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Uncle Sam's Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can Do About It
A social activist and media commentator outlines a five-step plan for breaking away from feelings of entitlement in order to realize the true empowerment of faith, personal initiative, and entrepreneurialism, challenging the current welfare system while introducing spiritually based alternatives to state-sponsored programs.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published November 20, 2003
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November 18, 2010
Star Parker begins this political and moral call to arms with a story about her grandmother. It shows real poor compared to the poor nowadays. Star Parker has received death threats from her own race and hateful comments while trying to persuade African-Americans of the destruction welfare is causing to their heritage. She reminds us of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s original civil rights roots:
“Relationships between Jews and blacks thrived at the beginning of their common cause. When Dr. King promoted a message that “you cannot legislate morality but you can regulate behavior,” it was easy for both blacks and Jews to lock arms with him and face the potential for jail or death altogether. When the focus of black activists became increasingly political, however, Jews felt compelled to distance themselves from the movement. As a community of people, Jews on the whole did not look to the government to solve their social and economic problems. Their overarching desire was simply to be left alone. They would take care of their own problems and build their own businesses as long as the government maintained civil order to protect their interests. After the death of Dr. King, the civil rights movement changed the focus of its efforts from removing the barriers of segregation to forcing integration. The traditional civil rights groups apparently forgot that Dr. King had said while government “can keep a man from lynching, it cannot make a man love.””
It’s no wonder that Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Larry Kudlow and Dr. Laura Schlessinger wrote wonderful reviews of this book. The book captivated me and opened my eyes to the struggles of the black community. They do have a wonderful heritage, but they are in trouble now. According to Star, they are still slaves on Uncle Sam’s plantation bound to welfare. The connection to the black communities downfall and the downfall of our country is the lack of traditional family and God.
“The more liberal educational philosophy of ‘decision making’ prefers the word ‘value’ when referring to anything that might have the sound of morality. Values and virtues are different—the latter, as we’ve just noted, involves objective standards. Values on the other hand are subjective, coming from the individual, not an external source. This is why when public schools must speak of morality at all, they choose the language of ‘values’–at least then it’s not binding. A subjective ‘value’ poses no real threat; it stands for nothing. Because it’s meaning depends on the individual, it can be anything to anyone at any given time—while still sounding good and moral to the general public. According to Webster’s Dictionary, value can mean many things, but each meaning given focuses around the word ‘relative:’ ‘relative worth, utility, or importance: degree of excellence’: Be it money or morals, the value of anything is based upon one’s own perception. Just like money, morality in this context is based on the market value, or what worth society will assign to it.”
As I went through the chapters, many of her paragraphs reminded me of The Truth Project by Focus on the Family. The obvious connection of immorality and welfare are cleanly drawn to the downfall of our country. Anyone who reads this and does not come away questioning his liberal ideology is a fool. She talks about life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and life in the womb. A few times I moved my eyes away from the words because I can imagine the baby struggling for life either at the bottom of a trash can as the girl goes to prom after giving birth or in an abortion clinic whose roots are racist by their own history, admission, and background. If we don’t recognize now that the behavior of entitlement is our countries ruin, we will lose this great country into the prisons of socialism. Star Parker makes this clear in her book. Her voice is determined, clear, and her words succinct. If you care about your kids, you’ll read this book.
Book Provided By BookSneeze and The Publisher For Review
“Relationships between Jews and blacks thrived at the beginning of their common cause. When Dr. King promoted a message that “you cannot legislate morality but you can regulate behavior,” it was easy for both blacks and Jews to lock arms with him and face the potential for jail or death altogether. When the focus of black activists became increasingly political, however, Jews felt compelled to distance themselves from the movement. As a community of people, Jews on the whole did not look to the government to solve their social and economic problems. Their overarching desire was simply to be left alone. They would take care of their own problems and build their own businesses as long as the government maintained civil order to protect their interests. After the death of Dr. King, the civil rights movement changed the focus of its efforts from removing the barriers of segregation to forcing integration. The traditional civil rights groups apparently forgot that Dr. King had said while government “can keep a man from lynching, it cannot make a man love.””
