Uncle Sam’s Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America’s Poor and What We Can Do About It by Star Parker is one part auto-biography and one part biblically based common sense. While policy makers sit in their offices debating over what to do about poverty in America, Star Parker brings to light her personal experience of being a recipient of government welfare programs. She takes responsibility for her own choices and decisions; she details how her pastor’s sermon convicted her and ultimately inspired her to leave the government welfare system.
One would think that her success story would inspire multitudes but she details the opposition that her successes have been met with. Yet, she courageously continues to tell her story to anyone who will listen.
Star Parker’s story needs to be heard over the voices of purposeless government policy makers who have never walked in her shoes. She makes the case that poverty is not a political problem that can be solved by tax dollars thrown into a flawed political machine. She correctly places much of the responsibility back on the shoulders of the Church which has largely failed to be the city on a hill that it is supposed to be and on individuals themselves for not taking responsibility for their own actions.
Many will not accept Ms. Parker’s insights because she does not provide a quick fix for the problem of poverty. Many will not like her ideas of personal responsibility and a strong work ethic. Many will not like her assertion that personal faith and virtue matters a lot in an individual’s life. But there will be some who read her book and will be inspired to move and act on her words and those individuals will see positive changes take place in their lives.
[Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255]
