Larry Elder: Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams deserve the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

That economists Thomas Sowell and the late Walter Williams have not received the Presidential Medal of Freedom borders on scandalous. The award, as well as the Congressional Gold Medal, is the highest civilian award in the United States. It recognizes those who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, or world peace, or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

Even calling these two intellectual giants “economists” belittles their contributions. As for Sowell, now aged 94, playwright David Mamet called him “our greatest contemporary philosopher” and credits Sowell with helping him overcome being a “brain-dead liberal.” For decades, both Sowell and Williams wrote extremely popular weekly nationally syndicated columns in addition to their numerous books.

On Sowell’s 92nd birthday, University of Michigan economist and American Enterprise Institute scholar Mark J. Perry wrote: “… there is no economist alive today who has done more to eloquently, articulately, and persuasively advance the principles of economic freedom, limited government, individual liberty, and a free society than Thomas Sowell. In terms of both his quantity of work (49 books and several thousand newspaper columns) and the consistently excellent and crystal-clear quality of his writing …”

When Williams died in 2020 at age 84, Young America’s Foundation then-President Ron Robinson said: “We are grateful for the life and legacy of Dr. Walter Williams, who generously gave his time and wisdom to students to ensure freedom. Dr. Williams was a faithful successor to Adam Smith. He built on Smith’s scholarship and made it fresh for new audiences. YAF audiences were blessed to learn from Dr. Williams these past 50 years. His passing is a loss to everyone who cherishes individual freedom.”

Williams was raised in a Philadelphia housing project by a single mother. He served in the Army and obtained a master’s and a Ph.D. in economics at the University of California, Los Angeles. In addition to writing more than a dozen books, including the inspirational autobiography, “Up from the Projects,” he was the subject of a documentary called “Suffer No Fools.” As chairman of the economics department of George Mason University, Williams became the first black chair of the economics department of a non-black college or university.

Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley, who wrote “Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell,” said: “Mr. Sowell is no stranger to poverty, prejudice or discrimination. He was born in segregated North Carolina in 1930, orphaned as a toddler, and raised in Harlem from age 9. He never finished high school and earned his GED after serving a stint in the Marines during the Korean War. The GI bill enabled him to enroll in college, first at historically black Howard University, before moving on to Harvard, Columbia, and finally the University of Chicago.”

Some of Sowell’s quotes:

“It’s hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.”

“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.”

“Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.”

Some of Williams’ quotes:

“But let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you — and why?”

“How does something immoral, when done privately, become moral when it is done collectively? … Slavery was legal; apartheid is legal; Stalinist, Nazi, and Maoist purges were legal. Clearly, the fact of legality does not justify these crimes. Legality, alone, cannot be the talisman of moral people.”

Sowell and Williams were best friends and intellectual soulmates. I was blessed to have known them for decades. Over lunch, I watched them playfully rib each other. When Williams reached for the check, Sowell shouted, “There you go again, publicly flaunting your wealth!”

President Trump, please award Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It’s long overdue.

Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host. To find out more about Larry Elder, or become an “Elderado,” visit www.LarryElder.com. Follow Larry on X @larryelder. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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