It’s no wonder that Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Larry Kudlow and Dr. Laura Schlessinger wrote wonderful reviews of this book. The book captivated me and opened my eyes to the struggles of the black community. They do have a wonderful heritage, but they are in trouble now. According to Star, they are still slaves on Uncle Sam’s plantation bound to welfare. The connection to the black communities downfall and the downfall of our country is the lack of traditional family and God.
“The more liberal educational philosophy of ‘decision making’ prefers the word ‘value’ when referring to anything that might have the sound of morality. Values and virtues are different—the latter, as we’ve just noted, involves objective standards. Values on the other hand are subjective, coming from the individual, not an external source. This is why when public schools must speak of morality at all, they choose the language of ‘values’–at least then it’s not binding. A subjective ‘value’ poses no real threat; it stands for nothing. Because it’s meaning depends on the individual, it can be anything to anyone at any given time—while still sounding good and moral to the general public. According to Webster’s Dictionary, value can mean many things, but each meaning given focuses around the word ‘relative:’ ‘relative worth, utility, or importance: degree of excellence’: Be it money or morals, the value of anything is based upon one’s own perception. Just like money, morality in this context is based on the market value, or what worth society will assign to it.”
As I went through the chapters, many of her paragraphs reminded me of The Truth Project by Focus on the Family. The obvious connection of immorality and welfare are cleanly drawn to the downfall of our country. Anyone who reads this and does not come away questioning his liberal ideology is a fool. She talks about life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and life in the womb. A few times I moved my eyes away from the words because I can imagine the baby struggling for life either at the bottom of a trash can as the girl goes to prom after giving birth or in an abortion clinic whose roots are racist by their own history, admission, and background. If we don’t recognize now that the behavior of entitlement is our countries ruin, we will lose this great country into the prisons of socialism. Star Parker makes this clear in her book. Her voice is determined, clear, and her words succinct. If you care about your kids, you’ll read this book.
Book Provided By BookSneeze and The Publisher For Review
June 26, 2012
Uncle Sam’s Plantation is the story of Star Parker who was once a slave on Uncle Sam’s Plantation. Author Star Parker defines Uncle Sam’s Plantation as: welfare, unemployment benefits, etc.
Star Parker gives us examples of how she defines Uncle Sam’s Plantation:
1) The economically challenged
A) The Weary Poor
B) The Hopeful Poor
2) The Lazy Poor
A) The Careless
B) The Sluggard
C) The Scoffer
3) The Poor In Spirit
Star Parker also talks about
1) How harmful the increase of minimum wage is to the small business.
2) Why one-size fits-all government’s solution to social programs will never work.
3) How one gets hooked on welfare.
4) How to leave welfare.
5) Changing your World View.
The first ninety-three pages were interesting but the rest of the book was useless as the author placed all blame on the government instead of demonstrating how an individual can take charge of their lives to improve their plight.
If you decide to read Uncle Sam’s Plantation borrow it from the library because it isn’t worthy of your hard earned cash.
Star Parker gives us examples of how she defines Uncle Sam’s Plantation:
1) The economically challenged
A) The Weary Poor
B) The Hopeful Poor
2) The Lazy Poor
A) The Careless
B) The Sluggard
C) The Scoffer
3) The Poor In Spirit
Star Parker also talks about
1) How harmful the increase of minimum wage is to the small business.
2) Why one-size fits-all government’s solution to social programs will never work.
3) How one gets hooked on welfare.
4) How to leave welfare.
5) Changing your World View.
The first ninety-three pages were interesting but the rest of the book was useless as the author placed all blame on the government instead of demonstrating how an individual can take charge of their lives to improve their plight.
If you decide to read Uncle Sam’s Plantation borrow it from the library because it isn’t worthy of your hard earned cash.
October 13, 2010
In my opinion, nothing beats the voice of experience. I went for this particular book because I knew I would be hearing from the, "Been there, done that," quarter. Star Parker grew up in an environment where you worked for what you wanted. As a teenager, however, she rebelled and, in the course of that rebellion, found it was remarkably easy to get government money. She would never have to work a regular job for legal money ever again if she chose. Parker learned to obtain food stamps, free housing, and healthcare for relatively little. During this time, she also had not one, but four abortions. Parker's turnaround came when she met two black businessmen. She initially thought they were crazy, but when she had to go into hospital several months later one of them was her only visitor.
