Thomas Sowell - Wealth, Poverty and Politics

[konberner]

Beautifully put. I love those thinkers who focus on practical issues.

[Nate]

100% correct as usual, what a great man

[perfectsense]

"If the government took over the Sahara Desert, there would be a shortage of sand." Rules to live by.

[embran]

This is a guy that should be a role model for blacks - not Obama, not Kayne West. Such a great mind.
Btw. what he is speaking about is Ukrainian black soil (czarnoziem) - the most fertile soil in the world. Back in 15th-18th century is was a source of wealth for Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a country named the breadbasket of Europe back then.

Even today, illegally, black soil is sold and exported in trucks out of Ukraine

[mylesboudreau]

this guy giving the interview seemed way too nervous when they talked about race

[JonathanSchattke]

While I agree with Sowell's position on the uselessness of "diversity" I think he's not clear on the meaning of the data on IQ.
Genetics provide potential; if you took Michael Jordan and raised him in a small cage, he'd never become a great basketball player. Similarly, if you take a person with the genetics to have a high IQ and raise him in an abusive, malnourished or limited environment, he'd have a low IQ.