Customer Reviews

Uncle Sam's Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can Do About It

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Star Parker's recent book "Uncle Sam's Plantation..." is
informative, inspiring, and written with the experience
of someone who has been there. As a former bleeding heart
liberal who was involved in a number of social services
organizations, it became obvious to me that many well intentioned
programs become a self perpetuating industry allowing 'do
gooders' to play Lady Bountiful to people they obviously
consider too incompetent to run their own lives.

The rewards go to those who exhibit self destructive behavior.
The more self destructive the behavior the more programs
exist as if throwing enough money and time will cure three
generations of government dependence. Ms Parker spells it
out clearly and effectively. I recommend this book to anyone
who feels that our welfare programs are going to create
independent, self supporting citizens. Your eyes will be
opened.

Lisa N

It is no surprise that government attempts at social engineering have proven costly, counter-productive, and oftentimes disastrous. Look no further than the 1960's War on Poverty programs of the LBJ administration, which instead of "winning" the war on poverty, only served to exacerbate the plight of the poor, creating three generations of dependence, laziness, irresponsibility and psychological nihilism - a cycle that has only started to be undone with the Welfare Reform Act of 1996.

But don't take my word for it. Just ask Star Parker, president and founder of the Coalition of Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) and self-proclaimed "former welfare queen." Picking up where she left off in her blisteringly honest memoir Pimps, Whores and Welfare Brats (Pocket Star, 1997), Parker takes big government to task in Uncle Sam's Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can Do About It (WND Books). If there is anyone who knows first hand the degradation and moral bankruptcy that comes with perennial dependence on "Uncle Sam," it's Ms. Parker - she lived it.

The author lays out her own categorical definitions of poverty and recounts the hard lessons she learned as a welfare mother. In discussing how liberals have hijacked history and used the poor as pawns for political purposes, Parker describes the typical government safety net as simply a way of covering up the social pathologies associated with the bad choices of the underprivileged.

Arguably the most harmful effects of massive government intervention have been the breakdown of the family unit. This is especially true in the black community, where according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services roughly 70% of black children are born out of wedlock. According to Parker, radical feminism has helped to produce this horrible state of affairs. The author shows in surgical detail how buying into the radical feminist party line (i.e. that men are "the enemy," marriage is "prostitution and slavery in a different form," and "money is power") has not only contributed to high rates of illegitimacy and abortion in the black community, but has also rendered many black women "unpaid whores and old maids."

The last third of Uncle Sam's Plantation outlines the author's proposed solutions on weaning the poor off of government dependence and liberal mind control. From analyzing the wastefulness of our current tax system and the counter-productive economic effects of minimum wage and rent control laws, to outlining how Social Security can (and should) be privatized to benefit all those who pay into it, the author displays erudition far beyond the average layperson and an iron-clad compassion born out of the experience of a woman who has indeed "been there, done that."

Star Parker's life is a shining example that individual freedom and self-reliance are indeed possible for those who desire and are willing to work for it. A person's income does not determine his/her outcome, and those desiring a better outcome for their lives should heed this extraordinary woman's words of redemption and deliverance. She is a true inspiration, and this book is a great read.

Few people will admit how analogous government dependence is to living on a plantation. Star Parker, once enslaved by "Big Government", is now unshackled and ready to expose her former master in her new book, <u>Uncle Sam's Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can Do About It</u>. She openly takes on "Uncle Sam" for keeping millions trapped in poverty.

A former "welfare queen" and current president and founder of the Coalition for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE), Parker courageously analyzes Big Government's system of dependency. She encourages those living on handouts to break the chains of poverty and find purpose and meaning in their lives.

In a follow-up to her first book, Pimps, Whores and Welfare Brats, where she handed down a stinging indictment against liberal politicians and the black leaders they exploit, Parker hits the mark once again in Uncle Sam's Plantation. "Uncle Sam has developed a sophisticated poverty plantation, operated by a federal government, overseen by bureaucrats, protected by the media elite, and financed by taxpayers."

