Mark Levin is saying Walter Williams died today. No link to a news story yet. Anyone?

Yeah, he died this morning. Such a shame as he was an iconic thinker and good at communicating his views.

RIP Mr. Williams.

Jim

Wikipedia seems to think so. But I've not seen anything. Not even on Townhall.

But he did post an article today: https://townhall.com/columnist...gedy-is-new-n2580836

I'm starting to wonder now because Wikipedia is the only source that has the news so far. I hope it's bogus.

Jim

And what a final Townhall column it was---a stark indictment of how today's education system has utterly failed the people who most desperately need a way to get out of poverty.


https://townhall.com/columnist...gedy-is-new-n2580836

Black Education Tragedy Is New
Walter E. Williams Walter E. Williams |Posted: Dec 02, 2020 12:01 AM
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

Walter E. Williams
Black Education Tragedy Is New

Several years ago, Project Baltimore began an investigation of Baltimore's school system. What they found was an utter disgrace. In 19 of Baltimore's 39 high schools, out of 3,804 students, only 14 of them, or less than 1%, were proficient in math. In 13 of Baltimore's high schools, not a single student scored proficient in math. In five Baltimore City high schools, not a single student scored proficient in math or reading. Despite these academic deficiencies, about 70% of the students graduate and are conferred a high school diploma -- a fraudulent high school diploma.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District scored the lowest in the nation compared to 26 other urban districts for reading and mathematics at the fourth- and eighth-grade levels. A recent video captures some of this miseducation in Milwaukee high schools: In two city high schools, only one student tested proficient in math and none are proficient in English. Yet, the schools spent a full week learning about "systemic racism" and "Black Lives Matter activism." By the way, a Nov. 19, 2020, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article asks: "How many Black teachers did you have? I've only had two." The article concludes, "For future Black students, that number needs to go up." New York City is one of many school systems in the United States set to roll out Black Lives Matter-themed lesson plans. According to the NYC Department of Education, teachers will delve into "systemic racism," police brutality and white privilege in their classrooms.

Should we blame this education tragedy on racial discrimination or claim that it is a legacy of slavery? Dr. Thomas Sowell's research in "Education: Assumptions Versus History" documents academic excellence at Baltimore's Frederick Douglass High School and others. This academic excellence occurred during the late 1800s to mid-1900s, an era when blacks were much poorer than today and faced gross racial discrimination. Frederick Douglass High School of yesteryear produced many distinguished alumni, such as Thurgood Marshall and Cab Calloway, and several judges, congressmen and civil rights leaders. Frederick Douglass High School was second in the nation in black Ph.Ds. among its alumni.

Also, in Sowell's "Education: Assumptions Versus History" is the story of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, a black public school in Washington, D.C. As early as 1899, its students scored higher on citywide tests than any of the city's white schools. From its founding in 1870 to 1955, most of its graduates went off to college. Dunbar's distinguished alumni include U.S. Sen. Edward Brooke, physician Charles Drew and, during World War II, nearly a score of majors, nine colonels and lieutenant colonels, and a brigadier general. Today's Paul Laurence Dunbar and Frederick Douglass high schools have material resources that would have been unimaginable to their predecessors. However, having those resources have meant absolutely nothing in terms of academic achievement.

If we accept the notion that rotten education is not preordained, then I wonder when the black community will demand an end to an educational environment that condemns so many youngsters to mediocrity. You can bet the rent money that white liberals and high-income blacks would not begin to accept the kind of education for their children that most blacks receive.

The school climate, seldom discussed, plays a very important role in education. During the 2017-18 school year, there were an estimated 962,300 violent incidents and 476,100 nonviolent incidents in U.S. public schools nationwide. Schools with 1,000 or more students had at least one sworn law enforcement officer. About 90% of those law enforcement officers carry firearms. Aside from violence, there are many instances of outright disrespect for teachers. First- and second-graders telling teachers to "Shut the f--- up" and calling teachers "b---h."

Years ago, much of the behavior of young people that we see today would have never been tolerated. There was the vice principal's office where corporal punishment would be administered for gross infractions. If the kid was unwise enough to tell his parents what happened, he might get more punishment at home. Today, unfortunately, we have replaced practices that worked with practices that sound good and caring. And we are witnessing the results.

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.

That was a great read. Once again much of this boils down to kids not having a father in their life, getting in trouble, and never rising above the slums they live in. Good jobs and decent income lead to family stability, then on to respect for their teachers and a good learning environment.

Send the work to China, and the downward spiral starts.

A voice of reason that will indeed be missed.

RIP Walter E. Williams

Dr. Williams was here a little over a year ago...

An Evening With Dr. Walter Williams

Seems to be confirmed on the Dan Bongino Report.

quote:

Originally posted by c1steve:
That was a great read. Once again much of this boils down to kids not having a father in their life, getting in trouble, and never rising above the slums they live in. Good jobs and decent income lead to family stability, then on to respect for their teachers and a good learning environment.

Send the work to China, and the downward spiral starts.

