Every policy is a success by sufficiently low standards and a failure by sufficiently high standards. All things are the same, except for the differences, and different except for the similarities. The law of diminishing returns means that even the most beneficial principle will become harmful if carried far enough. Most variables can show either an upward trend or a downward trend, depending on the base year chosen. The same set of statistics can produce opposite conclusions at different levels of aggregation.
Improbable events are commonplace in a country with more than a quarter of a billion people.
You can always create a fraction by putting one variable upstairs and another variable downstairs, but that does not establish any causal relationship between them, nor does the resulting quotient have any necessary relationship to anything in the real world. Many of the 'abuses' of today were the 'reforms' of yesterday. In another section, Sowell distinguishes two major paradigms for modern thought. Their characteristics are charted, with the Tragic Vision and the vision of the Anointed having the following attributes. The tragic vision sees human capability as severely and inherently limited, social possibilities may leave many needs unmet, justices is characterized by process rules, knowledge consists largely of the unarticulated experiences of the many, incentives are primary motivators, and process costs are crucial.