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“But let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you – and why?” “Prior to capitalism, the way people amassed great wealth was by looting, plundering and enslaving their fellow man. Capitalism made it possible to become wealthy by serving your fellow man.” “Democracy and liberty are not the same. Democracy is little more than mob rule, while liberty refers to the sovereignty of the individual.” “The public good is promoted best by...

Editor's Note: This column was authored by Walter Williams' daughter, Devon Williams.In the late 1980s, when telemarketing was at it is peak, a company called our home during dinner. I picked up the phone and handed it to my dad. This is what we heard him say: "I'm not interested." "No. No, thank you." "Well ... I'm not ever going to die." And then he hung up. My mom and I looked at each other, and then him, with looks of incredulity. He explained that it was a company selling life insurance. For a long time, I believed just that...

Wisdom is not the same as information, or knowledge. These days, there is more information available to everyone than ever before, thanks to the internet, but also, perhaps at least in part because of the internet, there is less wisdom. The late Walter Williams was full of wisdom, which is one reason his economic and social philosophies were so widely ignored by elite economists and the major media who traffic only in information. Much of it arguably debatable, even untrue. Williams, who died last week at age 84, was an economist, a political conservative and an African American. He likely...

Source: Screenshot/Facebook via Hammond Institute for Free EnterpriseI met economist and professor Walter Williams when I interviewed him while hosting a local TV show in Cleveland. We discussed a number of topics but focused on race-based preferences, aka affirmative action. Williams adamantly opposed it, still an unpopular position to take, but especially back then and especially for a Black person. He calmly explained how affirmative action causes a mismatch between a student and his or her ability to succeed on a campus more competitive than would have been the case but for the race-based preferential admission. Without racial preferences, I...

Source: Screenshot/Facebook via Hammond Institute for Free EnterpriseSometimes, the legacy of great men is that the world doesn't realize how great they were until they are gone. This might be the case with Dr. Walter E. Williams. Dr. Williams passed away last week. He was the John M. Olin distinguished professor of economics at George Mason University, where, for six years, he served as chairman of the economics department. He was a prolific author and columnist (writing for Creators, which also syndicates my column). And he was a dear friend. An African American who grew up poor in Philadelphia, he...

Editor's Note: Walter Williams passed away last Wednesday. You can read our tribute to him here.One of the first lessons in an economics class is every action has a cost. That is in stark contrast to lessons in the political arena where politicians virtually ignore cost and talk about benefits and free stuff. If we look only at the benefits of an action, policy, or program, then we will do anything because there is a benefit to any action, policy, or program. Think about one simple example. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 36,096 Americans lost their lives...

Walter E. Williams, a prominent conservative economist, author and political commentator who expressed profoundly skeptical views of government efforts to aid his fellow African-Americans and other minority groups, died on Tuesday on the campus of George Mason University in Virginia, where he had taught for 40 years. He was 84.His daughter, Devon Williams, said he died suddenly in his car after he had finished teaching a class. She said he had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hypertension.As a public intellectual, Mr. Williams moved easily between the classroom and public forums that gave him wide reach. He wrote a syndicated column,...

We just learned that Professor Walter E. Williams passed away. He was 84 and born in 1936. In my case, I got to know Professor Williams when a fellow conservative gave me Race and Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed on Discrimination? to read. It made so much sense that I gave my copy to another friend, bought a second one and gave it to another friend to read and finally bought my own copy and locked it in my desk so I would never give it away again. What a great book!In the 1990s, the professor became Rush Limbaugh's...

Patriot. Friend. Teacher. Student. Husband. Father. Legendary thinker. Christ follower.On this second day of profound mourning for Professor Walter E. Williams, it is difficult to summarize the life and legacy of my friend with only a few words.Walter’s loss is deep and personal for those of us who knew and loved him. He believed in the power of liberty and he worked every day of his adult life to harness government and optimize individual liberty.A Man of ValueIn times of grief, we often ponder the essence of the person who has passed from our realm to that of our creator...

Source: Screenshot/Facebook via Hammond Institute for Free EnterpriseWalter Williams, the John M. Olin distinguished professor of economics at George Mason University and longtime columnist, has died at the age of 84.Williams began writing a weekly column, "A Minority View," in 1981, the last of which, titled "Black Education Tragedy Is New," published Wednesday. His columns have appeared on Townhall.com for more than 25 years. He is also the author of 10 books, including the most recent, "Race and Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed on Discrimination?" and "Up from the Projects: An Autobiography," and published more than 150 scholarly articles,...

