Obama and McCain - Thomas Sowell

[afmo]

Sowell is the man.

[Etta Place]

Originally Posted by DanTheEldest

Quotes? Sources? What is your evidence for this blanket statement? I've been reading about some of his philosophies, and I don't think he fits neatly within the mold of those you consistently (and derisively) label as "neocons".

Read his columns. It's obvious. He's supposed to be an economist but he constantly is talking about partisan politics, U.S. foreign policy, and morality. That's not his expertise. Now, there are liberal economic commentators - Paul Krugman of the New York Times is one. Generally, he speaks about the economy and people don't set him up as some kind of non-partisan voice, like they seem to do with Sowell.

[Etta Place]

Originally Posted by AZXD

That may be true. I don't know!

But the article makes sense, and the checklist is a good one.
The people of this nation really need to hear some very precise plans of how the candidates feel about these subjects and how they would approach the development of solutions to the items on the list.

Yes, I want to hear what each candidate plans to do. I don't think we know enough yet what Obama's plans are, and I think they will be fleshed out in the general campaign.

[Boanerge]

Originally Posted by Ishpeck

Though he's one of my heroes, Sowell forgets what nukes are really for. Iran's not as stupid as we like to think of them as being. They're going to use nukes for flaunting -- like we do. Not for bombing.

Correct a country that possesses Nucs are treated differently; Iraq was invaded, North Korea was negotiated.

[Etta Place]

Originally Posted by Ishpeck

Though he's one of my heroes, Sowell forgets what nukes are really for. Iran's not as stupid as we like to think of them as being. They're going to use nukes for flaunting -- like we do. Not for bombing.

Originally Posted by Boanerge

Correct a country that possesses Nucs are treated differently; Iraq was invaded, North Korea was negotiated.

Totally makes sense. You're called part of the "axis of evil." One of them got invaded (your neighbor even-Yikes!!), the other not, and you're the third.

[jmichna]

Originally Posted by Etta Place

Sowell is a Republican partisan and a neocon.

Originally Posted by DanTheEldest

Quotes? Sources? What is your evidence for this blanket statement? I've been reading about some of his philosophies, and I don't think he fits neatly within the mold of those you consistently (and derisively) label as "neocons".

Originally Posted by Etta Place

Read his columns. It's obvious. He's supposed to be an economist but he constantly is talking about partisan politics, U.S. foreign policy, and morality. That's not his expertise. Now, there are liberal economic commentators - Paul Krugman of the New York Times is one. Generally, he speaks about the economy and people don't set him up as some kind of non-partisan voice, like they seem to do with Sowell.

Etta,
Talking (partisan) politics? - check
Talking US foreign policy? - check
Talking morality? - check
Talking outside one's area of expertise? - check

What, specifically, is your definition of "neocon"? Not a "cut & paste" definition... but what exactly does the term "neocon" mean to you, Etta Place?

What exactly do you mean by "partisan" politics? That Sowell states his mind? He happens to have conservative views, so that makes him a "partisan"? Again, not a "cut & paste" please, but what does the term "partisan" mean to you?

Doing which of these things defines Sowell as a "neocon"? Seeing your definition for "neocon" will help here.

Is talking outside one's area of expertise something to be avoided? Should people be confined to stating opinions solely in areas they are considered "expert"?

Also, personally it's nice to see an economist talking about ethics and morals... about time, IMO.

When you see Sowell as wrong, then please rebut him, point-for-point, with your logic and reasoning, not some "cut & paste" of yet another person's opinions, also (perhaps) outside their own area of expertise.

I suspect that you, yourself, have no counter arguments to Sowell's opinions and the logic he uses to formulate his opinions, so you fall back on the time-honored tradition of labeling someone a "partisan neocon" and then walk away.

Lastly, you never told us how your recent vacation in France was? How was your trip? What did you see?

