Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Back on Uncle Sam's plantation


Star Parker - Syndicated Columnist - 2/9/2009 8:00:00 AM

Six years ago I wrote a book called Uncle Sam's Plantation. I wrote the book to tell my own story of what I saw living inside the welfare state and my own transformation out of it.

I said in that book that indeed there are two Americas -- a poor America on socialism and a wealthy America on capitalism.

I talked about government programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS), Emergency Assistance to Needy Families with Children (EANF), Section 8 Housing, and Food Stamps.

A vast sea of perhaps well-intentioned government programs, all initially set into motion in the 1960s, that were going to lift the nation's poor out of poverty.

A benevolent Uncle Sam welcomed mostly poor black Americans onto the government plantation. Those who accepted the invitation switched mindsets from "How do I take care of myself?" to "What do I have to do to stay on the plantation?"

Instead of solving economic problems, government welfare socialism created monstrous moral and spiritual problems -- the kind of problems that are inevitable when individuals turn responsibility for their lives over to others.

The legacy of American socialism is our blighted inner cities, dysfunctional inner city schools, and broken black families.

Through God's grace, I found my way out. It was then that I understood what freedom meant and how great this country is.

I had the privilege of working on welfare reform in 1996, passed by a Republican Congress and signed 50 percent.

I thought we were on the road to moving socialism out of our poor black communities and replacing it with wealth-producing American capitalism.

But, incredibly, we are going in the opposite direction.

Instead of poor America on socialism becoming more like rich American on capitalism, rich America on capitalism is becoming like poor America on socialism.

Uncle Sam has welcomed our banks onto the plantation and they have said, "Thank you, Suh."

Now, instead of thinking about what creative things need to be done to serve customers, they are thinking about what they have to tell Massah in order to get their cash.

There is some kind of irony that this is all happening under our first black president on the 200th anniversary of the birthday of Abraham Lincoln.

Worse, socialism seems to be the element of our new young president. And maybe even more troubling, our corporate executives seem happy to move onto the plantation.

In an op-ed on the opinion page of the Washington Post, Mr. Obama is clear that the goal of his trillion dollar spending plan is much more than short term economic stimulus.

"This plan is more than a prescription for short-term spending -- it's a strategy for America's long-term growth and opportunity in areas such as renewable energy, healthcare, and education."

Perhaps more incredibly, Obama seems to think that government taking over an economy is a new idea. Or that massive growth in government can take place "with unprecedented transparency and accountability."

Yes, sir, we heard it from Jimmy Carter when he created the Department of Energy, the Synfuels Corporation, and the Department of Education.

Or how about the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 -- The War on Poverty -- which President Johnson said "...does not merely expand old programs or improve what is already being done. It charts a new course. It strikes at the causes, not just the consequences of poverty."

Trillions of dollars later, black poverty is the same. But black families are not, with triple the incidence of single-parent homes and out-of-wedlock births.

It's not complicated. Americans can accept Barack Obama's invitation to move onto the plantation. Or they can choose personal responsibility and freedom.

Does anyone really need to think about what the choice should be?

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for your very wise and honest remarks. The facts that you state are so scarey in their truth that it took my breath away. I personally didn't vote for Obama for all of those reasons. How can a man who has never worked a day in his life understand the working class and their needs? Spare me!

Unknown said...

I wish more people would have commented showing that they read this insightful acticle. thank you

Anonymous said...

The word "Freedom" and its meaning has been made so clear by you! Sadly, the word is greatly misunderstood. I hope you have a large audience for this, and I hope your audience includes readers who are open to hearing your words and understanding their meaning and message. And, through this understanding are ready to act upon it. What a great gift you've given many in that case. A road to personal freedom!

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much for this perfect analysis of the situation. I especially appreciated your pointing out that Big Business has now joined the failed socialist solution to problems. Bless you, keep spreading the word! Our children and grandchildren depend on us to pass on to them a country that is still "free and independent" (I've always marveled at how those two words go together).

Barking Donkey said...

Thanks for sharing your insights!

mahaynes said...

Just read your book. You're Amazing! My family was raised on welfare, I escaped the system. You bring the truth. I am praying for you. Esther from the Bible, (who's name means star) Saved her people because she stood for the truth and would not give up or bow down. I am praying for you, for strength, wisdom and an opportunity to get into a political position of power.