The author knows of what she speaks. Parker lived a reckless life; she was promiscuous, had four abortions, smoked pot and burglarized people's homes. One day while looking for "under the table" cash to supplement her welfare check, she was given a Bible instead. She was told that her lifestyle was unacceptable to God.

Three years later, still on welfare, the pastor at her church preached to no one in particular, "What are you doing living on welfare?" At that moment, Parker says, she knew he was talking to her and felt a sense of personal responsibility for the choices she'd made.

"Before the pastor could finish his sermon," Parker writes, "my heart was stirring with the desire to find real purpose and meaning for my life." The next day, she wrote her caseworker and asked that her name be taken off the welfare rolls. Parker began to wrest the chains of dependency and hopelessness and dared to dream.

Parker's charges against the liberal establishment will move readers to challenge Big Government's plantation system. Tracing the shift in America's attitude from belief in strong families and hard work to the flawed idea that it's the government's role to solve social problems, the author contends that the Great Depression marked a turning point in the American conscience.

After the stock market crashed, fear caused people to turn to the government for help in the face of the "dark side of capitalism." Looking to the government for solutions became acceptable.

As increased racial tension and discrimination led blacks to demand civil rights, societal guilt over past wrongs in turn led to a lie still perpetuated today.

"Social engineers of the late 1960s told Americans that black people could not take control over the poverty in their lives due to centuries of racism and segregation," Parker writes. The onus was now on society to "fix" poverty. Thirty-five years later, taxpayers are still trying to fix it.

But poverty cannot be fixed with money, Parker asserts. Moral bankruptcy, caused by the scourge of relativism, must be overcome. Government "safety nets" allow people to escape the consequences of personal behavior (free health care, abortion on demand, sex education, affirmative action, etc.). As a result, there is little incentive to learn from bad behavior.

For example, by removing the man's responsibility to take care of his family, the welfare state has freed men to abandon their pregnant women, the author argues. The collapse of morals in America has virtually destroyed the black family.

Uncle Sam's Plantation offers more than Parker's personal journey; it's about what works and what doesn't. The author outlines in detail several "mission-critical" challenges to anyone who wants to respond constructively to race and poverty in America. These challenges include dismantling multiculturalism, abolishing affirmative action, allowing school choice and privatizing social security. Radical!

Parker's life is a testimony to her faith in God and determination not to waste the precious gift she's been given: freedom. Read for yourselves the first-hand account of a black single mother on welfare who dared to dream. Freedom and personal responsibility, not government dependence, are the answers to poverty.

Uncle Sam's Plantation will inspire you to resist the lie next time you hear it.

© 2004 La Shawn Barber

Thank God that someone is able to stand up in this nation and address the problems that are facing African American people. It is a shame that AA people cannot face the truth about their plights. I too was once a welfare mother. I did not abuse or misuse the welfare system but I did find that I was growing lazy after a period of time. Most of my problem was a lack of confidence and a personal embarassment to have to receive a hand-out (even temporarily) from the government, especially when I knew I was a working person. But bad things do happen to good people--even loss of employment. The one thing I did discover though, was that I didn't have to keep receiving a government handout. When I realized what my situation was doing to my daughter--and with the help of the Lord--I pulled myself up and out. I took advantage of the many services that were offered to me to help me regain my self-esteem, my confidence, and my since of self-worth as a person, and went back to work (these are "some" of the things that being on welfare will help to strip you of). I was so very glad when welfare was no longer a part of my life.

Welfare is no life at all. You always have somebody breathing down your neck, in your business because they feel they have a right to be, and controlling what you do, what you have and what you get. I have been off of welfare for a number of years now and I'm very happy about it. I applaud Miss Parker for telling her story, and telling it truthfully and honestly. Welfare--and any government handout that enslaves a person--is not the answer for any people. It is only supposed to be a temporary means of assistance until a person can get back on their feet, regroup, and get back to being independent and self-sufficient again. There is absolutely no advancement of life, no change of life, no improving the qualilty of one's life, on welfare. I truly believe it was never designed to be.

