This is a good read. I received this from a friend. dinky


Back on Uncle Sam's plantation
Star Parker - Syndicated Columnist



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 by Democrats, 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 which was passed by a Republican controlled Congress.

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 now 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?

"The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."

TRUER WORDS WERE NEVER SPOKEN !

Good read Dinky.

Yes, Dinky, you are correct, and that IS exactly what is happening to our society; albeit we are not THE ONLY country to do this process.

The one great advantage to capitalism is that it allows people to advance on their own, IF, the conditions are allowing.

Time and again, government has kept "hands off," and we have some form of economic downturn. Conversely, when government has tried to be selective, or even far more expansive in application, there ARE the special interest groups that interfere.

The main problem is that we have exploding HUMAN populating. It IS out of control. There are NOT enough jobs, or other avenues to earn a decent living. Those that are hired are wanted because they ARE CONTROLLABLE. That means the incompetent won't worry about being shown up. The whole hierarchy is riddled with sycophants that nothing of general, or even selective benefit will materialize.

The American version is to wipe out the Middle Class. A goal that is NOT unique, but only recently unmasked as being well-entrenched in our life style, and culture.

At present, the old Mass-production economy is outmoded. We need a NEW MODEL. Problem is that just as Health Care Reform is being torn apart by special interests, so too will ANY version to bring about a new economic model will be burned in the fires of the special interests that are ALWAYS SEEKING CONTROL of EVERYTHING.

Bottom line is that at some point SOCIETY WILL EXPLODE. Happened in Between-The-Wars Germany, Post surrender of Russia to Germany in W W I, many other times. Right now China is having great problems dealing with the young that tasted "La Dolce Vita" working in the factories. With American reduction in buying their products, trying to "herd" these workers back onto the farms proved absolutely impossible. No Cultural Revolution, here.

History shows what happens to societies that do NOT PLAN for the future. The USA is no exception. Thus, we must attempt to LIMIT our socialistic tendencies, and further capitalism; but with only the most proper guidelines in place.

Hmm...good luck on that one, eh?

RM
Ragingmt@rochester.rr.com
03-01-2010

Good observations gentlemen. Much to think about.
Grannyjo

Thanks for posting Dinky.