Walter Williams's blog

Ignorance reigns supreme

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:11:13 -0500

How about a few civics questions? Name the three branches of government.

If you answered the executive, legislative and judicial, you are more informed than 50 percent of Americans.

Trade versus protectionism

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:57:09 -0500

There’s a growing anti-trade sentiment in our country. Much of the dialogue is grossly misinformed. Let’s try to untangle it a bit with a few questions and observations.

Getting beyond race

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:15:40 -0500

Despite the fact that President-elect Barack Obama’s vision for our nation leaves a lot to be desired, the fact that he was elected represents a remarkable national achievement.

Wackonomics

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:51:08 -0400

For the U.S. Congress, news media, pundits and much of the American public, a lot of economic phenomena can be explained by what people want, human greed and what seems plausible. I’m going to name this branch of economic “science” wackonomics and apply it to some of today’s observations and issues.

Affordable health care

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:18:34 -0400

One of the campaign themes this election cycle is “affordable” health care. Shouldn’t we ask ourselves whether we want the politicians who brought us the “affordable” housing, that created the current financial debacle, to now deliver us affordable health care? Shouldn’t we also ask how things turned out in countries where there is socialized medicine?

Political monopoly power

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:21:24 -0400

The Federalist Papers, written by James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton, is the document most frequently referred to when trying to get a feel for the original intent of the framers of the Constitution.

Scaring us to death

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:19:16 -0400

There is a H.L. Mencken quotation that captures the essence of this year’s politics: “The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed, and hence clamorous to be led to safety, by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Presidents and economies

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:34:11 -0400

Here’s what the U.S. Constitution says: “All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.”

Is college worth it?

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:41:50 -0400

As parents pack their youngsters off to college, they might ask themselves whether it’s worth both the money they will spend and their children’s time. Dr. Marty Nemko has researched that question in an article aptly titled “America’s Most Over-rated Product: Higher Education (www.martynemko.com/articles/americas-most-overrated-product-higher-education_id1539).”

Economic myths

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:51:53 -0400

By taking a couple of courses in economic theory, we could immunize ourselves from nonsense spouted by politicians and pundits, but in the meantime check out Professor John R. Lott’s “Freedomnomics: Why the Free Market Works.”

Patterns of black excellence

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:48:10 -0400

Most people know the tragic state of black education today. We know that billions of dollars are spent on federal government programs such as No Child Left Behind and the billions spent by state and local governments. If you were to ask an education “expert” to explain the tragedy, you’d get answers such as racial discrimination and underfunding.

A nation of thieves

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:12:08 -0400

Edgar K. Browning, professor of economics at Texas A&M University, has a new book aptly titled “Stealing from Each Other.” Its subtitle, “How the Welfare State Robs Americans of Money and Spirit,” goes to the heart of what the book is about.

Environmentalists’ hold on Congress

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:05:55 -0400

Let’s face it. The average individual American has little or no clout with Congress and can be safely ignored. But it’s a different story with groups such as Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club and The Nature Conservancy. When they speak, Congress listens.

Black education

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:29:08 -0400

“Hard Times at Douglass High,” is an HBO documentary that aired last June. It captured much of the 2004-2005 school year at Baltimore’s predominantly black Frederick Douglass High School. The tragedy is that what is seen in the documentary is typical of most predominantly black urban schools.

Oklahoma rebellion

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:48:14 -0400

One of the unappreciated casualties of the War of 1861, erroneously called a Civil War, was its contribution to the erosion of constitutional guarantees of state sovereignty.