Last month was Black History month and I totally missed it. So, I intend to correct my oversight this month as well as honoring Women’s History month.
Thomas Sowell
There are many black Americans that I could write about that have contributed much to our country such as Dr. Ben Carson, Colin Powell, Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington and many others. I would like to speak about a man that came from poverty with no parents and no economic handouts, to become a highly respected economist and writer.
He was born in 1930 in Gastonia, North Carolina. Before he was born, his father, who was dying, asked his aunt to raise Tommy because Tommy’s mother, Willie, already had 4 children and didn’t make enough money to care for another. Willie would visit often but Tommy was never told that she was his mother.
Tommy was not a sad boy and enjoyed his two sisters. There were few books in their home besides the Bible but his sister, Birdie, taught him how to read. He was able to read on his own at age 4.
Growing up in “Jim Crow” south, Tommy rarely saw white people. Then his aunt took the family to New York City where he saw people of every race, religion, and ethnicity. He was surprised that people had yellow hair.
Tommy was a very stubborn and fearless boy. When taken to New York, the school teachers, believing that southern education wasn’t as good as up north, told Tommy he would have to go to third grade. He told the teachers he would not go to third grade. When the teachers would not relent, he demanded to see the principal. The principal tested Tommy and he indeed qualified for fourth grade.
Tommy’s grades were so good, that he was accepted in to Stuyvesant High School, one of the best schools in New York City. Tommy stayed up late doing his homework. His family couldn’t pay for the subway to get him to school or food for lunch. He had to work weekends delivering groceries in Harlem.
Tommy was the first person in his family to go to high school and his family couldn’t understand why he spent so much time in the library. Money was tight and arguments erupted and shouting ensued. Tommy finally couldn’t take it and quit school and eventually left home. He was just 17.
He got a job working for Western Union and as he rode the bus to deliver packages, he saw the differences between the wealthy Downtown and the rundown Uptown. He wondered why some people have so little and others so much. He wondered how people could move up in life. After losing his job, he realized that he would have to learn how to survive. He was sure that begging and asking for favors wasn’t the answer.
He survived on stale bread and jelly and refused to use the subway but walked instead. He eventually found a job but became bored. He decided to go back to school. He worked a regular job and then went to night school. He finished high school then attended Howard University, Harvard, Columbia and the University of Chicago. After finishing his schooling, he became a professor at Cornell University.
Thomas Sowell didn’t believe that undeserved favors really help people, because if you give people something they didn’t earn, they wouldn’t learn how to earn it themselves. When he was offered a prestigious job just because he was black, he refused. In his eyes, nothing good could come of getting something you didn’t really earn.
Thomas was approached by President Ronald Reagan for the position of Secretary of Labor and also Secretary of Education but he refused. He felt he could do more by writing books. He has written more than 30 books on self-reliance, the free market, and personal responsibility. He is known as a thinker who has inspired many. The following are some of his thoughts; you can find more here.
He was born in 1930 in Gastonia, North Carolina. Before he was born, his father, who was dying, asked his aunt to raise Tommy because Tommy’s mother, Willie, already had 4 children and didn’t make enough money to care for another. Willie would visit often but Tommy was never told that she was his mother.
Tommy was not a sad boy and enjoyed his two sisters. There were few books in their home besides the Bible but his sister, Birdie, taught him how to read. He was able to read on his own at age 4.
Growing up in “Jim Crow” south, Tommy rarely saw white people. Then his aunt took the family to New York City where he saw people of every race, religion, and ethnicity. He was surprised that people had yellow hair.
Tommy was a very stubborn and fearless boy. When taken to New York, the school teachers, believing that southern education wasn’t as good as up north, told Tommy he would have to go to third grade. He told the teachers he would not go to third grade. When the teachers would not relent, he demanded to see the principal. The principal tested Tommy and he indeed qualified for fourth grade.
Tommy’s grades were so good, that he was accepted in to Stuyvesant High School, one of the best schools in New York City. Tommy stayed up late doing his homework. His family couldn’t pay for the subway to get him to school or food for lunch. He had to work weekends delivering groceries in Harlem.
Tommy was the first person in his family to go to high school and his family couldn’t understand why he spent so much time in the library. Money was tight and arguments erupted and shouting ensued. Tommy finally couldn’t take it and quit school and eventually left home. He was just 17.
He got a job working for Western Union and as he rode the bus to deliver packages, he saw the differences between the wealthy Downtown and the rundown Uptown. He wondered why some people have so little and others so much. He wondered how people could move up in life. After losing his job, he realized that he would have to learn how to survive. He was sure that begging and asking for favors wasn’t the answer.
He survived on stale bread and jelly and refused to use the subway but walked instead. He eventually found a job but became bored. He decided to go back to school. He worked a regular job and then went to night school. He finished high school then attended Howard University, Harvard, Columbia and the University of Chicago. After finishing his schooling, he became a professor at Cornell University.
Thomas Sowell didn’t believe that undeserved favors really help people, because if you give people something they didn’t earn, they wouldn’t learn how to earn it themselves. When he was offered a prestigious job just because he was black, he refused. In his eyes, nothing good could come of getting something you didn’t really earn.
