I subscribe to Walter E. Williams' mailing list on which he sends out an article or two each month that he has written concerning politics, economics, race, etc.... This guy is brilliant and a staunch defender of liberty. This month the articles were on the subjects I listed in the title of this thread. The following link has both of them on a single page. The few minutes it takes to read them both are time well spent.
http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/1429409/a9179ffd46/578744835/7656b44a05/
http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/1429409/a9179ffd46/578744835/7656b44a05/