In this book, Parker details her life and goes into detail on why she thinks the government has screwed up in its attempts to help people. She talks freely of the notion of liberal guilt over slavery, and explains why she doesn't accept it. In her opinion, black people have merely swapped the southern plantation owner for the government as their 'massa.' I'll be honest; at times I found this book a little overwhelming. Parker cites a lot of statistics and papers, and I got more out of the personal stories. Above all, however, I learned that one person can dramatically improve their circumstances, with little or no government help.
As always, I received this book from Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program in return for an honest review.
In this book, Parker details her life and goes into detail on why she thinks the government has screwed up in its attempts to help people. She talks freely of the notion of liberal guilt over slavery, and explains why she doesn't accept it. In her opinion, black people have merely swapped the southern plantation owner for the government as their 'massa.' I'll be honest; at times I found this book a little overwhelming. Parker cites a lot of statistics and papers, and I got more out of the personal stories. Above all, however, I learned that one person can dramatically improve their circumstances, with little or no government help.
As always, I received this book from Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program in return for an honest review.
October 2, 2010
Star Parker argues in this book that poverty is too complicated to be fixed by government programs. Parker herself was once poor and took advantage of welfare programs, but she climbed out of poverty through hard work and determination. The two great heroes of this book are freedom and personal responsibility, and the two great villains are what Parker calls liberalism and moral relativism.
I found Parker’s telling of her own story to be inspiring, and there were some parts of the book that I agreed with. On the whole, however, I didn’t care for this book. Here’s why:
Parker is not civil toward those with whom she disagrees. In fact, she treats them with disdain. She calls the practice of repeating a lie over and over until it is believed a “time-honored liberal tactic” (56). She rails against “liberal ideologues in the halls of power” (105) and “mainstream media elites” (173). She says that on the Left, “facts will never get in the way of ideology” (187). I think that lack of civility between disagreeing parties is a major problem, and Parker’s language does not help. I was tired of it well before the end of the book.
Parker relies too much on rhetoric to make some of her points. I agree with her that moral relativism is a problem, but does moral relativism really lead to plane hijackings (41)? I think there was a lot wrong with the worldview of the 9/11 hijackers, but I would argue that moral relativism was not the primary issue.
Parker sure could have used a better copy editor. There are too many examples of typos and mangled sentences to list here.
At its root, Parker is arguing for moralism, not Christianity. She talks about “biblical truths” and “absolute guidelines” (98). She talks about “faith” and “ethics” (129) and an “absolute moral code” (134). She talks about “moral and spiritual” solutions (165). She says that the Old Testament law was about family, property and ownership, and “being concerned about building your own and not what your neighbor has” (223). This as a Christian, was what disappointed me most about this book. If Parker is to be believed, being a Christian is about being a good person and following rules. This is a mistake that a lot of people make, but it is still a mistake. Parker never mentions Jesus’ death on the cross, never mentions forgiveness of sins, never mentions grace, and never mentions that the Old Testament law was about God’s holiness. Parker seems to think that the solution to poverty is moralism. I think that morality is better than immorality, but please let’s not confuse being a good moral person with genuine Christianity.
If you are conservative and you are interested in feeling good about being conservative, then this is the book for you (it got blurbs from Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity). If you are liberal, Parker’s characterizations of your position will probably make you angry. If you are a Christian who is genuinely interested in finding out how you and your church can help the poor, don’t bother reading this book. One book I’ve read recently that I’d recommend for that purpose is Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller.
I found Parker’s telling of her own story to be inspiring, and there were some parts of the book that I agreed with. On the whole, however, I didn’t care for this book. Here’s why:
Parker is not civil toward those with whom she disagrees. In fact, she treats them with disdain. She calls the practice of repeating a lie over and over until it is believed a “time-honored liberal tactic” (56). She rails against “liberal ideologues in the halls of power” (105) and “mainstream media elites” (173). She says that on the Left, “facts will never get in the way of ideology” (187). I think that lack of civility between disagreeing parties is a major problem, and Parker’s language does not help. I was tired of it well before the end of the book.
