Bless the hardworking people that clean our restrooms.
The reason "privatization" has taken on such a negative connotation, because government even managed to screw that up. People with no understanding of economics were allowed to sell communally owned monopolies to shady international investors. Because apparently they had to show to the world that they found the one thing worse than state controlled business: non-locally owned private monopolies.
Privatization is as bad government
Small Government is Good Government!
And...
Less government is good government.
Amen
No goverment is good goverment
@@Adi-ri2sx My definition of bad government is;
The people that can, and you can't not.
Good government is;
Everybody can.
Everybody is 100% audited and punished if found guilty of wrongdoing.
Now, playball!
That duct tape in the 2 million dollar public restroom cost $2000
I'm only kidding but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if it cost that or more.
The response to the bathrooms costing more than homes in the area at a paltry sum of 2 million, *"Well, compared to the surrounding homes, the materials used are more durable and the labor unions make paying workers cost more too."
🤔... 🤣🤣 Cement, cinder blocks, institutional tiles, and institutional sinks as well as toilets won't even account for 80k in materials!
They took care of the contractor because that can afford to blow money in a big city and all because they have "friends with benefits."
We need more investigative journalism back in the main stream!
John Stossel is a dang hero to the public.
Stossel is a treasure to common sense-thinking people. Thank you, John! Love your work!
I watched John Stossle’s public vs. private park restrooms video in an Economic’s class years ago, but the video itself was older I think. Spot on stuff, though.
Mr Stossel, when you post a new video I watch it before anything else, including Ingram = that's the highest praise I can offer.
Ever since I first saw the 2 million dollar bathroom video. I’ve been going to Bryant park since then and I thank you stossel
I honestly and genuinely wish Stossel got the attention and viewership he deserves. This guy calmly argues and presents cases very logically and objectively regardless of whether he's republican or democrat
Here in Canada out public parks are clean and bathrooms are clean. No paintings and music but still safe.
Ah, but here's the catch with public parks even in Canada: Canada is actually just a made up place. Gotcha there! 😆
I wonder which race is the majority
@@loona_mew Uh, the same one that's the majority in the US where public parks are more likely to be unsafe and in disrepair? Did you think it could have something to do with economic policy and social programs that accounts for the number of homeless people in one country vs the other, the kind of people that congregate in parks and make it unsafe? Of course you didn't, it's gotta be cuz of brown people being brown and that's all there is to that. Fuck outta here with that racist horseshit
That bathroom would cost 1.5 million if they sold it as a home.
edit: of course stossel mentions a 2 million dollar bathroom. LOL
$2M for “durable materials” and years later the not so durable sink is broken😬🤦🏾♂️
2 mil builds a mansion. They spent jack on that bathroom and the politicians with their partner in crime contractor made off with 1.85 mil at a minimum. That scumbag was in on it.
@@TheGuruStud This same type of corruption runs rampant in Montreal as well.
That's the BS he was fed by lobbyists & colleagues to persuade him to green light that ridiculous $2m bathroom. That kind of BS only works on folks with deep pockets & small brains or the corrupt.
When you put unqualified, stupid people in charge (like governments tend to do) you get moronic rationalizations of decisions that most of us would consider idiotic.
Broken n stolen, two different things.
We need people like this guy, but about 100,000 of them, to micromanage everything the govt. does. Maybe the govt. would have efficiency.
It's almost like when you get paid regardless of the quality of your work, you have no incentive to do it well.
No. We don't need anyone. That's the point.
The government doesn't need micromanagement it needs to be a mico organization
@@barb8255 the government is really really bad at everything so let's limit its role to only the most important things in our society
There's a huge difference between true private management by businessmen that have a stake in their communities and the soulless corporate management that is now running most of our world. It used to be considered the civic duty of any rich person to care for his own town or city. They contributed hundreds of thousands of hospitals, parks, museums and libraries across the country. Now everything is contracted out by government to corporate management. This is the direction that healthcare is headed which is why going to the hospital is becoming a soulless, dangerous affair.
The reason that parks commissioner was smiling ear to ear was because knew he got a large chunk of that 2 million for the bathroom and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Government “we pay more”
Me “but that costs everyone else more”
Government “hahahaha we know”
Every time a government official says “we pay”, “we spend” or “we invested”, they should be corrected:
“No, no. You don’t spend anything. You force the public to spend, pay and invest.”
Government has never spent a penny of its own money.
"It cost alot because these are very durable materials"
today that 2 million dollar bathroom is MISSING A SINK!
HAHAHAHA
People look at me like I’m from Mars when I say “Privatize everything”.
Some things cannot be privatized: The legal system, the military, etc. But yes, I agree, privatize everything else.
@@drstrangelove9851 why not?
