[StBernard] FROM THE PLANTATION, AS READ IN WASHINGTON POST

[Westley Annis]

To the sole, liberal critic of my "Master or Slave" commentary a couple of
weeks back, read the below article by syndicated columnist Star Parker - a
black woman.  Gee, it sounds like my "Master or Slave" commentary wasn't so
original or "dumb" after all.

 
- John Scurich

________________________________
	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 !  
	  NOW FORWARD THIS IF YOU AGREE.     
	 
	

	Star Parker's Biography


	The story of Star Parker is a stunning chronicle of how she left the
seductive life of drugs, crime, abortions and welfare abuse through the
power of the Gospel to become a leading advocate for the family. She is at
the forefront of the Christian conservative movement to motivate and lead
others away from the lies of the culture to a life full of grace and truth. 

	Star Parker is the founder and president of CURE, the Coalition on
Urban Renewal & Education, a 501c3 non-profit think tank that provides a
national voice of reason on issues of race and poverty - in the media, inner
city neighborhoods, and public policy. 

	In addition to heading CURE, and its network of inner city clergy
nationwide, Star is a syndicated columnist for Scripps Howard News Service,
offering weekly op-eds to more than 400 newspapers worldwide. 

	As a social policy consultant, Star Parker gives regular testimony
before the United States Congress, and is a national expert on major
television and radio shows across the country. Currently, Star is a regular
commentator on C-Span, MSNBC, and FOX News. She has debated Jesse Jackson on
BET; fought for school choice on Larry King Live; and defended welfare
reform on the Oprah Winfrey Show. 

	Star Parker's personal transformation from welfare fraud to
conservative crusader has been chronicled by ABC's 20/20; Rush Limbaugh;
Readers Digest; Dr. James Dobson; The 700 Club; Dr. George Grant; the
Washington Times; Christianity Today; Charisma, and World Magazine. Articles
and quotes by Star have appeared in major publications including the Wall
Street Journal, the Washington Post, and The New York Times. Recently she
co-hosted an episode of The View with Barbara Walters, and her testimony
went around the world on the television show of the Reverend Billy Graham. 

	Star has written three books, "Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats"
(1996), "Uncle Sam's Plantation" (2003), and "White Ghetto" (2006), works in
Washington, DC, resides in Southern California and has a beautiful two year
old grandson, Mr. James.