Parker relies too much on rhetoric to make some of her points. I agree with her that moral relativism is a problem, but does moral relativism really lead to plane hijackings (41)? I think there was a lot wrong with the worldview of the 9/11 hijackers, but I would argue that moral relativism was not the primary issue.
Parker sure could have used a better copy editor. There are too many examples of typos and mangled sentences to list here.
At its root, Parker is arguing for moralism, not Christianity. She talks about “biblical truths” and “absolute guidelines” (98). She talks about “faith” and “ethics” (129) and an “absolute moral code” (134). She talks about “moral and spiritual” solutions (165). She says that the Old Testament law was about family, property and ownership, and “being concerned about building your own and not what your neighbor has” (223). This as a Christian, was what disappointed me most about this book. If Parker is to be believed, being a Christian is about being a good person and following rules. This is a mistake that a lot of people make, but it is still a mistake. Parker never mentions Jesus’ death on the cross, never mentions forgiveness of sins, never mentions grace, and never mentions that the Old Testament law was about God’s holiness. Parker seems to think that the solution to poverty is moralism. I think that morality is better than immorality, but please let’s not confuse being a good moral person with genuine Christianity.
If you are conservative and you are interested in feeling good about being conservative, then this is the book for you (it got blurbs from Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity). If you are liberal, Parker’s characterizations of your position will probably make you angry. If you are a Christian who is genuinely interested in finding out how you and your church can help the poor, don’t bother reading this book. One book I’ve read recently that I’d recommend for that purpose is Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller.
June 27, 2024
I got about 25% in and stopped.
The premise of this book is churches can do more to
motivate and empower poor people, to finish school,
get job training, and to keep a job and have a satisfying
and stable life. Whereas our government sucks poor
people in with programs IE welfare checks, Food
Stamps (now called SNAP) to keep the poor dependent
and mostly Democrats, to earn their votes. The author
seemed to suspect motives of some non-profit agencies.
Before I stopped, I read nothing of the GOP's history
of voter suppression & suppression of electing law-
makers of color. And the GOP offered corporate welfare
and tax abatements to wealthy individuals.
President L.B. Johnson created "the Great Society"
in the mid-1960s to help the poor climb out of poverty.
Welfare, Medicaid, & Food Stamps, WIC etc. needed to
be renewed each year by the recipient. However some
recipients thought they'd get a monthly check,
Medicaid & SNAP for his/ her lifetime! So some lost
the motivation to seek a job & and an apt.
I have seen churches help in beautiful ways IE health
& job fairs, food and clothing pantries, establish permanent
housing in conjunction w/ HUD, respond to justice issues,
work towards reducing juvenile to juvenile violence or
shootings.
Mostly I've seen church volunteers who do not hold a state
counselor or social work, or RN license, so are they
accountable for actions/ decisions as a licensed person
would be? Poss. scenarios. A person can have his alcohol
thrown down the sink or be admitted to a hospital or
rehab center w/o his knowledge or consent. What if he
refuses surgery or treatment or prefers euthanasia? Or
she says "Dr. Jesus" will heal her?
Medicaid workers, non-profit workers & church workers all
encounter ethical challenges. We need to co-exist in service
to the client. Years ago as a young social worker I
accompanied a fellow social worker, who was "born again."
She proceeded to pour the client's beer and whiskey down
the sink. The client was upset- he wanted us to leave. The
client was alert/ oriented/ rational & not delusional. He
posed no threat. She imposed her value system on him?
How could she build trust w/ a client after that?
The premise of this book is churches can do more to
motivate and empower poor people, to finish school,
get job training, and to keep a job and have a satisfying
and stable life. Whereas our government sucks poor
people in with programs IE welfare checks, Food
Stamps (now called SNAP) to keep the poor dependent
and mostly Democrats, to earn their votes. The author
seemed to suspect motives of some non-profit agencies.
