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CNN Live Today

Ben Stein on How to Ruin Your Life

Aired November 01, 2002 - 11:39   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Time to talk with the star of TV's "Win Ben Stein's Money," take a look at his brand new how-to book. How-to books are often hot sellers because they usually promise positive life changes for the buyers, but Ben's is called "How to Ruin Your Life." You can believe there's not another one on the shelves like that.
Ben Stein joining us this morning. Good morning. Great to have you with us.

BEN STEIN, AUTHOR: It's a honor to be here. Thank you.

KAGAN: We also have our Bill Schneider with us, as well. I wanted bookends of brilliant men who like to talk politics, so we have both you guys here.

STEIN: I have known him for many and many a year.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: I take it this is not the story of your life?

STEIN: No, no, this is not the story of my life. It's not the story of the life of anyone at the American Enterprise Institute.

SCHNEIDER: Good.

KAGAN: We have -- we were talking different ballot initiatives with Bill earlier this hour. We had one left over that was from Berkeley, California.

STEIN: I love this one.

KAGAN: So tell us about it, bill.

SCHNEIDER: This is about politically correct coffee. In Berkeley, they're considering a law that would require that every cup of coffee sold be grown under politically correct conditions, that the growers earn a what's called a living wage for developing countries, that the trees be shade grown to protect the rain forest, and they be grown without pesticides, or you can be put in jail. Politically correct coffee, how about that?

KAGAN: Ben, what do you think about that?

STEIN: Well, I have a rule in my book, always act holier than thou and try to make the other people around you feel small and unworthy, and another rule is to act like a big baby and try to control all the people around you. And Berkeley is basically community of big babies, grown up and still being babies, and yelling and screaming in the crib. I'm not at all surprised they're still doing this.

KAGAN: Send your e-mail to Ben Stein, not to us at CNN.

Hey, someone I think got an advanced copy of your, Ben, Jim Traficant, the former congressman, who's now serving some time in a federal penitentiary in Pennsylvania; he is still trying to run for re-election, and we actually have one of his ads. We want to take a look at that.

STEIN: Well, I would --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM TRAFFICANT, FMR. CONGRESSMAN: They say I can't win a congressional race behind bars. Let me tell you something, you want to send a message to Washington? You want to straighten this mess out? I want your vote. I believe I can do a better job than half of those people down in Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Bill, you get in on this one first.

SCHNEIDER: He's the only one that makes my hairdo look good. He is running, and look, here's the scenario for you. This could be very close in the House. Democrats need six seats. Suppose they get within one, and Jim Traficant, it's not expected, but suppose he wins on a three-way split, but then Congress would declare his seat vacant, because he's in jail. He couldn't serve. There'd be a special election. Who becomes the speaker of the House would be determined by an endorsement from Jim Traficant, who's in the Big House.

KAGAN: We have seen stranger things happen in Washington, we have.

Ben, the guy was -- you know, he's a Congressman, who was doing fine and, you know, a few racketeering charges and, boom, you're in jail, ruined his life.

STEIN: This comes under the rule of don't feel you ever have to tell the truth. And...

KAGAN: He says he's telling the truth.

STEIN: Well, he isn't, I suspect. But it also comes under the rule of, have a relationship, political or romantic, with someone with a lot of faults and believe that he's going to change. Because I don't think he's going to change with all due respects, just an opinion. But if he changes his hairdo, maybe he'll change his brain.

KAGAN: Even after time in the slammer?

STEIN: Yes, time in the slammer can change people a lot. It can change you to like men, I suspect, among other things. KAGAN: Oh, that's perhaps a topic for a different day.

Now, has this been, looking at the book, "How to Ruin Your Life," your career has been quite varied, even if you go back to your time of working for former President Nixon. Has this been the trail you've been collecting over time?

STEIN: I have been watching how people ruin their lives in many, many ways. The basic rule is to act as if the world revolves around you, and as if law, truth, justice, decency, ethics mean nothing. All you have to do is act as if God went away on vacation and left you in charge -- perfect advice for Mr. Trafficant, perfect advice for the city council of Berkeley, perfect advice for many, many, many teenagers.

KAGAN: Yes, which you have also personal experience with?

STEIN: I have the cutest, sweetest teenager in the world, but until he went to a boarding school where they were very strict with him, he was on route to ruin his life and to throw away every advantage that my father and I had accumulated for him. He was about to take the proud legacy of the Steins and throw it into a video game gutter.

KAGAN: Sounds like you have saved him from himself. Hey, good luck with the book. I hop you don't ruin the book.

STEIN: Good luck to you. I hope not. Thank you.

