All It Takes Is Guts: A Minority View

by Walter E. Williams

Praised by Thomas Sowell, these columns are both entertaining and enlightening.

This is a collection of Walter Williams' essays, drawn from his syndicated column. Williams writes with brilliant clarity--and he doesn't mince words. He destroys a number of prevailing myths, such as economic and social disparities being the result of racism and economic sanctions punishing the South African blacks more that the whites. Williams explains why the nature of congressmen is not to act in the national interest and shows how government regulations hinder rather than help the disadvantaged.

Genres: Economics, Politics, Nonfiction, Audiobook

189 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1988

About the author

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Walter E. Williams holds a B.A. in economics from California State University, Los Angeles, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from UCLA. He also holds a Doctor of Humane Letters from Virginia Union University and Grove City College, Doctor of Laws from Washington and Jefferson College and Doctor Honoris Causa en Ciencias Sociales from Universidad Francisco Marroquin, in Guatemala, where he is also Professor Honorario.

Dr. Williams has served on the faculty of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, as John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics, since 1980; from 1995 to 2001, he served as department chairman. He has also served on the faculties of Los Angeles City College, California State University Los Angeles, and Temple University in Philadelphia, and Grove City College, Grove City, Pa.

Dr. Williams is the author of over 150 publications which have appeared in scholarly journals such as Economic Inquiry, American Economic Review, Georgia Law Review, Journal of Labor Economics, Social Science Quarterly, and Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy and popular publications such as Newsweek, Ideas on Liberty, National Review, Reader's Digest, Cato Journal, and Policy Review. He has authored six books: America: A Minority Viewpoint, The State Against Blacks, which was later made into the PBS documentary "Good Intentions," All It Takes Is Guts, South Africa's War Against Capitalism, which was later revised for South African publication, Do the Right Thing: The People's Economist Speaks, and More Liberty Means Less Government.

He has made scores of radio and television appearances which include "Nightline," "Firing Line," "Face the Nation," Milton Friedman's "Free To Choose," "Crossfire," "MacNeil/Lehrer," "Wall Street Week" and was a regular commentator for "Nightly Business Report." He is also occasional substitute host for the "Rush Limbaugh" show. In addition Dr. Williams writes a nationally syndicated weekly column that is carried by approximately 140 newspapers and several web sites.

Dr. Williams serves on several boards of directors: Grove City College, Reason Foundation and Hoover Institution. He serves on numerous advisory boards including: Cato Institute, Landmark Legal Foundation, Institute of Economic Affairs, and Heritage Foundation.

Dr. Williams has received numerous fellowships and awards including: Foundation for Economic Education Adam Smith Award, Hoover Institution National Fellow, Ford Foundation Fellow, Valley Forge Freedoms Foundation George Washington Medal of Honor, Veterans of Foreign Wars U.S. News Media Award, Adam Smith Award, California State University Distinguished Alumnus Award, George Mason University Faculty Member of the Year, and Alpha Kappa Psi Award.

Dr. Williams has participated in numerous debates, conferences and lectures in the United States and abroad. He has frequently given expert testimony before Congressional committees on public policy issues ranging from labor policy to taxation and spending. He is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society, and the American Economic Association.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's stunning how relevant these essays and articles from the 1980s are today. Terrorism, racism, socialism, debt, taxes, minimum wage.... It's all here, and it's all still in the news, because these 30 year old issues were not handled properly back then. Now, today, those issues are still there, but they're much worse having the added weight of 30 years of mismanagement behind them.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened on audio. This is a compilation of his newspaper articles from the early 80s, but you would think he’s written them today. It almost made me want to go back and get an economics degree! I’ll definitely be reading more of his work.

[عدنان العبار · Rating 5 out of 5]

You really can't go wrong with Walter Williams. This book offers some of his columns which he has written over the period of more than 25 years. His columns are short, straight to the point, lucid and sobering. They are very helpful in giving us good tools (that we would immediately see their objectivity and use) once we grasp them, and which he uses to tackle the issues at hand.