Before I stopped, I read nothing of the GOP's history
of voter suppression & suppression of electing law-
makers of color. And the GOP offered corporate welfare
and tax abatements to wealthy individuals.
President L.B. Johnson created "the Great Society"
in the mid-1960s to help the poor climb out of poverty.
Welfare, Medicaid, & Food Stamps, WIC etc. needed to
be renewed each year by the recipient. However some
recipients thought they'd get a monthly check,
Medicaid & SNAP for his/ her lifetime! So some lost
the motivation to seek a job & and an apt.
I have seen churches help in beautiful ways IE health
& job fairs, food and clothing pantries, establish permanent
housing in conjunction w/ HUD, respond to justice issues,
work towards reducing juvenile to juvenile violence or
shootings.
Mostly I've seen church volunteers who do not hold a state
counselor or social work, or RN license, so are they
accountable for actions/ decisions as a licensed person
would be? Poss. scenarios. A person can have his alcohol
thrown down the sink or be admitted to a hospital or
rehab center w/o his knowledge or consent. What if he
refuses surgery or treatment or prefers euthanasia? Or
she says "Dr. Jesus" will heal her?
Medicaid workers, non-profit workers & church workers all
encounter ethical challenges. We need to co-exist in service
to the client. Years ago as a young social worker I
accompanied a fellow social worker, who was "born again."
She proceeded to pour the client's beer and whiskey down
the sink. The client was upset- he wanted us to leave. The
client was alert/ oriented/ rational & not delusional. He
posed no threat. She imposed her value system on him?
How could she build trust w/ a client after that?
May 4, 2011
I read this book to better understand the damage our government is doing to our freedoms and to our citizens. This book is an excellent explanation of the damage social programs do to our society. Why is our society so focused on entitlement instead of empowerment? I'm tired of being treated as though because I don't believe in social programs, I don't care about the poor. That is not the case at all. The social programs are not helping the poor. She also talks a lot about the loss of morality, faith, focus on family that is going on in America. This is an excellent read.
I love this quote:
"The hope of the poor is not found on Uncle Sam's plantation. It's found in an attitude change, one that is optimistic and forward-thinking. Hope is found in strong moral and ethical standards. Hope is found in knowing our history and not allowing poverty pimps to manipulate our past to their benefit. Hope is found in heartfelt, genuine charity and in durable marriages and families. Hope is found in people exercising their God-given talents and gifts in the marketplace, unencumbered by excessive taxation and regulations. Hope is found in the free movement of capital and in ridding our land of poisonous ideas, such as multiculturalism, and scrapping failed programs, such as our current welfare system. More than those, however, hope is found in the hearts of any and every American who makes the conscious decision to leave poverty and strive for something greater."
I love this quote:
"The hope of the poor is not found on Uncle Sam's plantation. It's found in an attitude change, one that is optimistic and forward-thinking. Hope is found in strong moral and ethical standards. Hope is found in knowing our history and not allowing poverty pimps to manipulate our past to their benefit. Hope is found in heartfelt, genuine charity and in durable marriages and families. Hope is found in people exercising their God-given talents and gifts in the marketplace, unencumbered by excessive taxation and regulations. Hope is found in the free movement of capital and in ridding our land of poisonous ideas, such as multiculturalism, and scrapping failed programs, such as our current welfare system. More than those, however, hope is found in the hearts of any and every American who makes the conscious decision to leave poverty and strive for something greater."
July 24, 2011
This book was incredibly frustrating. While I don't disagree with some of her themes, she spouts opinion as fact with very little data to support her suppositions. I completely lost the thread of her arguments because of her terrible style of persuasion, if you can even call it that. At rare times she made me think about things in a new way, but this got lost in my overall annoyance with her approach.
May 7, 2016
The book has a great premise and starts off well, but it is full of rhetoric and unsupported conclusions that detract from the main argument. I couldn't finish it, and was disappointed that it was not the book that I was looking forward to reading. I can form my own conclusions based on evidence, thank you. A good book should make you think, not think for you.
October 19, 2009
I couldn't get through the entire book, but it did bring to light some important observations and perspectives of how this country enables the poor to stay poor.
