Why Gingrich is the man, per Thomas Sowell

Dr. Thomas Sowell is one of the best thinkers in America today.  (I've quoted him numerous times before.)  In this recent column, he spells out how Newt Gingrich has proven he should be the Republican presidential nominee.

Other People Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XXXII

From a "Random Thoughts" column by Thomas Sowell:

Three little words -- "We the people," the opening words of the Constitution of the United States -- are the biggest obstacle to achieving the political goals of the left. For that, they must move decisions away from "We the people" -- from individuals to government; from elected officials to unelected judges; and from national institutions to international institutions like the United Nations -- all safely remote and insulated from "We the people."

Other People Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XXVI

From a recent Thomas Sowell column entitled "Promises and Riots" -

"Economists are the real "party of No." They keep saying that there is no such thing as a free lunch -- and politicians keep on getting elected by promising free lunches."

Other People Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XVII

From a recent column by economist Thomas Sowell:

Since this is an era when many people are concerned about "fairness" and "social justice," what is your "fair share" of what someone else has worked for?

Reality Check

Thomas Sowell has a column today in which he discusses how bailing out the big three automakers postpones reality. Their way of producing cars failed, whether through their own business practices, the excessive demands of the unions or the excessive demands of the government.

One passage in the column introduced me to a concept I hadn't seen before. To wit:

"A renowned economist of the past, J.A. Schumpeter, used to refer to progress under capitalism as "creative destruction"-- the replacement of businesses that have outlived their usefulness with businesses that carry technological and organizational creativity forward, raising standards of living in the process."

Sowell then goes on to describe what happened to the horse and buggy business with the introduction of the automobile a hundred years ago.

"Creative destruction." I like that. It implies a constant renewal, like a snake shedding its skin or a butterfly leaving a cocoon. In economic terms it causes short term pain for groups that are displaced, but the process is what's necessary for long term economic growth. Plus, as Sowell said, a greater standard of living.

Try selling that idea to a politician who's trying to be re-elected. Feh.

From the Left to the Far Left

Thomas Sowell has written an insightful column about Barack Obama. He points out something that isn't discussed -- that Obama has been consistent in his actions his entire adult life. In college he sought out extreme leftists (Marxist professors, structural feminists, punk rock performance poets, the "more politically active" black students,) and later visited a member of the Weathermen underground terrorist group who endorsed Obama. He sought out Jeremiah Wright's church.

Barack Obama's voting record and actions have been remarkably consistent throughout his career. Although he now tries to project himself as a "unifier," nothing he has ever done in his career substantiates that assertion.

From Sowell:

"There is no evidence that Obama ever sought to educate himself on the views of people on the other end of the political spectrum, much less reach out to them. He reached out from the left to the far left. That's bringing us all together?"