@@NotMyWar We all have to abide by the same set of laws. We have to have our military working together, not in separate private groups. I can't buy a nuclear rocket and install it in my backyard, to launch whenever I feel like it.
@@drstrangelove9851 that didn’t really answer my question but thanks for the response.
@@NotMyWar Well we privatized the prison system and by doing so created businesses who get paid based on incarceration rates. Most people who go to prison will get out at some point so one goal of prison should be making sure people do not become repeat customers as it were. However if you are a private prison you have no incentive to want to keep people out of prison, on the contrary you want repeat customers since you get paid by the head. As a private company those that run prisons get less scrutiny and more privacy protections than they would if they were government run which is a bad thing. Less accountability can lead to poorer conditions. Then these large companies use lobbyists that push for harsher punishments and longer prison sentences even for petty and nonviolent crimes because again they get paid by the head. Some people do terrible things and will rot in prison for the rest of their lives which they deserve. However the vast majority of people who go to prison will eventually get out, societally it is preferable that these people see the error of their ways and get whatever help they need to decrease the likelihood of them spending their entire lives in a revolving door in and out of prison.
We actually already have privatized military they are called contractors, and are behind a lot of sketchy stuff shall we say. Again the people who own such companies benefit from war and conflict so they have no incentive to stop or prevent them. It’s not a coincidence that we went into Iraq militarily even though it had nothing to do with 9/11 and that Dick Cheney the VP had been the CEO of Halliburton. Halliburton made a fortune off the global war on terror.
Good Park that everyone enjoys themselves = Leslie Knope approves
It's private = Ron Swanson raises his glass of whiskey
If only another 100 million people watched John Stossel, we would all be better off.
Such a good report. Why won't liberal socialists watch and learn?
LET'S GO BRANDON!!!
Because the Left do not care about any of this. They only care about transferring your power and money to themselves. They want control, not quality or liberty or creativity.
So are you guys completely against government regulations?
@@theanimehub2180 I personally do not oppose all regulations. However, we have far too many. Most regulations stifle the economy and harm consumers and make it harder for small businesses to have long term success.
Unbeknownst to some people, a lot of our regulations are actually created in part, if not wholly, by the largest corporations working with politicians. The purpose of those regulations is to reduce competition.
I've been following Stossel for years and I'm starting to suspect that the guy simply doesn't like big government.
🤪⁉️
I could never live in a city. Your day being good or bad seems like it depends on the mood of the people around you. Just my opinion. I live around cows 🐄 and crawfish farms in Louisiana, so my viewpoint is limited 😄
I liked the quiet of the country but I like the convenience of the town. And by town I mean 6k population maybe. Big cities are nice to visit but I wouldn't want to stay long.
No you are correct. I am from rual Arkansas and lived in nyc for years. It sucks how much a place like nyc can drain you of your energy just by being around hoards of miserable people.
Your viewpoint is clearly natural.
When I travel to a city, my blood pressure increases, the closer that I get.
I'm in rural Pacific Northwest, and can testify.
Cities are full of psychosis. From overpayed ass oles and overworked workers ready to blow up at the next inconvenience, to criminal gangs and homeless drug addicts taking advantage of a placid distracted people. No common sense, no seeing eye to eye, just the worst selfishness humanity has to offer.
John, you are one of my hero’s…. Please keep on “keepin on”
Excellent video John, love to see how private sector innovates with small conveniences and showing that they care about their establishments.
I am sure you will hear people complain about capitalism but this is what it can do when you have people who want to make things better.
Problem is folks somehow started using the word "care" in the same sentence as "government" . Govts are not designed to "care". The role is to build the infrastructure under which we care for ourselves, families and our communities.
That is what the public schools teach you...but we can have roads parks schools trains and harbors without the government playing middleman.
Governments are not supposed to build infrastructure. The only legitimate role of government is punishing violence against people and property. Allowing them to do anything else leads to injustice.
Lesson here is the government fails 90% of the time .
*99.5% of the time
@@wreckingopossum well your number is probably more accurate. I was trying to be optimistic
Btw...fed govt bathrooms with three stalls each time at any place usa costs 1.5 million in the 1980s
Big Government sucks. John Stossel is here making a perfect example of it again and again. Keep up the good work!
Holy shit this legitimately feels like a Parks and Rec parody.
It's amazing what can be accomplished when government gets the hell out of the way.
The union labor diligently sitting in that backhoe playing on their phone was a perfect snapshot of how ineffective, incompetent, and inept union labor is
Mr. Stossel I've enjoyed your work for many years now sir. Keep it up, people love to hear from you!
The bigger the city the more government sucks at its job. Small towns do better with their public parks, a bit. But a privately owned park is Almost always going to be better. Especially if the owner is actively working on the park.