Are Facts Obsolete?

by Thomas Sowell - July 15th, 2008 - Townhall.com

As the hypnotic mantra of "change" is repeated endlessly, few people even raise the question of whether what few specifics we hear represent any real change, much less a change for the better.

Raising taxes, increasing government spending and demonizing business? That is straight out of the New Deal of the 1930s.

In a society where our teachers have done an incompetent job of teaching our history, the old cliche becomes a serious predictor of the consequence, "Those who do not understand history are condemned to repeat it."

Barack Obama is about to lead our nation down the road to Marxism, just like FDR did in his time. Just as many economists believe that FDR prolonged the great depression, maybe even was the cause of a recession becoming a depression, Obama is advocating popular but misguided solutions for problems that will be exacerbated by what he is recommending.

Barack Obama cautioned James Dobson not to disagree with him on his understanding of the bible, implying he was better able to interpret the bible than a man who has been a lifelong pastor. He has also cautioned economists to not disagree with him on his understanding of economic policy. He blithely dismisses the idea that raising tax rates will reduce tax receipts, something that he considers irrelevant to improving the "fairness" of the tax system.

This is the candidate who started running for President one year after he was elected to the U.S. Senate at a time when he had never accomplished anything of consequence. He still has nothing but rhetoric as an accomplishment. Yet he is being compared favorably to a man who endured five years of torture and stayed faithful to his pledge to his fellow soldiers. Ego versus courage. Those are the real differences between thse two candidates.

Thomas Sowell is right to ask, "Are facts obsolete?" What fact can possibly justify this political charlatan Obama being seriously considered for President?