Ever Wonder Why? and Other Controversial Essays

by Sowell, Thomas

• ISBN13: 9780817947521
• ISBN10: 0817947523
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-01
• Publisher: Hoover Institution Press

Summary

Thomas Sowell takes on a range of legal, social, racial, educational, and economic issues-along with "the culture wars"-in this latest collection of his controversial, always thought-provoking essays. From "gun control myths" to "mealy mouth media" to "free lunch medicine," Sowell gets to the heart of the matters we all care about with his characteristically unswerving candor.

Author Biography

Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
The Culture Wars
Ever Wonder Why?	p. 3
Animal Rites	p. 6
"Us" or "Them"?	p. 9
Twisted History	p. 12
Explaining to the Grand Kids	p. 15
Human Livestock	p. 18
The Wright Stuff	p. 21
The Legacy of Eric Hoffer	p. 24
One-Uppers versus Survival	p. 27
The Equality Dogma	p. 30
The Inequality Dogma	p. 33
Equality, Inequality, and Fate	p. 36
Hiroshima	p. 39
The Tyranny of Visions	p. 42
The Tyranny of Visions: Part II	p. 45
The Tyranny of Visions: Part III	p. 48
The Immigration Taboo	p. 51
The Left Monopoly	p. 54
I Beg to Disagree	p. 57
4th Estate or 5th Column?	p. 60
Economic Issues
Why Economists Are Not Popular	p. 65
Housing Hurdles	p. 68
The "Cost" of Medical Care	p. 71
Subsidies Are All Wet	p. 74
A Taxing Experience	p. 77
Profits without Honor	p. 80
Profits without Honor: Part II	p. 83
Two Earthquakes	p. 86
Peter Bauer (1915-2002)	p. 89
Journalists and Economics	p. 92
Stock Crash Aftermath	p. 95
Milton Friedman at 90	p. 98
"Price Gouging" in Florida	p. 101
Economic "Power"	p. 104
A Relic of the Recent Past	p. 107
Who Can Afford It?	p. 110
Free-Lunch Medicine	p. 113
Free-Lunch Medicine: Part II	p. 116
Free-Lunch Medicine: Part III	p. 119
Manufacturing Confusion	p. 122
A Cold Shower	p. 125
An Old "New Vision"	p. 128
Third World Sweatshops	p. 131
Third World Sweatshops: Part II	p. 134
Privatizing Social Security	p. 137
Privatizing Social Security: Part II	p. 140
"Living Wage" Kills Jobs	p. 143
A Happy Birthday?	p. 146
Legal Issues
Calculated Confusion	p. 151
Judges and Judgment	p. 154
Justice for Little Angelo	p. 157
Property Rites	p. 160
Property Rites: Part II	p. 163
Property Rites: Part III	p. 166
Foreign Law Is Not Law	p. 169
Medical Lawsuits	p. 172
Fixing the Jury System	p. 175
Half a Century after Brown	p. 178
Half a Century after Brown: Part II	p. 181
Half a Century after Brown: Part III	p. 184
Umpires, Judges, and Others	p. 187
Big Business and Quotas	p. 190
The Grand Fraud	p. 193
The Grand Fraud: Part II	p. 196
The Grand Fraud: Part III	p. 199
The Grand Fraud: Part IV	p. 202
Saving Quotas	p. 205
The High Cost of Nuances	p. 208
The Polio Fallacy	p. 211
Political Issues
Spoiled Brat Politics	p. 217
Spoiled Brat Politics: Part II	p. 220
The "Compassion" Racket	p. 223
Ronald Reagan (1911-2004)	p. 226
Gun Control Myths	p. 229
Gun Control Myths: Part II	p. 232
A Painful Anniversary	p. 235
The High Cost of Shibboleths	p. 238
"Why Do They Hate Us?"	p. 241
Foreign "Allies"	p. 244
My Platform	p. 247
The Oldest Fraud	p. 250
The Left's Vision	p. 253
The Left's Vocabulary	p. 256
Abstract People	p. 259
Looking Back	p. 262
Social Issues
Mealy Mouth Media	p. 267
Achievements and Their Causes	p. 270
Talkers versus Doers	p. 273
Talkers versus Doers: Part II	p. 276
Liberals and Class	p. 279
Liberals and Class: Part II	p. 282
Liberals and Class: Part III	p. 285
The Autism "Spectrum"	p. 288
The High Cost of Busybodies	p. 291
The High Cost of Busybodies: Part II	p. 294
The High Cost of Busybodies: Part III	p. 297
The High Cost of Busybodies: Part IV	p. 300
"Partial Truth" Abortion	p. 303
Lying about Yosemite	p. 306
Growing Old	p. 309
April Fools' Party	p. 312
Education Issues
Choosing a College	p. 317
The Idiocy of "Relevance"	p. 320
Julian Stanley and Bright Children	p. 323
For What Purpose?	p. 326
School Performances	p. 329
School Performances: Part II	p. 332
School Performances: Part III	p. 335
College Admissions Voodoo	p. 338
Summer De-Programming	p. 341
Fat in California's Budget	p. 344
A Scary Report	p. 347
"Teaching to the Test"	p. 350
"Teaching to the Test": Part II	p. 353
"Teaching to the Test": Part III	p. 356
Smart "Problems"	p. 359
Vouchers Vindicated	p. 362
Artificial Stupidity	p. 365
"Good" Teachers	p. 368
A Sign of the Times	p. 371
Suspicious Stats	p. 374
Peers and Pied Pipers	p. 377
Racial Issues
Older Budweiser	p. 383
Rosa Parks and History	p. 386
"Friends" of Blacks	p. 389
"Friends" of Blacks: Part II	p. 392
Recycled "Racism"	p. 395
Dangerous Democracy?	p. 398
Are Cops Racist?	p. 401
Rattling the Chains	p. 404
Roasting Walter Williams	p. 407
"Diversity" in India	p. 410
Race and IQ	p. 413
Race and IQ: Part II	p. 416
Race and IQ: Part III	p. 419
An Old War and a New One	p. 422
Silly Letters	p. 425
Black History Month	p. 428
Bravo for Bill Cosby	p. 431
Quota "Logic"	p. 434
Quota "Logic": Part II	p. 437
Random Thoughts
Random Thoughts	p. 443
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