The wisdom of Thomas Sowell

[Ted S]

Once again the concise wisdom of Thomas Sowell:

This election is a test, not just of the opposing candidates but of the voting public. If what they want are the hard facts about where the country is, and where it is heading, they cannot vote for more of the same for the next four years.

But, if what they want is emotionally satisfying rhetoric and a promise to give them something for nothing, to be paid for by taxing somebody else, then Obama is their man. This is not to say that the public will in fact get something for nothing or that rich people will just pay higher taxes, when it is easy for them to escape taxation by investing overseas -- creating jobs overseas.

Even if most Americans do not have their own taxes raised, that means little, if they end up paying other people's taxes in the higher prices of goods and services that pass along the higher taxes imposed on businesses.

There are no doubt voters who will vote on the basis of believing that Obama "cares" more about them. But that is a faith which passeth all understanding. The political mirage of something for nothing, from leaders who "care," has ruined many a nation.

Source

[Woody]

I read many of columns, even when I don't understand him!

[kentay]

Sowell compared President Barack Obama's actions to Adolf Hitler's in a June 2010 editorial for Investor's Business Daily titled "Is U.S. Now On Slippery Slope To Tyranny?"] Sowell described the role of uninformed citizens ("useful idiots") in the rise of Hitler and Vladimir Lenin, arguing that the U.S. was on a "slippery slope to tyranny" because citizens weren't thinking about the issues. The example he gave was the creation of a relief fund for the BP oil spill, which he said gave the President an unconstitutional "authority to extract vast sums of money from a private enterprise and distribute it as he sees fit to whomever he deems worthy of compensation." This comparison was criticized by liberal groups such as Media Matters and the Democratic National Committee, who said that the article would be considered "ridiculous if it weren't so vile," noting that "it deserves to be marginalized." However, some conservatives endorsed Sowell's comparison. Sarah Palin recommended it to her Twitter followers, prompting the President of People for the American Way, Michael B. Keegan, to ask whether Palin "agree[d] with Sowell that President Obama's work to hold BP accountable for the worst oil spill in American history can be compared to the actions of Hitler?"] Republican Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas's 1st congressional district recommended the column on the floor of the United States House of Representatives shortly after the publication of the article

[Ted S]

Thanks Kentay.  I always thought Sowell was a good guy but the large red font changed my mind.  I didn't even need to read the words.