BTW, Sowell isn't supposed to be an economist.... he really is one. Here's his CV:
EDUCATION:

Ph.D. in Economics, University of Chicago, 1968
A.M. in Economics, Columbia University, 1959
A.B. in Economics, magna cum laude, Harvard College, 1958

EXPERIENCE:

Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, September 1980 - present
Professor of Economics, U.C.L.A., July 1974 - June 1980
Visiting Professor of Economics, Amherst College, September- December 1977
Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, April- August 1977
Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, July 1976 - March 1977
Project Director, The Urban Institute, August 1972 - July 1974
Associate Professor of Economics, U.C.L.A., September 1970 - June 1972
Associate Professor of Economics, Brandeis University, September 1969 - June 1970
Assistant Professor of Economics, Cornell University, September 1965 - June 1969
Economic Analyst, American Telephone & TelegraphCo., June 1964 - August 1965
Lecturer in Economics, Howard University, September 1963 - June 1964
Instructor in Economics, Douglass College, Rutgers University, September 1962 - June 1963
Labor Economist, U.S. Department of Labor, June 1961 - August 1962

PRINCIPAL PUBLICATIONS:

On Classical Economics (Yale University Press, 2006)
Black Rednecks and White Liberals (Encounter Books, 2005)
The Quest for Cosmic Justice (Free Press,1999)
Conquests and Cultures (Basic Books, 1998 )
Migrations and Cultures (Basic Books, 1996)
The Vision of the Anointed (Basic Books, 1995)
Race and Culture: A World View ( Basic Books,1994 )
A Conflict of Visions (William Morrow, 1987)
Ethnic America (Basic Books, 1981)
Knowledge and Decisions (Basic Books, 1980)
Say's Law: An Historical Analysis (Princeton University Press, 1972)

[mgeoffriau]

Anyone with even the most shallow familiarity with Thomas Sowell's work (and I'm not talking about just reading his newspaper column) might hesitate to say that he's talking "outside of his area of expertise". He has written important and well-received books on subjects ranging from speech development in children to sociological and racial issues throughout history.

[longtalltechsan]

Originally Posted by Etta Place

Sowell is a Republican partisan and a neocon.

Who freakin' cares what he is? If you agree with it, great, if not then fine too. All you ever do is discount something based on what you perceive someone to be. You are more likely to not read or even keep an open mind about something simply because it is from someone you don't agree with or has the letter behind their name that you don't like. I wish I had a dollar for every time you used the word neocon or labeled someone as such.

This is the biggest problem with this country today. "Oh that person is a conservative or a neocon (which you throw out all the time), so their opinion means nothing." Talk about riding party lines.

All you care about etta is who the messenger is, not what the messenger is bringing.

[Etta Place]

Originally Posted by longtalltechsan

Who freakin' cares what he is? If you agree with it, great, if not then fine too. All you ever do is discount something based on what you perceive someone to be. You are more likely to not read or even keep an open mind about something simply because it is from someone you don't agree with or has the letter behind their name that you don't like. I wish I had a dollar for every time you used the word neocon or labeled someone as such.

This is the biggest problem with this country today. "Oh that person is a conservative or a neocon (which you throw out all the time), so their opinion means nothing." Talk about riding party lines.

All you care about etta is who the messenger is, not what the messenger is bringing.

Fine. I am really not that familiar with Sowell. However, I have heard very positive things about him over the years. But, in the Sowell columns that have been posted in this forum, by jimchna primarily, I have detected a definite advocacy of anything or anyone Republican, a criticism of Obama for just about everything, and a neoconservative view on foreign policy. This makes me question just how smart a guy he really is.

[Etta Place]

Originally Posted by mgeoffriau

Anyone with even the most shallow familiarity with Thomas Sowell's work (and I'm not talking about just reading his newspaper column) might hesitate to say that he's talking "outside of his area of expertise". He has written important and well-received books on subjects ranging from speech development in children to sociological and racial issues throughout history.

From what I gather, he has written some very good things on racial issues, some I agree with.