January 16, 2019
Exceeded my expectations! Really enjoyed this one.
May 9, 2016
Quotes:
Despite growing evidence that government dependency entrenches generational poverty, liberal and Democratic organizations continue to claim that racism, sexism, and capitalism are responsible for the problems of the poor.
I know the social problems afflicting Black America are great. I know that confronting black anger is exhausting. But I also know the dreams of my ancestors did not include enslavement on the government's plantation of poverty. They understood that nothing in the world is greater than freedom, and I know from personal experience that freedom will never come from dependence on the welfare state. Welfare is a sociological monster, perhaps birthed with the best of intentions, but now unwieldy and Insidious, damaging the very people it was intended to help.
Uncle Sam has developed a sophisticated poverty plantation, operated by a federal government, overseen by bureaucrats, protected by media elite, and financed by the taxpayers. The only difference between this plantation and the slave plantations of the antebellum South is perception. If anyone works their way off of the plantation and denounces it, they are called “uppity” or “sell out” or even “Uncle Tom.” Instead of a physical beating, defectors are ostracized in the public forum. Blacks have been repeatedly warned both publicly and privately that to leave the government's poverty plantation will mean a life of isolation from their family and abandonment by their peers. Dr. Martin Luther King's “dream” was of a better future. The “promised land” he saw from the mountaintop was a better world for people of all colors and races. Thanks to the liberals hijacking America's past, blacks moved in the opposite direction from that dream.
There appears to be not a shred of evidence that funneling more taxpayer dollars through Washington to states improves education. Truckloads of data shows that since 1970, federal spending per student, adjusted for inflation, has more than doubled, yet there is no discernable change and test scores.
In normal markets, customers drive the quality of the product. In the case of the public education monopoly, the customers - kids and their parents - are pawns in the game. Anything that would give the customers power - such as school choice vouchers - liberal elites in union bureaucrats fight. The Obama administration, with all its lofty rhetoric about reform, quietly allowed congressional Democrats to kill the successful Washington, DC, voucher program, a program that had demonstrably given 1,300 inner-city kids a better education in private schools at a third of the cost their counterparts were getting in DC public schools.
A hundred years ago the “public sector” was less than 10 percent of our economy. By the 1940s it was almost one quarter. Soon it will be one half.
September 30, 2016
Uncle Sam’s Plantation:
How Big Government Enslaves America’s Poor and What to Do About It
By Star Parker
This is a very important and comprehensive book about the negative effects government help has on the poor. Star Parker gives historical background on Roosevelt’s New Deal, President Johnson’s War on Poverty and about current government programs. She offers facts and figures that clearly show government programs do not help. In fact, they are keeping the poor from freedom and personal responsibility and wasting tax dollars. Parker writes “In multiple studies for the Heritage Foundation, means-tested welfare spending in America exceeds $400 billion annually. That’s a whopping 14 percent of the federal budget. That’s more than a billion tax dollars per day being spent on various poverty programs yet…the data shows that less than twenty cents of each dollar actually gets into the hands of the people society is trying to help. Eighty percent is bureaucracy.” Pg 5
Parker has been there herself. She tells of her rebellious youth in which she stole, did drugs, had random sex, four abortions and didn’t care about life. She lived on welfare and knew how to work the system. Parker turned her life around and is now helping others do this. She is a champion for changing the system.
Toward the end of the book she writes about Protecting Freedom. Regarding education she says: “Our country needs to be free but not value-free. I don’t want to force my views on my neighbor. What I do want, and what is essential for the future of our country, is the freedom for my neighbor and me to choose where to send our children to school, and for our children to learn there is such a thing as right and wrong.” Pg. 233 This book shows us how to restore freedom with responsibility to our way of life.
