Thomas Sowell's Townhall.com Column

Meaningful Work

2012-05-29T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
"Education" is a word that covers a lot of very different things, from vital, life-saving medical skills to frivolous courses to absolutely counterproductive courses that fill people with a sense of grievance and entitlement, without giving them either the skills to earn a living or a realistic understanding of the world required for a citizen in a free society.

A Book for Republicans

2012-05-23T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
Democrats have been having a field day with the cry of "tax cuts for the rich" -- for which Republicans seem to have no reply. This is especially surprising, because Democrats made the same arguments back in the 1920s, and the Republicans then not only had a reply, but one that eventually carried the day, when the top tax rate was brought down from 73 percent to 24 percent.

Big Lies in Politics

2012-05-22T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
The fact that so many successful politicians are such shameless liars is not only a reflection on them, it is also a reflection on us. When the people want the impossible, only liars can satisfy them, and only in the short run. The current outbreaks of riots in Europe show what happens when the truth catches up with both the politicians and the people in the long run.

A Racial Revolution?

2012-05-19T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
Now that census data show -- for the first time in American history -- the number of white babies born exceeded by the number of babies born to non-white minorities the question is: What does this mean for the future of American society?

A Censored Race War?

2012-05-15T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
When two white newspaper reporters for the Virginian-Pilot were driving through Norfolk, and were set upon and beaten by a mob of young blacks -- beaten so badly that they had to take a week off from work -- that might seem to have been news that should have been reported, at least by their own newspaper. But it wasn't.

The Moral Infrastructure

2012-05-08T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
The "Occupy" movement, which the Obama administration and much of the media have embraced, has implications that reach far beyond the passing sensation it has created.

A Cynical Process: Part II

2012-05-02T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
A small headline in the 2nd section of the Wall Street Journal last week told a bigger story than a lot of front page banner headlines. It said, "U.S. Firms Add Jobs, but Mostly Overseas."

A Cynical Process

2012-05-01T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
Labor unions, like the United Nations, are all too often judged by what they are envisioned as being -- not by what they actually are or what they actually do.

Who Is 'Racist'?: Part II

2012-04-30T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
Around this time of year, I sometimes hear from parents who have been appalled to learn that the child they sent away to college to become educated has instead been indoctrinated with the creed of the left. They often ask if I can suggest something to have their offspring read over the summer, in order to counteract this indoctrination.

Who Is 'Racist'?

2012-04-24T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
Whatever the ultimate outcome of the case against George Zimmerman for his shooting of Trayvon Martin, what has happened already is enough to turn the stomach of anyone who believes in either truth or justice.

Mixing and Matching

2012-04-17T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
Apparently the soaring national debt and the threat of a nuclear Iran are not enough to occupy the government's time, because the Obama administration is pushing to force Westchester County, N.Y., to create more low-income housing, in order to mix and match classes and races to fit the government's preconceptions.

Random Thoughts

2012-04-10T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
Have you noticed that what modest economic improvements we have seen occurred during the much-lamented "gridlock" in Washington? Nor is this unusual. If you check back through history, doing nothing has a far better track record than that of politicians intervening in the economy.

Political Word Games

2012-04-04T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
One of the highly developed talents of President Barack Obama is the ability to say things that are demonstrably false, and make them sound not only plausible but inspiring. That talent was displayed just this week when he was asked whether he thought the Supreme Court would uphold ObamaCare as constitutional or strike it down as unconstitutional.

The Invincible Dogma

2012-04-03T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
A long-standing legal charade was played out again recently, when Federal Express paid $3 million to settle an employment discrimination case brought by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The Death of Mrs. G

2012-03-30T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
Although we all know that death is inevitable, we are still seldom fully prepared for the death of someone who has been important in our lives. So it was with the recent death of Dr. Marie D. Gadsden, at the age of 92.

Back to the Future?

2012-03-28T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
When a 1942 Supreme Court decision that most people never heard of makes the front page of the New York Times in 2012, you know that something unusual is going on.

Geraldo's Point

2012-03-27T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
It is not often that I agree with Geraldo Rivera, but recently he said something very practical and potentially life-saving, when he urged black and Hispanic parents not to let their children go around wearing hoodies.

Race and Rhetoric

2012-03-20T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
One of the things that turned up, during a long-overdue cleanup of my office, was an old yellowed copy of the New York Times dated July 24, 1992. One of the front-page headlines said: "White-Black Disparity in Income Narrowed in 80's, Census Shows."

The 'Inevitability' Vote

2012-03-19T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
Many people may be voting for Mitt Romney because of the view in some quarters that he is the inevitable Republican candidate for President of the United States and the candidate with the best chance of beating Barack Obama, rather than because they actually prefer Romney to the other candidates.

Racial Quota Fallout

2012-03-15T00:01:00-04:00

Thomas Sowell Column
Many years ago, I learned of an episode in the life of a promising young black man that is relevant to things happening now. He had been educated at a good school, and went on to receive degrees at good colleges and universities. Then he went for a Ph.D. in mathematics at one of the leading departments in that field.