To all the liberals (especially some Democrats) who believe big government and government handouts is the answer to help impoverished, disenfranchised people, my word to you is you are wrong, dead wrong. All you want to do is keep yourselves in the spotlight as the "poor people's self-proclaimed saviors" when all you're doing is keeping poor people poor and enslaved. You are promoters and proponents of poverty, hatred and racism. Why? Because it brings you fame and the people look up to you all as some sort of god. Many of you are nothing more than pimps, as Miss Parker's first book states ("Pimps, Whores and Welfare Brats"), and glorified opportunists. You act as if you've come to help when you've really come to get media coverage and fame for your own selfish agendas, at the expense of a very needy, less-fortunate group of people. May God have mercy on your souls.

Thank you, Miss Parker, for your candor and truth. Keep speaking out to a people who need to hear what you have to say. Hopefully, enough will hear and heed, and seek to make the necessary changes in their lives--for themselves and their children. I pray for the cycle of poverty and welfare to be broken off the people of this nation--especially African American people.

Yes, I have read this book and am recommending it to all on both sides of the debate. In fact this is my Christmas list for 2005. Ms. Paker left no stone unturned and didn't let anyone off the hook. This book doesn't blame folks, it corrects them. It's about turning a bad pass into a bright future, about less government and more faith. This book calls it like it is, it names names and places shame where it belongs, on the greatest slave masters Uncle Sam and his little mouth pieces who call themselves activist. Read this book and learn the truth about affrimative action, multiculturalism, the faith base initiative, school choice, the importance of the family unit, social security, the Supreme Court, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and anything else that you may thing of that makes up the life of the poor. There is hope for the poor and this book is a great start for answers. Copies of this book should be in every community center and school (fat chance). I'm proud to be African-America and of a conservative mind set. Thanks Ms. Parker you're a real "Star".

Star Parker opens the door to subjects we, Americans of African descent, need to critically consider. Why are we still debating issues that the Liberals have promised they would fix - for years. Why are out-of-wedlock births epidemic in the communities of color? When did being conservative mean you had to abandon intellectual honesty for liberalism? Why do we have these media appointed "black leaders" that have no connection to our daily lives? Why does the title "Reverend" have the power to cloud the minds of black folk and bestow upon them omnipresent knowledge?

I have needed to read this book for a long, long time. For all us, Americans of African descent, take heart someone speaks the truth if you would just consider.

As an African American I already knew about the liberals efforts of enslaving poor and especially minorities in america. Star Parker book is so thought provoken and honest, even a person of blind ignorannce and denial will have a hard time debating the overwhelming facts! I will say the book is hard edged in content and very truthful. WARNING:Some people might not be able to handle what is said in this book. The Truth.

Star Parker is an outspoken advocate of individual freedom. She knows that government poverty programs are oppressive because she was one of the oppressed. I would have liked to have learned more about her story and her Christian witness. But this book should be eye-opening for anyone who believes government is the answer to poverty.

I first met Star Parker several years ago when she spoke at a conference which I attended. I was impressed both by the story of her personal journey and her articulateness in discussing many of the problems which face our society today; thus I made the effort to speak with her after her presentation and have subsequently become a contributor to her organization CURE, the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education. She was kind enough to mail copies of her book to her supporters last year when it was first published; now that I have finally found the time to read it I highly recommend it to any reader interested in the inspiring personal story of someone who has not only overcome the destructive effects of the problems frequently keeping the underclass in poverty and addicted to welfare (as well as personal tragedy which would have overwhelmed many individuals), but who has also utilized the lessons drawn from her experience to preach the gospel of self reliance, faith (in both ourselves and the existence of a higher power who can provide us strength and direction) and individual responsibility as the crucial elements which will empower individuals to escape the poverty trap of the welfare system.

