Libertarian Fox Business host John Stossel on Thursday said he was outraged that most government services like the military and "organ selling" had not been turned over to private business.
In a segment titled "Time to Privatize," Stossel told the hosts of Fox & Friends that the beauty of privatizing the government was that private companies were easier to fire if they didn't live up to the promise of proving better services at a lower cost.
"There are some things, though, that should remain under the purview of the federal government," host Steve Doocy noted.
"I call my show 'Privatize Everything' tonight but, look, the Constitution says the military, policing, the courts, the post office -- that's a job for the government," Stossel replied. "So, fine. Frankly, much of the military is already private. The [Congressional Budget Office (CBO)] says that if Halliburton weren't in Iraq, they would have to pay three people to do what one what one Halliburton employee does."
Stossel's list of things that needed to be privatized included parks, libraries, law enforcement, military and "organ selling."
"Organ selling!" Doocy exclaimed.
"This upsets people, but I'm upset it's not legal," Stossel insisted. "In the one country where it is legal, nobody waits for a kidney."
"Where is that?" Doocy asked.
"I'm afraid to say it's Iran," Stossel shrugged. "But, still! There's no waiting line. In America, lots of people die waiting for kidneys."
"So you think it should be legal in this country to sell off an organ you're not using," Doocy pressed.
"Yes, we have two kidneys, we need one, people need them," the Fox Business host declared. "It's your body, it should be your choice. Why does the government limit what you can do what you can do with your body?"
"How much are kidneys going for in Iran?" Doocy wondered as the segment ended.
"We'll post that on Twitter later," co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck assured viewers.
A 2008 policy analysis published by the conservative Cato Institute pointed out that poor people are disproportionately impacted by the Iranian organ trade, which pays about $1,200 for each kidney.