KAGAN: Ben Stein, "How to Ruin Your Life," and our Bill Schneider, bringing us the latest on the wacky politics that are out there.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 1, 2002 - 11:39   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Time to talk with the star of TV's "Win Ben Stein's Money," take a look at his brand new how-to book. How-to books are often hot sellers because they usually promise positive life changes for the buyers, but Ben's is called "How to Ruin Your Life." You can believe there's not another one on the shelves like that.
Ben Stein joining us this morning. Good morning. Great to have you with us.

BEN STEIN, AUTHOR: It's a honor to be here. Thank you.

KAGAN: We also have our Bill Schneider with us, as well. I wanted bookends of brilliant men who like to talk politics, so we have both you guys here.

STEIN: I have known him for many and many a year.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: I take it this is not the story of your life?

STEIN: No, no, this is not the story of my life. It's not the story of the life of anyone at the American Enterprise Institute.

SCHNEIDER: Good.

KAGAN: We have -- we were talking different ballot initiatives with Bill earlier this hour. We had one left over that was from Berkeley, California.

STEIN: I love this one.

KAGAN: So tell us about it, bill.

SCHNEIDER: This is about politically correct coffee. In Berkeley, they're considering a law that would require that every cup of coffee sold be grown under politically correct conditions, that the growers earn a what's called a living wage for developing countries, that the trees be shade grown to protect the rain forest, and they be grown without pesticides, or you can be put in jail. Politically correct coffee, how about that?

KAGAN: Ben, what do you think about that?

STEIN: Well, I have a rule in my book, always act holier than thou and try to make the other people around you feel small and unworthy, and another rule is to act like a big baby and try to control all the people around you. And Berkeley is basically community of big babies, grown up and still being babies, and yelling and screaming in the crib. I'm not at all surprised they're still doing this.

KAGAN: Send your e-mail to Ben Stein, not to us at CNN.

Hey, someone I think got an advanced copy of your, Ben, Jim Traficant, the former congressman, who's now serving some time in a federal penitentiary in Pennsylvania; he is still trying to run for re-election, and we actually have one of his ads. We want to take a look at that.

STEIN: Well, I would --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM TRAFFICANT, FMR. CONGRESSMAN: They say I can't win a congressional race behind bars. Let me tell you something, you want to send a message to Washington? You want to straighten this mess out? I want your vote. I believe I can do a better job than half of those people down in Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Bill, you get in on this one first.

SCHNEIDER: He's the only one that makes my hairdo look good. He is running, and look, here's the scenario for you. This could be very close in the House. Democrats need six seats. Suppose they get within one, and Jim Traficant, it's not expected, but suppose he wins on a three-way split, but then Congress would declare his seat vacant, because he's in jail. He couldn't serve. There'd be a special election. Who becomes the speaker of the House would be determined by an endorsement from Jim Traficant, who's in the Big House.

KAGAN: We have seen stranger things happen in Washington, we have.

Ben, the guy was -- you know, he's a Congressman, who was doing fine and, you know, a few racketeering charges and, boom, you're in jail, ruined his life.

STEIN: This comes under the rule of don't feel you ever have to tell the truth. And...

KAGAN: He says he's telling the truth.

STEIN: Well, he isn't, I suspect. But it also comes under the rule of, have a relationship, political or romantic, with someone with a lot of faults and believe that he's going to change. Because I don't think he's going to change with all due respects, just an opinion. But if he changes his hairdo, maybe he'll change his brain.

KAGAN: Even after time in the slammer?

STEIN: Yes, time in the slammer can change people a lot. It can change you to like men, I suspect, among other things. KAGAN: Oh, that's perhaps a topic for a different day.

Now, has this been, looking at the book, "How to Ruin Your Life," your career has been quite varied, even if you go back to your time of working for former President Nixon. Has this been the trail you've been collecting over time?

STEIN: I have been watching how people ruin their lives in many, many ways. The basic rule is to act as if the world revolves around you, and as if law, truth, justice, decency, ethics mean nothing. All you have to do is act as if God went away on vacation and left you in charge -- perfect advice for Mr. Trafficant, perfect advice for the city council of Berkeley, perfect advice for many, many, many teenagers.

KAGAN: Yes, which you have also personal experience with?

STEIN: I have the cutest, sweetest teenager in the world, but until he went to a boarding school where they were very strict with him, he was on route to ruin his life and to throw away every advantage that my father and I had accumulated for him. He was about to take the proud legacy of the Steins and throw it into a video game gutter.

KAGAN: Sounds like you have saved him from himself. Hey, good luck with the book. I hop you don't ruin the book.

STEIN: Good luck to you. I hope not. Thank you.

KAGAN: Ben Stein, "How to Ruin Your Life," and our Bill Schneider, bringing us the latest on the wacky politics that are out there.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com