The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy". Thomas Sowell More Quotes by Thomas Sowell More Quotes From Thomas Sowell Socialism is a wonderful idea. It is only as a reality that it has been disastrous. Among people of every race, color, and creed, all around the world, socialism has led to hunger in countries that used to have surplus food to export.... Nevertheless, for many of those who deal primarily in ideas, socialism remains an attractive idea -- in fact, seductive. Its every failure is explained away as due to the inadequacies of particular leaders. Thomas Sowell race country reality One of the most pervasive political visions of our time is the vision of liberals as compassionate and conservatives as less caring. Thomas Sowell vision political caring Why is history important? Without history, many people have no idea how many of today's half-baked ideas have been tried, again and again - and have repeatedly led to disaster. Most of these ideas are not new. They are just being recycled with re-treaded rhetoric. Thomas Sowell liberty people ideas Because many of us make mistakes that can have bad consequences, some intellectuals believe that it is the role of government to intervene and make some of our decisions for us. From what galaxy government is going to hire creatures who do not make mistakes is a question they leave unanswered. Thomas Sowell government mistake believe The big divide in this country is not between Democrats and Republicans, or women and men, but between talkers and doers. Think about the things that have improved our lives the most over the past century - medical advances, the transportation revolution, huge increases in consumer goods, dramatic improvements in housing, the computer. The people who created these things - the doers - are not popular heroes. Our heroes are the talkers who complain about the doers. Thomas Sowell hero country past 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. It is only in politics that this simple, common sense fact is routinely ignored. Thomas Sowell common-sense sacrifice simple One of the most fashionable notions of our times is that social problems like poverty and oppression breed wars. Most wars, however, are started by well-fed people with the time on their hands to dream up half-baked ideologies or grandiose ambitions, and to nurse real or imagined grievances. Thomas Sowell real dream war No segment of the population has lost more by the agendas of the liberal constituencies of the Democratic Party than the black population. The teachers' unions, environmental fanatics and the ACLU are just some of the groups to whose interests blacks have been sacrificed wholesale. Lousy education and high crime rates in the ghettos, and unaffordable housing elsewhere with building restrictions, are devastating prices to pay for liberalism. Thomas Sowell ghetto party teacher Many of the words and phrases used in the media and among academics suggest that things simply: happen: to people, rather than be being caused by their own choices and behavior. Thus there is said to be an 'epidemic' of teenage pregnancy, or of drug usage, as if these things were like the flu that people catch just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thomas Sowell epidemics teenage pregnancy Most Americans living below the official poverty line own a car or truck - and government entitlement programs seldom provide cars and trucks. Most people living below the official poverty line also have air conditioning, color television, and a microwave oven - and these too are not usually handed out by government entitlement programs. Thomas Sowell mean children school Government bailouts are like potato chips: You can't stop with just one. Thomas Sowell potato-chips potatoes government Few of the great tragedies of history were created by the village idiot, and many by the village genius. Thomas Sowell village-idiots genius tragedy Four things have almost invariably followed the imposition of controls to keep prices below the level they would reach under supply and demand in a free market: (1) increased use of the product or service whose price is controlled, (2) Reduced supply of the same product or service, (3) quality deterioration, (4) black markets. Thomas Sowell deterioration quality black Any politician who starts shouting election-year demagoguery about the rich and the poor should be asked, "What about the other 90 percent of the people?" Thomas Sowell liberty people years The more people who are dependent on government handouts, the more votes the left can depend on for an ever-expanding welfare state. Thomas Sowell vote government people All justice is inherently social. Can someone on a desert island be either just or unjust? Thomas Sowell desert islands justice Contrary to the vision of the left, it was the free market which produced affordable housing - before government intervention made housing unaffordable. Thomas Sowell affordable-housing vision government The minimum wage law very cleverly is misnamed. The real minimum wage is zero. That is what many inexperienced and low skilled people receive as a result of legislation that makes it illegal to pay them what they are currently worth to an employer. Thomas Sowell zero real law People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything. Thomas Sowell live-life teamwork leadership It is amazing how many people think that they can answer an argument by attributing bad motives to those who disagree with them. Using this kind of reasoning, you can believe or not believe anything about anything, without having to bother to deal with facts or logic. Thomas Sowell believe people thinking
