4 posts tagged “thomas sowell”

Thomas Sowell

1 comment

Thomas Sowell Bio

Dr. Sowell is undeniably the wisest man in America. Therefore I pledge my support should he decide to stand for the office of President of these United States of America.

Thomas Sowell
      

Jewish World Review Dec. 16, 2008 19 Kislev 5769
This holiday season, give the gift of wisdom
By Thomas Sowell

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Good books are especially good to give as
gifts to the proverbial "man who has everything" because he (or she) may not
have heard of a new book that fits their interests.

Good new books are one of the few good things about this past year. Here are
some books that could make fine gifts, obtainable painlessly without battling
crowds at the mall— or even in the bookstores, if you order on-line.

The most outstanding political book of 2008 has been by Jonah Goldberg. It
shoots to pieces the prevailing ideas of who is on "the left" and who is on "the
right."

It can become especially relevant in the coming year, if the new administration
goes further with the government interventions in the economy begun by the
outgoing administration— the kind of economic policies that were at the heart of
fascism.

Fans of economist and JWR columnist Walter Williams will welcome a new
collection of his columns in a book titled "Liberty versus the Tyranny of
Socialism." Spiced with imaginative examples of economic principles in everyday
life, it is vintage Williams.
      FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO INFLUENTIAL NEWSLETTER

      Every weekday NewsAndOpinion.com publishes what many in the media and
      Washington consider "must-reading". HUNDREDS of columnists and cartoonists
      regularly appear. Sign up for the daily update. It's free. Just click
      here.

It's not all economics, either. Professor Williams' columns are also on
education, law, politics and other subjects, all done in his own inimitable
style.

Another economist and columnist, Robert J. Samuelson of Newsweek, also published
a new book this year— one focused on a topic that is likely to be of growing
interest and growing concern in the years ahead. Its title is "The Great
Inflation and Its Aftermath."

It is an account of how the American economy went from price stability in the
1950s to the beginning of inflation in the 1960s, reaching dangerous levels of
inflation in the 1970s, with inflation then being brought under control with a
lot of tough decisions and painful consequences in the 1980s.

This is the kind of book that may be more fully appreciated by an economist but
it is written in plain English, with no graphs or jargon, so it should be
interesting to a lot of people who are not economists.

"The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath" also has that most uncommon
characteristic, common sense.

Not all the books recommended this year were published this year. "Greatness" by
Steven F. Hayward is an unusual book published in 2005. In its 170 pages of
text, it deftly compares Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan as leaders,
revealing a truly remarkable range of similarities between these two men from
radically different social backgrounds.

Written at a popular level in an engaging style, "Greatness" is also a book from
which scholars can learn— except for those who think they already know it all.

A very different book is a little book of whimsical cartoons titled "Furry
Logic" by Jane Seabrook. It is good for a few moments of real pleasure and cheer
during the holiday season, perhaps especially good for people recovering in
hospitals or at home, but enjoyable by people of all ages and circumstances.

Books about the past can be relevant to the future, especially when the same
kinds of policies reappear under new names. It is good to have an understanding
of why these policies did not work when they were tried before, as a sneak
preview of what to expect from such policies the second time around.

Since so many of the approaches that Barack Obama has advocated under the mantra
of "change" are things already tried out during the 1930s by Franklin D.
Roosevelt, a devastating and very readable book titled "FDR's Folly" by Jim
Powell spells out just exactly what happened in the American economy when such
policies were put into effect.

My own new book this year is "Economic Facts and Fallacies." While I cannot
pretend to give an unbiased evaluation of it, I can point out that it received a
prize at an international gathering in Zurich and has already been translated in
Spain.

Since fallacies flourish during election years, you may already have heard quite
a few of these fallacies this year. "Economic Facts and Fallacies" can help
prepare you for what is likely to happen when those fallacies are turned into
policies in the new administration next year.

