Thomas Sowell’s column today is especially sharp. He considers the deceptive way that statist politicians like Barack Obama use the term. The deception arises when they talk about the troubles faced by some people (no doubt about that) and then jump to the conclusion that things would be more fair if the government took more money away from the wealthy. Having the federal government drain more away from those “millionaires and billionaires” won’t magically make life better for the poor. In fact, many of those poor people wouldn’t be poor (or would be less poor) if it weren’t for the past government depredations against successful people, who invest and innovate, thereby making life better for all.