Economics Legend Walter E. Williams Dies at 84 – IOTW Report

Economics Legend Walter E. Williams Dies at 84

Suffer No Fools.

Dan Bongino:

George Mason University economist Don Boudreaux posted to his blog this morning that at some point last night or this morning, his colleague and fellow economist Walter Williams had passed away. Williams was 84.

Williams was known for his conservative and libertarian views, with his columns appearing in Creators, Townhall, World Net Daily, and Jewish World Review, among many others. In his columns Williams railed against liberal economics, gun control, Marxism, teachers unions, race hustlers, and any other threats to human liberty he saw in the world.

Williams’ final column was published yesterday, titled “Black Education Tragedy Is New.” In it he examines the dismal test scores in inner cities today, and offers rebuttals to the claim that they’re the result of “systemic” racism.

In addition to his columns, Williams had authored eleven books, the most known being “The State Against Blacks” (1982), “Liberty Versus the Tyranny of Socialism” (2008), “Up From the Projects” (2010) and “Race & Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed on Discrimination?” (2011).

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30 Comments on Economics Legend Walter E. Williams Dies at 84

  1. I have read Mr. Williams’ columns for many years. He was, among other things, an advocate for blacks, but what he wanted was equal opportunity and an equal application of rules. It is a travesty that white liberal elitists and race hustlers ignored both Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell in favor of their own programs that not only did nothing for the black community, but actually prevented opportunity and advancement.

    He will be sorely missed. Mr. Williams’ wisdom was applicable to anyone who would bother to read his work – regardless of color, race or gender.

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  2. …he was probably overwhelmed by all the stupid he was hearing in increasing volume and stridency, and being the brilliant man he was, decided Heaven was the ONLY place that wouldn’t be overwhelmed by it.

    He didn’t die, he resigned to go keep the books for the Lord.

    And we are much diminished by his loss as the Lord continues to pull His best from this Earth so they won’t suffer the gathering evil that He tells us will subsume the reprobate governments of vain humans.

    May the Lord send His spirit to bless and comfort those that love him and are missing him today, and will miss him every day for the rest of their lives. May they have His assurance that their loved one is in a better place, and feel His call to come to Him on bended knee so they may be reunited by and by.

    And we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, amen.

    God bless,
    SNS

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  3. A great man and honest, bright thinker! Conservatives lost a forthright man.
    Have read him for decades because I am conservative, read his column just today. Liberals pretend not to know him; and have done so for decades.
    LIBERALS LIE!

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  4. I found him when he was guest hosting for Rush, many moons ago.
    Loved his common sense wisdom and his quick wit.
    My husband and I still joke about the “gifts” he would get for Mrs. Williams-golf shoes so that she wouldn’t slip when she cleared the ice from his car window in the morning! Then there were all manner of household appliances to ease her workload-vacuum cleaners and such.
    Whenever I get one of these utilitarian gifts, my husband invokes the Walter Williams rule!
    I had the privilege to attend a speech of his at Cal State San Bernardino. After the speech, we left by the same door and he asked me for a light for his cigarette! I was still smoking at the time and was able to help a brother out.

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  5. I had tickets to see Williams speak 25 years ago but I could not make it. I gave the tickets to someone else who got a tape of the talk for me.

    I seem to have bad luck when it come to seeing conservative speakers. Ten years ago Mrs. RMM and I had tickets to see Mark Steyne. I went out to get gas in the car earlier in the afternoon and got T-boned on the way home.

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  6. Williams was the best and will really be missed. First read him in The Conservative Chronicle and loved when he guest hosted for Rush. The jokes he did about Mrs. Williams were hilarious, but I remember one day a caller asked him to go into more detail and he revealed that Mrs. Williams had passed. What started as a joke continued as a tribute to her.
    Williams had such a brilliant mind and could take complex economic concepts and break them down to easy to understand common sense practices. You were entertained and always learned something. RIP Mr. Williams.

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  7. Funny story.

    Back in 2009 we were cobbling together the first Richmond Tea Party event and I reached out to Dr. Williams, asking him to be a speaker.

    His reply was short, but he responded, unlike many I wrote to.

    ‘Thanks for the invite. Not my cup of TEA.’

    RIP Walter Williams.

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  8. This is a profound loss. Walter Williams was an extremely intelligent man who was passionate about teaching others that truth matters. He knew institutionalized racism is a myth.
    His skin color did not limit him or stop him from completely living the American Dream. Exactly why any real conservative could relate to his common sense wisdom.
    I think the saddest part of his passing, is that there may be no young black conservative worthy enough to take up his mantle.
    The self destructive behavior of most black Americans for generations have made it a rarity for awesome men like Walter Williams or Thomas Sowell to exist in the future.

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  9. Walter Williams,
    Thomas Sowell,
    Mark Steyn and
    Victor Davis Hanson
    are all great men who nurtured my sanity for the last 20 years. My daily morning read of the IBD editorial pages empowered me to face the workday. Their columns were cut and filed for my progeny.

    Lofty intellects, cutting humor, monumental values.

    Thank you, Mr Williams, may your memory be eternal.
    Your writings will definitely live on.

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  10. Loved his work way back in the seventies. I was exposed to him and Thomas Sowell when a mimeographed typewritten publication which, might have been called Review of the News was sent to me via subscription. It promoted small business and young business minded persons encouragement.

    May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of Christ, rest in peace in His loving arms. Amen.

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  11. Well, Rose and Milton Friedman plus Walter Williams…an important source for Economic life and a study in the nobility of humanity…so, thousands of memories but Agatha hit upon the humor…I remember that he was concerned that Mrs. Williams had suffered a mild heart problem but Walter had a fix,,..it seems that when she shoveled the driveway snow so that he could get his car onto the street, she suffered chest and back pains…obviously, the work and stress needed to fill a wide snow shovel and fling the snow over the wall of snow that she had created was too much for her so he bought her a PlaySchool toy shovel that solved the problem..but he had to wake her up earlier now. The Democrats are evil scum…a generation of Black role models such as Walter Williams, Ward Connerly, Condi Rice, Clarence Thomas, Thomas Sowell etc were marginalized by the Democrats who proffered Rev. Sharpton, Cornel West, Van Jones etc as a better choice…Plantation is working hard to keep the Black population enslaved in the mind if not the body..

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  12. Very sad news but we are a better people for having the good fortune to have known him. As I type this I am looking at the Proclamation of Amnesty and Pardon granted to All Persons of European Descent for the slavery that occurred early in our history that I downloaded from his web site years ago. It hangs on the wall as a reminder of what a great student of history he was and of his great sense of humor.
    God rest his gentle soul.
    He will be truly missed.

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  13. This news sucks, he’s been a decades long indulgence of mine. Especially loved his humor but man he could lay some pipe. If you get a chance, the hour long bio linked is a very nice tale.

    Just read a article he wrote a few days ago. So many of my pleasures in life have crossed over.

    God speed Dude.

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  14. Back when I used to read opinion pages in the local newspaper (OC Register) I would read a lot of Mr. Williams columns on Sundays and enjoy every one. He had an endearing way of referring to himself in the third person, like: “Now look here Williams, suppose you want to buy some goldfish for your cat, so you go down to your local pet store…etc, etc”. There was always an economic lesson in his funny stories.

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