How Big Government Enslaves America’s Poor and What to Do About It
By Star Parker
This is a very important and comprehensive book about the negative effects government help has on the poor. Star Parker gives historical background on Roosevelt’s New Deal, President Johnson’s War on Poverty and about current government programs. She offers facts and figures that clearly show government programs do not help. In fact, they are keeping the poor from freedom and personal responsibility and wasting tax dollars. Parker writes “In multiple studies for the Heritage Foundation, means-tested welfare spending in America exceeds $400 billion annually. That’s a whopping 14 percent of the federal budget. That’s more than a billion tax dollars per day being spent on various poverty programs yet…the data shows that less than twenty cents of each dollar actually gets into the hands of the people society is trying to help. Eighty percent is bureaucracy.” Pg 5
Parker has been there herself. She tells of her rebellious youth in which she stole, did drugs, had random sex, four abortions and didn’t care about life. She lived on welfare and knew how to work the system. Parker turned her life around and is now helping others do this. She is a champion for changing the system.
Toward the end of the book she writes about Protecting Freedom. Regarding education she says: “Our country needs to be free but not value-free. I don’t want to force my views on my neighbor. What I do want, and what is essential for the future of our country, is the freedom for my neighbor and me to choose where to send our children to school, and for our children to learn there is such a thing as right and wrong.” Pg. 233 This book shows us how to restore freedom with responsibility to our way of life.
August 4, 2014
I read UNCLE SAM'S PLANTATION: HOW BIG GOVERNMENT ENSLAVES AMERICA'S POOR AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT by Star Parker. Surprisingly, I could not put it down. I have a guilty feeling that I have some conservative views myself but I do not consider myself a conservative. I am in agreement with some of her views about welfare/public assistance in regards to some people depending on it instead of using it as a temporary means to getting back into their feet from unemployment, homelessness and other hardships beyond one's control. I would not use it and lay on my badookadunk from generation to generation but that cannot happen now since the welfare reform (Welfare To Work/Work Experience Program) was signed into law by then-President William Jefferson Clinton in 1996 and people cannot sit on their badookadunks at home or wherever anymore watching exploitative talk shows, soap operas, game shows, court shows and television reruns. It is simply a means to get back onto one's feet and when one finds adequate and affordable employment, then one can tell HRA thank you, hand it over, say goodbye to public assistance and resume independent living. This is my opinion and I endorse this. It's A Donald Thing. IJS!
September 26, 2010
"Uncle Sam's Plantation is an inclusive look at how government manipulates,controls,and ultimately devestates the lives of the poor..."
I found Parker's writing a bit dry and needful of a good editor. I have studied poverty in college and was interested to hear a republican or conservative point of view. Parker was raised in poverty and seems to have broken the gernational chain of poverty. I am confused by her views, she at times blames the complex problem of poverty on the victims themselves and other times on the government.
To write a book that is about 250 pages on a complex problem with many causes is an ambitious task, but sadly,not complete, even Parker was at loss for some solutions to the problem of poverty. I have to admire her enthusaism in tackling this issue. Parker does have some interesting points and ideas; but as experience in dealing with poverty shows, it takes more than simple answers to many complex and different causes of poverty.I am however a bit disappointed considering the author's background. If you can get past some of the political rhetoric Uncle's Sam Plantation is not a total unfortunate effort.
I found Parker's writing a bit dry and needful of a good editor. I have studied poverty in college and was interested to hear a republican or conservative point of view. Parker was raised in poverty and seems to have broken the gernational chain of poverty. I am confused by her views, she at times blames the complex problem of poverty on the victims themselves and other times on the government.
To write a book that is about 250 pages on a complex problem with many causes is an ambitious task, but sadly,not complete, even Parker was at loss for some solutions to the problem of poverty. I have to admire her enthusaism in tackling this issue. Parker does have some interesting points and ideas; but as experience in dealing with poverty shows, it takes more than simple answers to many complex and different causes of poverty.I am however a bit disappointed considering the author's background. If you can get past some of the political rhetoric Uncle's Sam Plantation is not a total unfortunate effort.
August 12, 2011
I liked the premise of this book and tended to agree with most of the points made. It had some great quotes to pull as well. Star's story is inspirational in and of itself. However, this book focused too much on the African American experience (though Hispanics are also a large part of the impoverished population, as well as fair portions of every other ethnic demographic, including whites) which in my opinion weakened the arguments. It also focused quite a bit on Christian values, which, while I share them, I think there is evidence that almost any faith - including Islam, Buddhism and Judaism - can also encourage more moral behaviors and be motivators to self-reliance and raising out of poverty.
