Shepherds and Sheep
Too many among today's intellectual elite see themselves as our shepherds and us as their sheep. Tragically, too many of us are apparently willing to be sheep, in exchange...
About: Thomas Sowell
Posts by Thomas Sowell
Guns and Pensions
A nation's choice between spending on military defense and spending on civilian goods has often been posed as "guns versus butter." But understanding the choices of many nations' political...
Random Thoughts
Random thoughts from the passing scene: I can't get excited by the question of whether Senator Robert Menendez had sex with a prostitute in Central America. It is her...
Central Planning: Prophets and Losses
A market economy with many competitors has incentives and constraints that are the opposite of those in a government monopoly. ...
The Federal Reserve: Prophets and Losses
The recent release of the Federal Reserve Board's transcripts of its deliberations back in 2007 shows that their economic prophecies were way off. How much faith should we put...
Whose Welfare?
If there is ever a contest for the law with the most grossly misleading title, the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 should be a prime candidate, because the...
Hillary Clinton: Shouting Louder
An old-time trial lawyer once said, "When your case is weak, shout louder!" Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shouted louder when asked about the Obama administration's story last fall...
Do Gun Control Laws Control Guns?
Gun control laws allow some people to vent their emotions, politicians to grandstand and self-righteous people to "make a statement" — but all at the cost of other people's...
Liberalism Versus Blacks
There is no question that liberals do an impressive job of expressing concern for blacks. But do the intentions expressed in their words match the actual consequences of their...
The Role of ‘Educators’
About a hundred years ago, Professor John Dewey of Columbia University saw the role of the teacher, not as a transmitter of a society's culture to the young, but...
Happy New Year?
The beginning of a new year is often a time to look forward and look back. The way the future looks, I prefer to look back. With that in...
Random Thoughts
When I was growing up, an older member of the family used to say, "What you don't know would make a big book." Now that I am an older...
“Forward” to the Past?
We are going "forward" to a repeatedly failed past, following a charismatic leader, after a 20th century in which charismatic leaders led countries into unprecedented catastrophes. ...
Gun Control Zealots’ Invincible Ignorance
The key fallacy of so-called gun control laws is that such laws do not in fact control guns. They simply disarm law-abiding citizens, while people bent on violence find...
Christmas Books
During the holidays, a shopping mall can be more like a shopping maul. One way to avoid that scene is to give books as Christmas gifts, since books can...