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Random Thoughts (Thomas Sowell)
Creators Syndicate ^ | September 28, 2010 | Thomas Sowell

Posted on 09/28/2010 8:32:26 AM PDT by jazusamo

Random thoughts on the passing scene:

Before becoming a perfectionist, you might think about the fact that the human race has survived for thousands of years without being anywhere close to perfection.

I would vote against anyone who plays the race card. Race and politics have been an explosive mixture in countries around the world.

If you were to make a lineup of the all-time best New York Yankees at each position, three of the four infield positions would be filled by those currently playing— Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Robinson Cano. Mark Teixeira would be in the running at first base, except for the great Lou Gehrig.

If polygamists were not allowed to redefine marriage to suit themselves, why should homosexuals be allowed to?

Although Tiger Woods' behavior that led to his divorce does him no credit, it is a credit to him that he cared enough about his family that losing them ruined his performance in golf. If he gets married again, I suspect that he will not repeat what he did.

In a sense, politicians don't know what they are talking about. But, in another sense, they know exactly what they are talking about. They may not have a clue about the issue they are discussing and yet be experts on how to get you to think they know.

This is truly the "me" generation, when someone will release secret information that includes who has been helping us in the fight against terrorism— information that can get girls' faces mutilated and their parents beheaded by our Islamic terrorist enemies.

Politicians often act as if you can create costs without creating consequences. Force insurance companies to cover more things and then act surprised when the premiums go up. Mandate more benefits for employers to provide for their employees and then act surprised when they don't hire as many workers. It is great political theater but lousy economic policy.

I know people who are blind or retarded who nevertheless have jobs. So you can imagine how much sympathy I have for able-bodied men who are begging on the streets.

The problem with splitting the difference between opposing sides, as many negotiators are prone to do— whether these negotiators are marriage counselors, labor arbitrators or the United Nations— is that this gives an advantage to the side with the most unreasonable demands, and therefore promotes more unreasonable demands in the future.

The title of the article on the cover of the September 13th issue of Time magazine— "Why Israel Doesn't Care About Peace"— speaks volumes about our times and about us. Future historians looking back at the history of this era may well be baffled as to why both our media and the administration in Washington embraced our enemies and repudiated our friends.

Who led the major leagues in extra-base hits the year that Babe Ruth set his record of 60 home runs? The first ten readers who e-mail the correct answer (sowell@stanford.edu) will receive a copy of my book "Intellectuals and Society."

How anyone can read history and still believe in political messiahs is beyond me. The fact that it has become possible to graduate from even our most prestigious colleges and universities, still fundamentally ignorant of history, may have much to do with our electing a political messiah to the White House— for which we, our children and grandchildren will pay dearly.

Franklin D. Roosevelt called December 7, 1941— when Pearl Harbor was bombed— "a date that will live in infamy." What should also live in infamy is the time when too many Americans forgot about Pearl Harbor and started wringing their hands with guilt about Hiroshima.

Do people understand that the world toward which the Obama administration is leading us is a world where individuals' economic well-being is no longer determined by how much their goods and services are valued by those pay for them, but by politicians in Washington? The counterproductive economic consequences of this are dwarfed by the harm done by making us all dependents and supplicants of "public servants" who become in reality public masters.


TOPICS: Editorial; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: randomthoughts; sowell; thomassowell
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1 posted on 09/28/2010 8:32:31 AM PDT by jazusamo
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To: abigail2; Amalie; American Quilter; arthurus; awelliott; Bahbah; bamahead; Battle Axe; ...
*PING*
Thomas Sowell

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2 posted on 09/28/2010 8:39:04 AM PDT by jazusamo (His [Obama's] political base---the young, the left and the thoughtless: Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo

Sigh ...

As long as Dr. Sowell is still with us, it’s worth going on.


3 posted on 09/28/2010 8:41:07 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Christine O'Donnell, Sharron Angle, Luna Lovegood. Get it?)
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To: jazusamo
The problem with splitting the difference between opposing sides, as many negotiators are prone to do— whether these negotiators are marriage counselors, labor arbitrators or the United Nations— is that this gives an advantage to the side with the most unreasonable demands, and therefore promotes more unreasonable demands in the future.

So true, and explains the "drift" of the center of the country over the last 50+ years.

4 posted on 09/28/2010 8:45:59 AM PDT by kosciusko51
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To: jazusamo
“I know people who are blind or retarded who nevertheless have jobs. So you can imagine how much sympathy I have for able-bodied men who are begging on the streets.”

I remember my brother going OFF on some young beggar who hit up my mom walking with my little sisters. An able bodied young man asking a single mother for money.

I asked if he had tattoos or piercings, and my brother replied “of course”.

My joke is now “Spare change for my next piercing?”

