Politicians seem to have a special fondness for words that have two very different meanings, so we are likely to hear a lot of these kinds of words this election year.
"Access" is one of those words. Politicians seem to be forever coming to the rescue of people who have been denied "access" to credit, college or whatever.
But what does that mean, concretely?
It could mean that some external force is blocking you from whatever your goal might be. Or it could mean that you just don't have whatever it takes to reach that goal.
To take a personal example, Michael Jordan became a basketball star — and a very rich man. I did neither. Was that because I was denied "access" to professional basketball?
Anyone who saw me as a teenager trying to play basketball could tell you that I was lucky to hit the back board, much less the basket.
By the first definition, I had as much "access" to the NBA as Michael Jordan had. Nobody was blocking me. They didn't have to block, because I was not going to make the basket — or the NBA — anyway.
Making a distinction between external and internal reasons for failing to reach one's goal would clarify the meaning of the word "access." But clarification would destroy the political usefulness of the word, along with the government programs that this word is used to justify.
For years, politicians and the media went ballistic over the fact that different groups had different approval rates for mortgage loans. This was supposed to show that some racial groups were denied "access" to mortgage loans, and especially access to the most desired loans with the lowest interest rates.
No one even asked the question: Denied access by which definition of "access"?
Political crusaders don't pause to define words. Their shrill rhetoric suggested that external barriers were the problem. And that meant government intervention was the solution, to smite the wicked and deliver "social justice" (another undefined term).
When statistics showed that blacks were turned down for conventional mortgage loans at twice the rate of whites, that was the clincher for those saying that "access" was the problem and that racial discrimination was the reason.
Since this fit the existing preconceptions in many quarters, what more could you want?
Other statistics, however, showed that whites were turned down for conventional mortgage loans at nearly double the rate for Asian Americans. By the very same reasoning, that would suggest that whites were being racially discriminated against by banks that were mostly run by whites.
But this unlikely conclusion never surfaced, because the second set of statistics seldom saw the light of day in the mainstream media, even though both sets of statistics were available from the same sources.
To publish the second set of statistics would undermine the whole moral melodrama in the media, and the political crusade based on it.
Statistics on the average credit ratings of people in different racial groups likewise seldom saw the light of day. The average credit ratings of whites were higher than the average credit ratings of blacks, and the average credit ratings of Asian Americans were higher than the average credit ratings of whites.
But to lay all these facts before the public and say, "We report, you decide" might well result in the public's deciding that banks and other financial institutions prefer lending to individuals who were more likely to pay them back.
Also lost in media stories was the fact that many, if not most, of the financial officials who actually made loan approval decisions never laid eyes on the people who applied, but based their decisions on the paperwork sent by those who dealt directly with the applicants.
Equal "access" does not automatically lead to equal outcomes, either in lending institutions or in basketball, or anywhere else. But words like "access" have led to much political success and much economic disaster, the housing market being just one example.
Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His website is www.tsowell.com. To find out more about Thomas Sowell and read features by other Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2012 CREATORS.COM
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‘The Private Sector is doing fine!' Of course, I'm quoting! Washington has lot touch with reality! Doesn't
take a rocket scientist to figure out it's time to eliminate Senators and Congress people, padlock the
doors, send them all home, and put in place a Governor from each state, who isn't an attorney, to make
sure we get back to being ‘For the People'. The Governor should know what's going on and put an end to
the rhetoric; if not, then ‘YOU'RE FIRED' are going to be the words Taxpayers use, which should have
been made into law many years ago! But then, look who's passing the laws and who they are benefiting.
Not the Taxpayers!
Politicians continue to talk about ‘creating jobs', yet they haven't the slighest idea of how creating jobs
works. If they did, NAFTA, CAFTA, and FOREIGN trade would have been voted down! The only jobs
they've created are for themselves, their buddies, and their very deep pockets, thus making government
so big, it's bankrupted America! When they sold Americans' jobs out to foreign countries, stating
“America will become a service country”, well, you guessed it, the only things being serviced are their
huge salaries, benefits, retirements, unemployment, social and welfare programs, thus ‘Discriminating
Against the Taxpayers', which they've done far too many times. Everyone can't be an attorney, a doctor,
or a business person, and this means we need the textile and furniture manufacturing jobs that America
had before being sold out for politicians' interests. BTW, Sitting on a John Deere, in your home, wouldn't
work and neither will the IOU'S placed in the vault by politicians.
Harry Reid's comments about cutting the 14 trillion dollar debt with a mere couple billion is one more of
their ignorant jokes along with, and I'm quoting, ‘this budget is the hardest job I've ever done!' Guess
what, folks, these people don't know what a hard job is! It's time for these career politicians to be sent
back to where they came from with no salary, no retirements from Taxpayers. Remember, most of them
became politicians because they couldn't make it in the private sector!
As far as Obamacare, this is another mess created to make Taxpayers think they're really doing a job.
These career politicians couldn't care less about Taxpayers future or their insurance, if they did, they
wouldn't be “taking” from Taxpayers and “giving” to people who've never worked and never intend to
work and this is obvious in the Medicare programs, the millions of dollars spent on booklets (that mean
nothing)and you can tell this from the rhetoric. Not only is this ‘Discriminating Against Taxpayers', but it
should be illegal to force anyone to buy anything, as is being done as we speak! Remember, this isn't
their money! It belongs to Taxpayers!
I'm quoting “we'll stimulate the economy with more bailouts and handouts' and once this what politicians
call a recession (Taxpayers call a depression) ends, we'll reduce the deficit!' A little late, wouldn't you
say? Economists and Taxpayers, know the politicians/government workers will never get control of
anything, never have, never will. Take GMAC and the huge bailouts by politicians to ‘as they put it - to
save jobs'? Without textile and furniture manufacturing jobs, no one could buy the cars, anyway, and this
is why GMAC shouldn't have been bailed out with Taxpayers money! According to latest news, GMAC is
recalling another 470,000, plus, cars for possibility of catching fire. Politicians say ‘they're doing so
good!' Really? Chevy Volt (powered out), Cadillac (now Chinalac) and debt isn't being paid as they still
owe Taxpayers trillions on these bailouts. I suppose this is what politicians call ‘creating jobs, huh?'
Time Warner, with Pat McCrory and Walter Dalton, debate was quite interesting. NC Bar Association put
this one on. Taxpayers know the past and what a lot of attorneys, Democrats and Republicans, have
gotten by with, that it's time to cut ties with politicians, who are attorneys, Easley, Perdue and of course,
Dalton, as they're cut from the same mold and this mold has got to stop growing.
While I'm on a roll, it's time to eliminate Senators and Congress people, padlock the doors, send them all
home with no salary or retirement, since they've didn't have a job when they landed this career position
that has destroyed America! It's time to put in place a Governor from each state, who isn't an attorney, so
we can turn America back to being ‘For the People'!
It's really quite simple, folks!
Comment: #1
Posted by: Shirley deLong
Tue Jun 26, 2012 10:41 AM
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