The subjects are very diverse, ranging from the application of economic theory to everyday situations, to our personal nonfinancial interactions and often very personal circumstances and choices based on these circumstances, to book reviews, to social criticism, political viewpoints, historical outlook, and so on.

I cannot emphasize how sweet and simple to read this book is, and how great it was to have a guy like Walter Williams. May he rest in peace.

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We need to get rid of the experts and start applying some plain old fashioned commen sense."

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of columns written by the economist, Walter E. Williams. He is a friend of the economist Thomas Sowell, so they share a lot in common in their views on economics and racism. They are both black. The only other black person I can think of that even comes close to agreeing with them is Shelby Steele. I'm in love with all of these guys.

The columns here are dated, but still relevant to how government works today... conservative or liberal. They cover a range of topics from selling your organs rather than donating them, how government tells you that it is helping the working man (especially black people) by raising the minimum wage when instead all it does is to increase the unemployment rate, mostly for black people. He also argues that boycotting South Africa or "divesting" hurts black people more than whites and doesn't change anyone's mind. Stuff like that.

These are the kind of columns that I once read that made sense. Now all columns do is agitate me. That is why I stopped reading them (and listening and watching).

I'd love to listen to this audiobook again.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever you read anything by Walter E. Williams you know you're going to get a big dose of common sense. That is again the case here with All It Takes Is Guts by Walter E. Williams, a collection of some of his earlier papers on a variety of topics including minimum wage laws and their effects on black youth unemployment, taxes, racism, women's issues, financial and economic policy, our still failing education system, welfare programs, and more. They were written initially about conditions over 30 years ago but are still in the headlines we see today; they're just 30 plus years worse. It's all here waiting for you, especially if Dr. Williams is new to you. He has authored over 150 publications on these topics and more including in some of the most respected law and economics reviews. Additionally he has written at least six books one of which was made into a PBS documentary. Highly recommended.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of columns written by Walter Williams in the eighties. He does a great job of showing how government consistently takes money from one person to give to another. Their intentions may seem noble but they’ve failed to get results. After billions in spending on poverty programs the poverty situation hasn’t improved. The black community is worse off and we have a substantial population on multigenerational welfare. Tarries are used to benefit one group at the expense of another. Great sounding programs like the minimum wage do more harm than good and drive up unemployment for people wh need jobs the most. It’s all about getting votes. Sadly , forty years later, things have gotten worse

[C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since this was a collection of essays, the content can get a bit repetitive. It also does not get too deep so it was a quick listen and I could speed up the playback speed easily. Some of the issues outlined are quite dated as he discussed current affairs (at the time) in these essays, such as the Apartheid, but others are still highly relevant today, i.e. the public school system, economic globalisation and its impact on free market capitalism, and racial tensions. Would recommend for an alternative perspective from the popular rhetoric of today. I always think that if I am to disagree with something, I should know exactly what I am disagreeing with.

[Richard Koogler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several of his syndicated columns from the 1980s that seem to play well today. I don't agree with all of his thoughts, but, mostly, his political ideology and statistical and anecdotal evidence is solid.

[Dwight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of editorials Mr Williams wrote. Doesn’t get super deep. Interesting (and limited) look at some 1980s history that I’ve only heard of but not learned much about (e.g. South Africa towards the end of Apartheid)

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Government regulations hurt the most vulnerable and other truths that could have been written last year by Williams. Some details are dated, but the principles apply precisely to the issues we are dealing with--racism, socialism, debt, taxes, minimum wage.

[cypher · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book offers a glimpse into the racial landscape of america, focused on political and economical decisions which were made to influence and cause the longstanding problems the country has being dealing with for years.

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of articles from the 80s. Much of the information is still very useful.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several of Walter Williams' columns from the mid '80s, what is amazing about them is he talks about all the same things we are still talking about today. Some things never change...

[Alex Rockwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book and is interesting to see that after about 40 years the game is the same.