      Ego and mouth
      By Thomas Sowell

      http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | After the big gamble on subprime
      mortgages that led to the current financial crisis, is there going to be
      an even bigger gamble, by putting the fate of a nation in the hands of a
      man whose only qualifications are ego and mouth?

      Barack Obama has the kind of cocksure confidence that can only be achieved
      by not achieving anything else.

      Anyone who has actually had to take responsibility for consequences by
      running any kind of enterprise — whether economic or academic, or even
      just managing a sports team — is likely at some point to be chastened by
      either the setbacks brought on by his own mistakes or by seeing his
      successes followed by negative consequences that he never anticipated.

      The kind of self-righteous self-confidence that has become Obama's
      trademark is usually found in sophomores in Ivy League colleges — very
      bright and articulate students, utterly untempered by experience in real
      world.

      The signs of Barack Obama's self-centered immaturity are painfully
      obvious, though ignored by true believers who have poured their hopes into
      him, and by the media who just want the symbolism and the ideology that
      Obama represents. 
         

      The triumphal tour of world capitals and photo-op meetings with world
      leaders by someone who, after all, was still merely a candidate, is just
      one sign of this self-centered immaturity.

      "This is our time!" he proclaimed. And "I will change the world." But
      ultimately this election is not about him, but about the fate of this
      nation, at a time of both domestic and international peril, with a major
      financial crisis still unresolved and a nuclear Iran looming on the
      horizon.

      For someone who has actually accomplished nothing to blithely talk about
      taking away what has been earned by those who have accomplished something,
      and give it to whomever he chooses in the name of "spreading the wealth,"
      is the kind of casual arrogance that has led to many economic catastrophes
      in many countries.

      The equally casual ease with which Barack Obama has talked about
      appointing judges on the basis of their empathies with various segments of
      the population makes a mockery of the very concept of law.

      After this man has wrecked the economy and destroyed constitutional law
      with his judicial appointments, what can he do for an encore? He can
      cripple the military and gamble America's future on his ability to sit
      down with enemy nations and talk them out of causing trouble.

      Senator Obama's running mate, Senator Joe Biden, has for years shown the
      same easy-way-out mindset. Senator Biden has for decades opposed
      strengthening our military forces. In 1991, Biden urged relying on
      sanctions to get Saddam Hussein's troops out of Kuwait, instead of
      military force, despite the demonstrated futility of sanctions as a means
      of undoing an invasion.

      People who think Governor Sarah Palin didn't handle some "gotcha"
      questions well in a couple of interviews show no interest in how she
      compares to the Democrats' Vice Presidential candidate, Senator Biden.

      Joe Biden is much more of the kind of politician the mainstream media
      like. Not only is he a liberal's liberal, he answers questions far more
      glibly than Governor Palin — grossly inaccurately in many cases, but
      glibly.

      Moreover, this is a long-standing pattern with Biden. When he was running
      for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination back in 1987, someone
      in the audience asked him what law school he attended and how well he did.

      Flashing his special phony smile, Biden said, "I think I have a much
      higher IQ than you do." He added, "I went to law school on a full academic
      scholarship" and "ended up in the top half" of the class.

      But Biden did not have a full academic scholarship. Newsweek reported: "He
      went on a half scholarship based on need. He didn't finish in the 'top
      half' of his class. He was 76th out of 85."

      Add to Obama and Biden House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority
      Leader Harry Reid, and you have all the ingredients for a historic
      meltdown. Let us not forget that the Roman Empire did decline and fall,
      blighting the lives of millions for centuries. 
      

      © 2006, Creators Syndicate 

Outside of his politics, Tim Russert really was a great guy. From a Toastmaster's perspective where evaluations are on the presentation rather then the viewpoint Russert was a master that we all can learn from. Regrettably I didn't get a Dad like Tim Russert. I would like to see someone like Dr. Thomas Sowell replace him on Meet the Press, but I'm not going to hold my breath.