5 posted on 09/28/2010 8:46:16 AM PDT by allmendream (Income is EARNED not distributed. So how could it be re-distributed?)
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To: jazusamo
Thank you, Dr. Sowell. You are a breath of fresh air, especially when a person considers the great volumes of self-serving silliness that comes from academia these days. I take particular note of the passage above that deals with political messiahs. There are Americans today who tout the current occupant of the White House as one of the greatest presidents the country has ever had - and would also be prepared to trash George Washington for having slaves. So, I bring a question to the forum today. How many millions of Americans (current and yet unborn) will Barack Obama economically enslave to the government of the United States?
6 posted on 09/28/2010 8:50:09 AM PDT by Pecos (Liberty and Honor will not die on my watch.)
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To: jazusamo

Sowell, one of my favorite political & economic commentators, should stay away from sports commenting.


7 posted on 09/28/2010 8:50:57 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and proud of it. Those who truly support our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: jazusamo

WOW! I didn’t get a “New Posts To You” sign at the top of the page. Wondering what happened! Anyway I had just opened the sidebar, and was going down the page when I stumbled on this post, and told Mrs. RQSR that you must have just posted it, checked the time, and yup, just posted.

I see somehow the ping is in my file, but I wasn’t notified it was there. A freak thing I s’pose that I wasn’t pinged in the system in spite of you posting one, but thanks for that ping jaz. As usual good reading.


8 posted on 09/28/2010 8:55:28 AM PDT by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists, call 'em what you will, they ALL have fairies livin' in their trees.)
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To: jazusamo
The problem with splitting the difference between opposing sides, as many negotiators are prone to do— whether these negotiators are marriage counselors, labor arbitrators or the United Nations— is that this gives an advantage to the side with the most unreasonable demands, and therefore promotes more unreasonable demands in the future.

Does anyone here know if Hegel gave this any discussion? If so, where in his works can it be found.

9 posted on 09/28/2010 9:00:46 AM PDT by Cletus.D.Yokel (Islam is a violent and tyrannical political ideology and has nothing to do with "religion".)
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To: jazusamo

“our Islamic terrorist enemies”

It needs to be SHOUTED from the rooftops.


10 posted on 09/28/2010 9:05:46 AM PDT by Canedawg (...still not digging this tyranny thing.)
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To: jazusamo

T4TP!


11 posted on 09/28/2010 9:16:47 AM PDT by Cyber Liberty (I am Derek Fenton! (me) Enjoying freedom ourselves requires tolerating it for others. (Jedidah))
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To: jazusamo

“What should also live in infamy is the time when too many Americans forgot about Pearl Harbor and started wringing their hands with guilt about Hiroshima.”

Sowell hits the nail on the head with that comment.


12 posted on 09/28/2010 9:26:43 AM PDT by Old Grumpy
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To: jazusamo

Here’s the money line:

“The problem with splitting the difference between opposing sides, as many negotiators are prone to do— whether these negotiators are marriage counselors, labor arbitrators or the United Nations— is that this gives an advantage to the side with the most unreasonable demands, and therefore promotes more unreasonable demands in the future. “

Something to think about.


13 posted on 09/28/2010 9:27:19 AM PDT by chesley (Eat what you want, and die like a man.)
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To: xzins

The Tiger thing tick you off? I think it’s a rare gap in wisdom for Dr. Sowell to say that. The dog returns to its vomit and all that.


14 posted on 09/28/2010 9:27:42 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback (Anyone who says we need illegals to do the jobs Americans won't do has never watched "Dirty Jobs.")
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To: jazusamo
If polygamists were not allowed to redefine marriage to suit themselves, why should homosexuals be allowed to?

In a sense, politicians don't know what they are talking about. But, in another sense, they know exactly what they are talking about. They may not have a clue about the issue they are discussing and yet be experts on how to get you to think they know.

BUMP FOR TRUTH!

15 posted on 09/28/2010 9:31:33 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback (Anyone who says we need illegals to do the jobs Americans won't do has never watched "Dirty Jobs.")
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To: Mr. Silverback

The Tiger thing definitely is unsupportable. And the Yankees have never been on my favorites list. :>)


16 posted on 09/28/2010 9:34:19 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and proud of it. Those who truly support our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: jazusamo

My sister’s friend (IRL) on Facebook (and mine on FB) is an atheist, hard-left.... She posted something about the Big Love series and said that she didn’t see why polygamy was a big deal.

Except for religious fundamentalists and other coercive situations - as long as they’re all consenting adults....

Sigh...


17 posted on 09/28/2010 9:36:11 AM PDT by Patriotic1 (Dic mihi solum facta, domina - Just the facts, ma'am)
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To: xzins; Mr. Silverback

Agree with you xzins...IMHO, Tiger’s game has not been thrown off by the loss of his family, but by the loss of his image and adoring fans. Of course, I have no way of knowing what’s truly in his heart or mind, but his apologies have come off as insincere, and were driven solely by being exposed.


18 posted on 09/28/2010 9:41:23 AM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: kosciusko51
Absolutely. The "ratchet effect."

The "half-a-loaf" Republicans don't accept the reality that the Dems may leave you half a loaf, but they'll be back for half of that next time around.

19 posted on 09/28/2010 9:55:37 AM PDT by whd23 (Every time a link is de-blogged an angel gets its wings.)
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To: Tax-chick

Does he have any offspring, do you know? Say about ten or twelve of them, all just like him?


20 posted on 09/28/2010 9:58:13 AM PDT by nina0113
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