Star Parker doesn't hesitate to speak truth to power, since she has the credentials to do so. She has lived the self destructive and joyless life so prevalent in the welfare community and she has overcome incredible obstacles (often self imposed). Thus, while anyone can fairly disagree with her often controversial conclusions and recommendations, she clearly has the moral legitimacy to present them. These are insights invariably gained from personal experience and sharpened by an enquiring mind. The key thesis of this book is captured by the subtitle - HOW BIG GOVERNMNT ENSLAVES AMERICA'S POOR AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT. She begins by attempting to define and characterize the poor, she discusses three broad categories of those individuals united by their lack of money. The first is those who are "economically challenged", who she meaningfully separates into the "weary poor" vs. the "hopeful poor". The second category is the "lazy poor", who can be subdivided into "the careless, the sluggards and the scoffers". Finally, there are the poor in spirit, or "the broken". While these are obviously not precisely defined groups based on rigorous academic study, they are very useful constructs which spring from her practical experience. These groupings serve two purposes. First, to remind us that poverty is not a homogeneous problem with a single set of solutions, but rather a complex issue best addressed by "creating new possibilities for those who still can be helped, one person at a time." Second, these practically descriptive terms are much more effective than the usual academic and political jargon in reminding us directly that much of the poverty in which many of these individuals are apparently hopelessly mired seems to be as much a result of their attitudes and expectations (victimology and/or entitlement) rather than being an inevitable outcome of their circumstances.

The author is willing to attack the sacred cows of both the left and right, and is critical of both the liberal belief that racism (as the legacy of slavery) is still an impossible barrier for blacks to overcome without government help and also of President Bush's suggestion of government support for successful faith based initiatives in the private sector. (She correctly recognizes that government support means that they will loose the flexibility and moral legitimacy that is conferred upon them by being truly private and thus totally voluntary.) After outlining in detail her criticisms of the "poverty plantation operated by a federal government, overseen by bureaucrats, protected by the media elite, and financed by taxpayers", she proceeds to her "mission-critical challenges" and a six pronged agenda as a response to the interrelated problems of race and poverty. First, "dismantle so-called multiculturalism". Second, "abolish affirmative action". Third, "Abandon the faith-based initiative". Fourth, "personalize welfare services". Fifth, allow school choice". Sixth, "personalize social security". Certainly, implementation of this radical agenda would strengthen the role of personal responsibility in society and at the same time arguably promote freedom and broaden the opportunities for individuals to escape poverty as opposed to simply subsisting on the life support provided by the current welfare system.

As I have previously said, this book describes the devastating effects of government dependency not from an academic perspective but rather through the eyes of someone who has escaped from the addiction which entraps so many individuals. The book is almost conversational in tone, yet provides many powerful philosophical insights and much well reasoned discussion. At times, some of the imagery created by the author's prose almost becomes poetic. While I was familiar with both the author's background and much of her philosophy, I still found the book both enjoyable and thought provoking. My only major criticism and the primary reason that I did not rate it a full five stars is her overemphasis (in my opinion) on the importance, indeed necessity, of the religious component as an essential element in her proposed reforms and involvement of the private sector. For many individuals (myself definitely included), this is undoubtedly a major factor in their ability to overcome the obstacles which they face, as it has been for her. (And as it also is for those who experience physical addiction and join such organizations as NA and AA.) Nevertheless, I would have been pleased to see a somewhat more pluralistic approach, and a recognition that personal empowerment can be achieved by individuals through a variety of means more diverse than she recognizes here.

Tucker Andersen

I was born and reared on a sugar cane plantation in early 1930s, the white son of the overseer. I was there when the "field hands" in the 1940s, courageosly broke the chains that had bound them to the system for hundreds of years. There was no "welfare" as we know it today ... back then, they wanted better paying jobs, education and a "chance." I was part of, and a child of the "plantation system" myself, and reading Star Parker's amazing book, I realized that what I saw in the 30s and 40s, was bad enough, but back then, they at least had a "chance" to break away from the "chains that bound them." Miss Parker's "Uncle Sam's Plantation" was beautifully written, well organized and very applaudable. It should be required reading in the high schools across America, and certainly in the Congress of the U.S.A. The book is more than a five-star deal.