[Eric C 1965 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of columns from the mid 80's

[Andrew Markos · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite thing about this book is how prepared Walter Williams was to strongly criticise Reagan during his presidency.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

great collection of essays in economics and life. Love his humor and rhetoric.

[Tariq Mahmood · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a no-nonsense alternate take on issues of American political topics. The problem is that it is too outdated to be relevant now but still has some value lateral thinking.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss this guy, miss his voice, but especially miss his common sense.

[Sean McGowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good collection of writings by Walter Williams.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.5/10

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most are relevant today.

[Tom Stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walter Williams is one of the most interesting people I have ever heard talk. It makes me wish I had attended George Mason University. With his passing last December, it occurred to me that I have never sat down and read any of his books. This book is a collection of his syndicated columns from the 1980s and I was lucky to find an audio version on Hoopla.

Williams approaches current events in terms of economic ideas and how politicians violate economic logic because the incentives of politics are to win votes rather than be efficient. They will protect one business at the expense of the consumer. They will spend money on roads and bridges hardly anyone will use. They will run up the deficit for 2, 4, 6, 40 more years in office.

There are a series of columns here about apartheid in South Africa. I was young in those days and didn’t understand the cold war implications. I did some yardwork in high school for a South African that fled the country and understood it was a volatile place. Williams take is that South Africa needed freedom and equality for everyone, but the sanctions were hurting the poorest rather than the ruling class. It’s a shame he never wrote a history of the country

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

challenge of high standards vs low, a special advantage creates a disadvantage, min wage laws drove youth black unemployment from 10 to 50, political swaps and bad deals, women lose if feminism wins, marriage as use of each other, quotas have no success records, no Japanese role models yet achievement, welfare subsidies and social security as money to taken from one distributed to another, conflict of visions and assumptions is why people reach different conclusions viewing same info, educations smoking gun book, Dubois thought greatest enemy of black workers as unions, Tocqueville predicted equality and slavery as enemy of equality and freedom, parents need hold children accountable as author experienced with lunch money, 80% of giving by Americans, tyranny of majority rule vs bill of rights, socialism via Hitler and the like, US over Japan w/o Russia and communists, capitalism and dignity vs socialism and human abuse and oppression, understand history to not repeat human abuse of much socialism, Gorbachev attempted to gain treaty, why not destroy the Berlin wall while built vs decades of human abuse. Diminishing freedoms, when or where did socialism ever work, never married women earn more than never married men, married men more than never married men, failed education for black minorities though not for Asian.

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book from the standpoint it gave me a clearer understanding of Walter Williams and where he stood on a multitude of issues. Principally, the socioeconomic status of black and brown people. An old school conservative, he was big on less government intervention and allowing business and the market the latitude to grow (or not) on its own. The problem is that that approach had been undertaken before and we found ourselves having to bail out those entities. Interesting perspective nonetheless. I look forward to reading his autobiography "Up from the Projects" to get an even better understanding of his conservative beliefs. Then, onto "Race & Economics." After that, I will have Walter Williams mapped out (figuratively).

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of essays written by the great Walter Williams in the 80's. Most of the essays are still relevant today, but some are outdated. Topics range from race and discrimination to liberty issues to South African apartheid to the Cold War. Collections of essays are kind of hard in books. I like most of the essays but considering they were published over many years in various news papers, he often makes the same point on the same topics over again.

[Kit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Were the columns a little less repetitive, this would have been a 4 star book, and the concepts easily rate 5 stars. Mr. Williams gives straight-forward and easy-to-understand understand lessons on our most cherished yet sadly abandoned national heritage: freedom. I will certainly be looking for more from this author!

[Laurie Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Sowell refers to Walter Williams often enough that I really want to read some of his work. So when I found this book on Audible I decided to give it a listen. I would have preferred to read one of his more definitive books; this was just a collection of his opinion columns for newspapers in the mid 80s. Still, it was thought provoking and I felt it was well worth the time I spent on it.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of editorials written back in the 1980's. The issues are still making the news. Some of the suggested answers are still as relevant today as when written.