September 28, 2013
I would like to meet and talk with Ms Star Parker. I got hooked on her advocacy work when she appeared on Fox News and MSNBC several years ago to serve up hard-hitting facts about the role Uncle Sam plays in feeding us sh** and making us believe its cookies. There are more than enough Ah-Hah! moments in this book. As I prepare to write and publish my first Blog site and eBook, going through the books I've read ten - fifteen years ago and look at where we are now as a people is appalling. When I consider how many Black elected officials there were in 2003 when this book was published and look at the Black President and all of the so-called progressive leaders out there today with skin the same color as me, I wonder if they ever picked up this book. My My My!
October 29, 2009
While written with a few tongue in cheek lines here and there (my favorite was the barb on France-- then again, who doesn't give France a hard time?) Parker presents sound, reasonable arguments against Big government. The tone openly admonishes conspiracy theory in favor of open honest and of thus (as argued), politically incorrect, rhetoric. At the very least reading this will give you a perspective not often talked about without yelling/screaming at Cable or Radio-- and if you're honest with yourself while reading, it should inspire you to think about your core beliefs as a citizen of the United States of America.
November 18, 2008
I’m extremely socially liberal, but also quite conservative when it comes to government, so I agree with her thoughts on welfare reform, but disagree that homosexuality and teenage pregnancy can be “cured” by going to church.
Still, it’s nice to read a book by a conservative that is honest and isn’t being written just to stir-the-pot and make people upset. Star Parker has an excellent perspective to make a case for her opinion and this book is worth reading for anyone interested in how to solve the problems of the welfare system.
Still, it’s nice to read a book by a conservative that is honest and isn’t being written just to stir-the-pot and make people upset. Star Parker has an excellent perspective to make a case for her opinion and this book is worth reading for anyone interested in how to solve the problems of the welfare system.
January 2, 2014
WOW! Star Parker has crafted an extremely well written take on the modern day plantation and slaves trapped on it under the US welfare system. She has a firm understanding of the basics of the free market economy and how it creates opportunities and improves lives for everyone. Her book is well illustrated with personal experience from someone who has "been there, done that" and found a way to escape to freedom. America needs more leaders like her! I highly recommend this book.
Currently reading
August 6, 2009Star Parker is a voice to be reckoned with. She really lays out the mentality behind our dependence on social welfare programs. As someone who grew up in subsidized housing, on may of the programs she discusses, this book has the ring of truth for anyone brave enough to set aside pre-conceived ideas.
April 29, 2011
I couldn't put it down. Working with the poor, I see these issues played out in real life. Star Parker has personal, real-life experience being poor and exploited by the government, which gives her opinion more weight. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who works with inner-city, welfare-dependent people.
July 14, 2009
I usually find politics books hard to podge through but this one was very readable and I really enjoyed her insights. It was primarily from an African American view point but most of what she pointed out can be said about all poor regardless of race.
October 21, 2013
I love Star Parker! She talks about why so many people are in poverty & why they stay there. She is a great example of how you can get out if poverty. Sheila Jackson Lee's district needs to read this book!
March 1, 2015
Author writes from experience. Having lived the life of hardship, most brought on by her actions, and inaction, on Welfare she was in each of the phases of being poor. But upon conversion, she tried hard and did succeed. She has a message liberals do not want to hear, nor sadly the poor.
May 31, 2009
This was very interesting, written from the perspective of a woman who was on welfare. Didn't get to finish this one either due to time....had to return it to the library.
July 30, 2010
another eye opener.
July 16, 2011
I read this for BookSneeze and did a review on my blog.
September 2, 2011
I thought this was a very interesting perspective on our current welfare system.
October 12, 2011
This is a very interesting book about the welfare system established by our government. I thought I would just skim it when I started, but I was hooked and read every page.
August 13, 2012
A real eye-opener - but possibly appreciated only by those who are up to facing reality. I loved this book and recommend it often.
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