Walter Williams loved teaching. Unlike too many other teachers today, he made it a point never to impose his opinions on his students. Those who read his syndicated newspaper columns know that he expressed his opinions boldly and unequivocally there. But not in the classroom. Walter once said he hoped that, on the day he died, he would have taught a class that day. And that is just the way it was, when he died on Wednesday, December 2, 2020. He was my best friend for half a century. There was no one I trusted more or whose integrity I...

Several years ago, Project Baltimore began an investigation of Baltimore's school system. What they found was an utter disgrace. In 19 of Baltimore's 39 high schools, out of 3,804 students, only 14 of them, or less than 1%, were proficient in math. In 13 of Baltimore's high schools, not a single student scored proficient in math. In five Baltimore City high schools, not a single student scored proficient in math or reading. Despite these academic deficiencies, about 70% of the students graduate and are conferred a high school diploma — a fraudulent high school diploma. The Detroit Public Schools Community...

I learned from Don Boudreaux this morning that Walter Williams died either this morning or last night. For those of you who don’t know, he was a long-time economics professor at George Mason University. I’ll have more to say later but I want to give one appreciation. Walter liked smoking and he also hated the TSA. Some years ago, the combination of no-smoking regs on planes and intrusive groping by the TSA caused him to vow never to fly by commercial airline again. When he received offers to give speeches that were far enough away that driving was infeasible, he...

Several years ago, Project Baltimore began an investigation of Baltimore's school system. What they found was an utter disgrace. In 19 of Baltimore's 39 high schools, out of 3,804 students, only 14 of them, or less than 1%, were proficient in math. In 13 of Baltimore's high schools, not a single student scored proficient in math. In five Baltimore City high schools, not a single student scored proficient in math or reading. Despite these academic deficiencies, about 70% of the students graduate and are conferred a high school diploma -- a fraudulent high school diploma. The Detroit Public Schools Community...

Devastating news: Walter Williams died last night (or early this morning).

Paul Kengor is a professor of political science at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He has just published "The Devil and Karl Marx," a careful look at the diabolical side of Karl Marx. The book has come out during an important time in our history since so many Americans, particularly our youth, have fallen for the seductive siren song of socialism taught to them by the academic elite. "The Black Book of Communism," edited by Stephane Courtois, details the Marxist-Leninist death toll in the 20th century. Here is the breakdown: USSR, 20 million deaths; China, 65 million; Vietnam,...

Dr. Thomas Sowell has been both a friend and a colleague of mine for over a half-century. On June 30, he will have completed his 90th year of life, and I want to highlight some important features of that life. Sowell was born in Gastonia, North Carolina, in 1930. As part of the great black migration northward during the 1930s and '40s, he and his family moved to Harlem, New York. Sowell attended the prestigious Stuyvesant High School, but dropped out. In 1951, he was drafted into the military and assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps, where he became a...

Dr. Williams is a well known conservative economist and longtime John Olin Chair faculty at George Mason University in eastern Virginia, author of 12 books and syndicated columnist. In the past, he has been substitute host on the Rush Limbaugh radio program. He is almost like family to me, and I have benefited from his essays and books over the years. This past week, I saw and read his essay on disparities in crime rates among races that was picked up by Military in its October 2019 issue. What got Dr. Williams going was the article by Matthew DeLisi of...

If you need an accurate update on some of the madness at the nation's institutions of higher learning, check out Minding the Campus, a nonprofit independent organization. John Leo, its editor in chief, says that the organization's prime mission is dedicated to the revival of intellectual pluralism and the best traditions of liberal education at America's colleges and universities. Leo's most recent compilation of campus madness leaves one nearly breathless. In a USA Today op-ed, Emily Walton, a sociology professor at Dartmouth University, said that all college students should take a mandatory course on black history and white privilege. She...

For many parents, August is a month of both pride and tears. Pride because their teenager is taking that big educational step and tears because for many it's the beginning of an empty nest. Yet, there's a going-away-to-college question that far too few parents ask or even contemplate: What will my youngster learn in college? The American Council of Trustees and Alumni provides some answers that turn out to be quite disturbing. ACTA evaluated every four-year public university as well as hundreds of private colleges and universities. That's more than 1,100 institutions that enroll nearly 8 million students, more than...