Look back a few weeks at the guy in Philadelphia who had mental illness problems, assaulted a family member, and came at police officers with a knife when they showed up---he had nine children, most with different women, apparently hadn't married any of them, had been in and out of jail quite a bit, no job, not paying much if anything in child support.

Don't tell me that a halfway decent education system and vocational job programs that could have taught him and others in similar circumstances a skill or trade (or put him on the road to college) wouldn't have saved a whole lot of people in his community from poverty.

Instead, the Democrat Party's system of perpetuating poverty and subservience to maintain political power makes it nearly impossible for minorities in downtrodden communities to succeed.

Then again, the Democrats do see it as success---for them.

Man can 2020 suck any more?

At least he wont be around to experience the shit we are about to enter in the next couple years.

Damn it. 2020 continues to bring on the suck.

I had a few email exchanges and a brief phone call or two with the professor. Always wanted to meet him. I always remember this from one of his columns I read almost 10 years ago.

"True rights, such as those in our Constitution, or those considered to be natural or human rights, exist simultaneously among people. That means exercise of a right by one person does not diminish those held by another." - Prof. Walter E. Williams.

Walter Williams was yet another example for the black community that was totally shunned and ignored by the people who could most benefit from his wisdom and life experiences. May he RIP. He will be missed.

I always enjoyed the times he guest-hosted for Rush Limbaugh.

He was so brutally honest. My own conservative foundation was - in good part - nurtured by the words of the professor. I found the Creators Syndicate article he wrote in March 2010. It's so damn valuable...

https://patriotpost.us/opinion...e-a-right-2010-03-10

Is Health Care a Right?

Most politicians, and probably most Americans, see health care as a right. Thus, whether a person has the means to pay for medical services or not, he is nonetheless entitled to them. Let’s ask ourselves a few questions about this vision.

Say a person, let’s call him Harry, suffers from diabetes and he has no means to pay a laboratory for blood work, a doctor for treatment and a pharmacy for medication. Does Harry have a right to XYZ lab’s and Dr. Jones’ services and a prescription from a pharmacist? And, if those services are not provided without charge, should Harry be able to call for criminal sanctions against those persons for violating his rights to health care?

You say, “Williams, that would come very close to slavery if one person had the right to force someone to serve him without pay.” You’re right. Suppose instead of Harry being able to force a lab, doctor and pharmacy to provide services without pay, Congress uses its taxing power to take a couple of hundred dollars out of the paycheck of some American to give to Harry so that he could pay the lab, doctor and pharmacist. Would there be any difference in principle, namely forcibly using one person to serve the purposes of another? There would be one important strategic difference, that of concealment. Most Americans, I would hope, would be offended by the notion of directly and visibly forcing one person to serve the purposes of another. Congress’ use of the tax system to invisibly accomplish the same end is more palatable to the average American.

True rights, such as those in our Constitution, or those considered to be natural or human rights, exist simultaneously among people. That means exercise of a right by one person does not diminish those held by another. In other words, my rights to speech or travel impose no obligations on another except those of non-interference. If we apply ideas behind rights to health care to my rights to speech or travel, my free speech rights would require government-imposed obligations on others to provide me with an auditorium, television studio or radio station. My right to travel freely would require government-imposed obligations on others to provide me with airfare and hotel accommodations.

For Congress to guarantee a right to health care, or any other good or service, whether a person can afford it or not, it must diminish someone else’s rights, namely their rights to their earnings. The reason is that Congress has no resources of its very own. Moreover, there is no Santa Claus, Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy giving them those resources. The fact that government has no resources of its very own forces one to recognize that in order for government to give one American citizen a dollar, it must first, through intimidation, threats and coercion, confiscate that dollar from some other American. If one person has a right to something he did not earn, of necessity it requires that another person not have a right to something that he did earn.

To argue that people have a right that imposes obligations on another is an absurd concept. A better term for new-fangled rights to health care, decent housing and food is wishes. If we called them wishes, I would be in agreement with most other Americans for I, too, wish that everyone had adequate health care, decent housing and nutritious meals. However, if we called them human wishes, instead of human rights, there would be confusion and cognitive dissonance. The average American would cringe at the thought of government punishing one person because he refused to be pressed into making someone else’s wish come true.

None of my argument is to argue against charity. Reaching into one’s own pockets to assist his fellow man in need is praiseworthy and laudable. Reaching into someone else’s pockets to do so is despicable and deserves condemnation.

Dr. Williams has always been one of my favorite writers. He was exceptionally brilliant and fearless. He will definitely be missed. RIP

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
I always enjoyed the times he guest-hosted for Rush Limbaugh.

Ditto. A great guest host. Always a straight shooter and lots of common sense.

May he rest in peace.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
I always enjoyed the times he guest-hosted for Rush Limbaugh.

He was a great man and he did a terrific job filling in for Rush.

I only have good things to say about him.

He was never,ever, part of the entitlement clan.

You will be missed, Mr. Williams.

At least from those who understand reality.

I will never forget the first time I heard him, I believe on Rush. He was a breath of fresh air in a very stale environment.