Thomas Sowell Explains the 1942 Case that Enabled Government Statism, Just as Plessy v. Ferguson Enabled Government Racism

from International Liberty by Dan Mitchell:


Thomas Sowell Explains the 1942 Case that Enabled Government Statism, Just as Plessy v. Ferguson Enabled Government Racism:
A few days ago, I wrote about Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution, which lists the “enumerated powers” of the federal government. That post included a reference to Wickard v. Filburn, an infamous Supreme Court case that opened the door to unlimited intervention from Washington.
Why was this case important? As is so often the case, Sowell’s analysis is a model of clarity and common sense.

Thomas Sowell:

The power to regulate indirect effects is not a slippery slope. It is the disastrous loss of freedom that lies at the bottom of a slippery slope.

Many people have identified Plessy v. Ferguson, which allowed the racist imposition of separate-but-equal policies, as one of the worst decisions in Supreme Court history.
They’re right, but Wickard v. Filburn deserves a place on that list as well, only it enabled statism rather than racism.