Thomas was approached by President Ronald Reagan for the position of Secretary of Labor and also Secretary of Education but he refused. He felt he could do more by writing books. He has written more than 30 books on self-reliance, the free market, and personal responsibility. He is known as a thinker who has inspired many. The following are some of his thoughts; you can find more here.
“The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough
of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it.
The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.”
“It is a way to take people's wealth from them
without having to openly raise taxes.
Inflation is the most universal tax of all.”
of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it.
The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.”
“It is a way to take people's wealth from them
without having to openly raise taxes.
Inflation is the most universal tax of all.”
Information for this biography came from “Thomas Sowell A Self-made Man.”
Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley, original name Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, was born January 20, 1972 in Bamberg, South Carolina. Randhawa’s parents were Indian immigrants who owned a small foreign goods store that evolved into a hugely successful clothing and gift venture. She began working there while still a teenager, and continued there after getting her B.S. from Clemson University.
In 1996 she married Michael Haley, who later served in the National Guard and was deployed during the Afghanistan War. In 2004 Nikki won a seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives, campaigning on a traditional Republican platform that included tax cuts, immigration controls, and abortion restrictions. She took office the following year and was reelected in 2008.
In 2010 Haley ran for governor of South Carolina, earning the backing of the Tea Party movement, notably Sarah Palin. It was a bitter campaign—with Haley being subjected to racial slurs and accusations of infidelity. She said, "But it goes to a bigger issue that we need to always be conscious of. At every point in my life, I've noticed that if you speak your mind and you're strong about it and you say what you believe, there is a small percentage of people that resent that and the way they deal with it is to try and throw arrows, lies or not."
When she took office in 2011, she made history as the first woman and the first person of an ethnic minority to hold the governorship. During her first term South Carolina’s economy grew steadily as the jobless rate fell. Haley easily won reelection in 2014.
In 2015, a white man killed nine African Americans during a Bible study meeting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. In the wake of the tragedy, Nikki, who had earlier dismissed calls to remove the Confederate flag from the capitol, successfully led an effort to have the flag taken down.
President-elect Trump selected her to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 2016. Despite having limited foreign-policy experience, she was easily confirmed by the Senate in January 2017 with a vote of 96 to 4. Immediately thereafter she resigned as governor of South Carolina.
As UN ambassador, Haley developed a reputation for being outspoken, especially concerning Iran and North Korea, both of which were pursuing nuclear programs. In 2018 she supported Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal (2015) with Iran.
Nikki is still active in supporting bills that give rights to a fetus and restrict abortion, except when the mother's life is at risk. She believes that all immigration laws should be enforced, immigrants should carry documentation at all times and that federal government should address immigration issues so that states do not have to make their own laws.
SUMMARY
Both of these individuals are conservative thinking people. They are not afraid to speak their minds and are willing to stand up against communism, socialism or media biased propaganda. Both came from difficult backgrounds, but were able to overcome controversy and racial prejudice to become valuable members of our society.
In 1996 she married Michael Haley, who later served in the National Guard and was deployed during the Afghanistan War. In 2004 Nikki won a seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives, campaigning on a traditional Republican platform that included tax cuts, immigration controls, and abortion restrictions. She took office the following year and was reelected in 2008.
In 2010 Haley ran for governor of South Carolina, earning the backing of the Tea Party movement, notably Sarah Palin. It was a bitter campaign—with Haley being subjected to racial slurs and accusations of infidelity. She said, "But it goes to a bigger issue that we need to always be conscious of. At every point in my life, I've noticed that if you speak your mind and you're strong about it and you say what you believe, there is a small percentage of people that resent that and the way they deal with it is to try and throw arrows, lies or not."
When she took office in 2011, she made history as the first woman and the first person of an ethnic minority to hold the governorship. During her first term South Carolina’s economy grew steadily as the jobless rate fell. Haley easily won reelection in 2014.
In 2015, a white man killed nine African Americans during a Bible study meeting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. In the wake of the tragedy, Nikki, who had earlier dismissed calls to remove the Confederate flag from the capitol, successfully led an effort to have the flag taken down.
President-elect Trump selected her to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 2016. Despite having limited foreign-policy experience, she was easily confirmed by the Senate in January 2017 with a vote of 96 to 4. Immediately thereafter she resigned as governor of South Carolina.
As UN ambassador, Haley developed a reputation for being outspoken, especially concerning Iran and North Korea, both of which were pursuing nuclear programs. In 2018 she supported Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal (2015) with Iran.
Nikki is still active in supporting bills that give rights to a fetus and restrict abortion, except when the mother's life is at risk. She believes that all immigration laws should be enforced, immigrants should carry documentation at all times and that federal government should address immigration issues so that states do not have to make their own laws.
SUMMARY
Both of these individuals are conservative thinking people. They are not afraid to speak their minds and are willing to stand up against communism, socialism or media biased propaganda. Both came from difficult backgrounds, but were able to overcome controversy and racial prejudice to become valuable members of our society.
Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9
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