This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the wisdom of Thomas Sowell



Among the most influential thinkers who has helped shape and craft conservatism for decades is the great economist Dr. Thomas Sowell.

There are few people who have done as much to combat the destructive policies of the progressives and the left through logic and reasoning as Thomas Sowell. His books are essential reading for anyone who desires to seriously study the best arguments against liberalism.

Among those are "Basic Economics," which is pretty self-explanatory; "A Conflict of Visions," about the failed leftist vision for America; and "Black Rednecks and White Liberals," which tackles the liberal view on race relations.

One of the most important contributions Sowell has given us is an economic maxim that slices through one of our worst intellectual tendencies.

Sowell's dictum

He often refers to this idea in the brief but powerful dictum: "There are no solutions; there are only trade-offs."

This simple statement has incredible wisdom behind it. So much of our current politics is mired in Manichean exaggerations where partisans pretend that the solutions to all our problems are very simple and it's only through the evil of the other side that we are kept from a glorious utopia. You can see this tendency being manipulated by people on both sides of the aisle.

On the other hand, Sowell's maxim sets out that that every policy solution will have some drawbacks or trade-offs. This means that many, though not all, of our political problems are about finding the best option among many rather than a simplistic binary between an extreme evil and Pollyannish messianism.

Managing trade-offs is not as exciting as declaring every political battle the equivalent of the apocalypse, but that is what politics should be — less about emotional outbursts and more about statesmanship and pragmatic leadership.

For this and so many other reasons, I am thankful that God has blessed this nation and the world with the wisdom of Thomas Sowell. If you are unfamiliar with his works, I highly encourage you to seek them out.

Here's a great interview with the great Thomas Sowell:

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'I am thankful for the freedom of self': Women express gratitude for their abortions in piece posted on Thanksgiving



In a piece posted by The Nation on Thanksgiving, several women indicated that they were thankful they had abortions.

"I am grateful to have accessed my abortions in Texas while it was still legal in the state, and that my multiple abortion experiences now guide my work," Nikiya Natale wrote in the piece. "But I am thankful for both of my abortions. I am thankful that I didn't want to be a parent then, so I didn’t have to be a parent then. The blessing to plan a pregnancy and have a child when I wanted to have a child is something I have immense gratitude for. I really am thankful for it, particularly in this political climate and moment."

Natale is the deputy director of the pro-choice organization We Testify, according to the group's website.

Savannah Williams, who is listed on organization's website as the operations coordinator, celebrated that terminating pregnancies had allowed her to complete college and start a business free from the worries of providing for and caring for kids.

"When I think about how far I've come and the things I've been able to do—such as finishing college and starting my small business—I am grateful that I was able to do them without having to worry about making ends meet and struggling to care for two small children whom I wasn't ready for. I am thankful for the freedom of self. Some people may call this selfish, but I don't think it is. I am able to care for myself and live free from anxiety and parts of my life that I have needed to leave behind. I have deep gratitude that I was able to make a decision that was good for me," Williams noted.

Kenya Martin, who is listed as program manager on the We Testify website, indicated that she is "thankful ... for each abortion" she has had.

"In 2015, I sat in my local abortion clinic filling out my paperwork. This wasn't my first abortion, but things took a turn for the worst when I suddenly became very sick and had difficulty formulating a sentence. I was experiencing an ectopic pregnancy; I was bleeding internally because of a ruptured fallopian tube and needed emergency surgery," Martin noted.

"An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside the main cavity of the uterus," according to the Mayo Clinic. "An ectopic pregnancy can't proceed normally. The fertilized egg can't survive, and the growing tissue may cause life-threatening bleeding, if left untreated."

Burger King employee received a crummy goodie bag for working 27 years without missing a day, then David Spade stepped up big time



A Burger King employee has worked at the fast-food restaurant for 27 years and never missed a day. In recognition of his hard work, the management company rewarded the worker with a lousy goodie bag. However, comedian David Spade stepped up to give the hard worker a much more suitable gift.

Kevin Ford, 54, works as a cook and cashier at the Burger King in the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport in Nevada. Ford was given a gift bag by HMS Host – a company that operates restaurants in airports.

For working 27 years without missing a single day, the company rewarded Ford with a single movie ticket, a Starbucks cup, two packs of Lifesavers candy, a bag of Reese's Pieces, two pens, and other trinkets.

Despite the severely lackluster gifts, Ford was very appreciative of the gesture.

A video of Ford accepting the crummy goodie bag went viral this week. Many viewers remarked on how grateful Ford was while accepting the uninspiring gifts.

@thekeep777

He's Worked for the Company for Almost 3 Decades and Has Never Called Out!!!😵‍💫🥺😱😭 #Grateful #Dads #FathersDay #Loyalty #Honor #WorkersUnite #Rewards #Thankful #NorrinRadd777 #theKeep777

Ford's daughter noticed that people were interested in giving her father a more rewarding gift for his hard work, so she launched a GoFundMe campaign.

"Hi, My name is Seryna. The man in that video is my father. He has worked at his job for 27 years and yes, he has never missed a day of work," Seryna Ford wrote on the crowdfunding website.

"He originally began working at this job as a single father when he gained custody of me and my older sister 27 years ago," she explained. "Then as our family grew and he remarried, he continue to work here because of the amazing health insurance That was provided through this employer because it was unionized. Which got all four of his daughters through high school and college with full healthcare coverage."

The daughter noted that they are not expecting any money, but said that her father would love to visit his grandchildren in Texas.

The GoFundMe campaign caught the eyes of many – including David Spade.

Spade made a donation of $5,000 to Ford after hearing his story. However, Ford was not sure if it was the real David Spade. Then Ford received a message on Instagram, according to TMZ.

"Keep up the good work. 27 years," Spade wrote to Ford.

Ford was blown away that the Hollywood celebrity contacted him, "HOLY S**T Dude!!! Cannot Believe This!!!"

The Burger King employee exclaimed, "THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! For Even Watching the Video! I Love You My Brother!!! Much Love and God Bless. ... I think [I] might be able to take a day off."

Spade replied, "Wait till year 30."

Ford joked, "Damn, are you one of my managers???"

Burger King issued a statement regarding the viral video, "The Burger King brand and its many franchisees nationwide are committed to recognizing and celebrating the achievements of the thousands of people serving across a wide range of roles — all dedicated to providing our guests a world-class experience."

"Following review with this location's franchisee, we've learned that this video depicts a Team Member in receipt of a peer-to-peer reward in recognition of a short-term positive performance/experience," Burger King told People magazine. "The franchisee offers its Team Members a robust employee recognition program, which includes the recognition of tenure milestones and monetary awards."

In an interview with YouTube personality Sierra Nicole, the gracious Ford thanked everyone for the support.

"I just want to say thanks to everybody out there. It's just so overwhelming," Ford said. "I'm just Kevin, you know. I just love everybody. I think that it probably touched people because I think we as humans, period, just need love and gratitude. And when you see someone like that, you know, ... I was happy to get anything. Some people got nothing, so I was just happy to get anything."

At the time of publication, the GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $63,000. He told TMZ that he may use the money to buy a new hybrid vehicle so that he can visit his daughters and grandchildren in Texas.