Debt Deal: Not Even a Pyrrhic Victory for Republicans
In Don Marquis' classic satirical book, "Archy and Mehitabel," Mehitabel the alley cat asks plaintively, "What have I done to deserve all these kittens?" ...
About: Thomas Sowell
Posts by Thomas Sowell
Redefining “Poverty” to Benefit the Welfare State
If there were a contest for the most misleading words used in politics, "poverty" should be one of the leading contenders for that title. ...
Misleading Words
Many years ago, the Saturday Evening Post was one of the best-known magazines in America. But somehow I learned that the Saturday Evening Post was actually published on Wednesday morning. That...
Debt-Ceiling Chicken
The big news, as far as the media are concerned, is the political game of debt-ceiling chicken that is being played by Democrats and Republicans in Washington. But, however much the...
Good Things
Life has many good things. The problem is that most of these good things can be gotten only by sacrificing other good things. We all recognize this in our daily lives....
Creating Unknown Unknowns in the Economy
When Donald Rumsfeld was Secretary of Defense, he coined some phrases about knowledge that apply far beyond military matters. ...
Failing Liberty 101
A recent Superman comic book has the hero saying, "I am renouncing my U.S. citizenship" because "truth, justice, and the American way — it's not enough anymore." Though not addressing Superman's...
Forgotten Stars: Musial, Greenberg, Louis
Three recent sports biographies — two about baseball stars Stan Musial and Hank Greenberg, and another about boxing great Joe Louis — are not only interesting in themselves, but also recall...
July 4th: Not Just a Holiday for Fireworks
The Fourth of July may be just a holiday for fireworks to some people. But it was a momentous day for the history of this country and the history of the...
Social Security & Medicare: The Missing Money
One of my earliest memories of revulsion against war came from seeing a photograph from the First World War when I was a teenager. It was nothing gory. Just a picture...
Is Pawlenty Plenty?
The Republicans' confused assortment of announced presidential candidates — as well as unannounced candidates and distant possibilities of candidates — seems to be clarifying somewhat. The withdrawal of Donald Trump and...
Government Vs. Private Decisions
Two unrelated news stories on the same day show the contrast between government decisions and private decisions. ...
Obama’s Approach to Israel
The only thing surprising about Barack Obama's latest blow against Israel is that there are people who are surprised. As for a Palestinian homeland, that was never a big issue when...
Seductive Beliefs
One of the painfully revealing episodes in Barack Obama's book Dreams From My Father describes his early experience listening to a sermon by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Among the things said...
Dependency and Votes
Those who regard government "entitlement" programs as sacrosanct, and regard those who want to cut them back as calloused or cruel, picture a world very different from the world of reality....