Depressed? Console yourself with the wit and wisdom of Thomas Sowell

In troubled times such as these in which we now find ourselves, it is rewarding to reread the words of great individuals who offer comfort and hope. One of those greats is the economist Thomas Sowell. He has said and written so many undeniable truths that it is daunting to select a few that stand out. Nevertheless, I will try.

“Ours may become the first civilization destroyed not by the power of our enemies, but by the ignorance of our teachers and the dangerous ignorance they are teaching our children. In an age of artificial intelligence, they are creating artificial stupidity.” Mr. Sowell wrote these words even before some in our educational system decided that two plus two does not always equal four and that it is racist to demand or even suggest that it does.

“Stupid people can create problems, but it usually takes brilliant people to create a real catastrophe.” This one gives me hope because I see no brilliance emanating from our problem-creators in Washington. It is possible that the American people have, likely unintentionally, “catastropheproofed” themselves for the next four years by electing an administration that no one would dare define as brilliant.

“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.” What the public on the left demand is the equivalent of making an omelet without cracking an egg. The Biden-Harris folks think we can give up our newfound energy independence by ridding ourselves of pipelines and fracking, depending instead on solar and wind power while continuing to eschew nuclear. What they are inviting is a return to our dependence on OPEC and likely more unwanted U.S. involvement in Middle East conflicts.

“You cannot take any people of any color and exempt them from the requirements of civilization — including work, behavioral standards, personal responsibility and all the other things that the clever intelligentsia disdain — without ruinous consequences to them and to society at large.” LBJ’s Great Society has proved to have gained little if anything for the poor of our nation. Poverty has not been eliminated, and society is no greater as the result. Black Americans have suffered most grievously as the result of this misplaced concern. Had equal amounts of time and money been expended on reinforcing the value of self-reliance and responsibility for one’s own actions, the goals of reaching a great society might have been met.

“If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules, that would have gotten you labeled a radical sixty years ago, a liberal thirty years ago, and a racist today.”

You would think having the same rules apply to all would be a no-brainer. You would be wrong. Rush Limbaugh successfully took on the left with half his brain tied behind his back, but none of the world’s survivors is Rush Limbaugh. Progressives insist that the rest of us suspend disbelief at what is going on in our society and demand we handicap ourselves with a discrediting claim of white privilege. It seems to many as though a large segment of the black community have carved themselves out a new “black privilege,” which allows for a disrespect of national pride and a disregard for continued from page

many of the nation’s laws and values.

Finally, “It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of those who pay no price for being wrong.” Actually, there is a price paid by those making foolish decisions, but it is paid to spin doctors who use smoke and mirrors to allow abdication of responsibility for whatever folly had been foisted on the public.

Wouldn’t it be great if our leaders possessed the wisdom of Thomas Sowell. Or as Liza Doolittle put it, “Wouldn’t it be loverly?”