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

By: Star Parker

Thomas Nelson / 2010 / Paperback

3 out of 5 stars (7 Reviews)

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover | Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Star Parker has lived through poverty, and came out on the other side with a fascinating book on her life and solutions. Separating the classes of poor into the economically challenged and the hopeful, weary and poor, she sets up a plan of action. Refusing to be victimized and labeled as one whom programs and dollars could fix, she instead advocates for a return to the values and morals that create an ethos of hardworking value.

Product Information

Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 256
Vendor: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 2010

Dimensions: 8.38 X 5.44 (inches)
ISBN: 1595552235
ISBN-13: 9781595552235
Availability: In Stock

Publisher's Description

Uncle Sam’s Plantation is an incisive look at how government manipulates, controls, and ultimately devastates the lives of the poor—and what Americans must do to stop it. Once a hustler and welfare addict who was chewed up and spit out by the ruthless welfare system, Star Parker sheds much needed light on the bungled bureaucratic attempts to end poverty and reveals the insidious deceptions perpetrated by self-serving politicians.

“Star Parker rocks the world. She is an iconoclast that must be listened to and reckoned with.” â·Sean Hannity

“Star Parker’s important new book helps advance the understanding—critical for all Americans—that prosperity does not come from government and politics but results from men and women of character and high moral fiber living and working in freedom.” â·Larry Kudlow

“Star Parker’s new book brings us back to eternal truths—faith, family, love, and responsibility.” â·Dr. Laura Schlessinger

“Casts new light on the redemptive power of freedom.” â·Rush Limbaugh

Author Bio

Star Parker is president and founder of the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education (CURE), a nonprofit center that addresses the impact of social politics on America's inner cities and the poor. Prior to her social activism, Parker was a single welfare mother. After turning to Christ, she returned to college, earning her B.S. degree, and then launched an urban Christian magazine. Now, she is a frequent lecturer at colleges and churches, a social policy consultant and media commentator, and a regular guest on national television and radio programs across the country, including Larry King Live, 20/20, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Parker is also a syndicated columnist with the Scripps Howard News Service.

Author Info

Star Parker is president and founder of the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education (CURE), a nonprofit center that addresses the impact of social politics on America's inner cities and the poor. Prior to her social activism, Parker was a single welfare mother. After turning to Christ, she returned to college, earning her B.S. degree, and then launched an urban Christian magazine. Now, she is a frequent lecturer at colleges and churches, a social policy consultant and media commentator, and a regular guest on national television and radio programs across the country, including Larry King Live, 20/20, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Parker is also a syndicated columnist with the Scripps Howard News Service.

Product Reviews

Uncle Sam's Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can Do About It 3.3 5 8 8

I am passing this book along, especially to those helping people in poverty, by sending them to the government. April 27, 2013

This book takes an extremely unflinching look at: poverty in this country, the flaws in the current welfare system, and the steps the author believes we need to take to take the power away from the government, and put it back in the hands of the people in the form of personal responsibility. Having spent much of her life using and abusing the system herself, Ms Parker draws from her own experience, and recounts the freedom she experienced at turning her life around and no longer relying on government handouts. She makes a strong plea for a return to personal responsibility, moral living, and old-fashioned family values. She also makes many compelling points about the problems with our current system, and sheds some light on what it would take to change it. Unfortunately, whatever useful information is contained in the book - and I concede that it is indeed there - is eventually lost in what turns into a bitter diatribe against the liberal left. The author lost me about a third of the way in, and never really got me back. The tone of the book comes across as sarcastic and arrogant, to the point that I had a difficult time finishing it. I disagreed with her stance on a few big issues, but I disagreed more with her delivery. No matter where one's political beliefs lie, it gets exhausting reading a one-woman attack on, well, anyone and everyone who isn't a conservative Republican. I do not believe that any one group has the definitive answer (to this or any of our nation's problems), and I do not believe that slinging mud at anyone will ever truly further a cause. If you're a fan of Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity (both of whom gave the book high praise), you will likely love this book. If you're not, you may well glean some good information from its pages, but you might want to tread with caution. **I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson publishers as part of their BookSneeze program** October 26, 2010

Some Good Points, but Disappointing Overall 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 ParkerÃ¢ÂÂs 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 didnÃ¢ÂÂt care for this book. HereÃ¢ÂÂs why: 1. 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 Ã¢ÂÂtime-honored liberal tacticÃ¢ÂÂ (56). She rails against Ã¢ÂÂliberal ideologues in the halls of powerÃ¢ÂÂ (105) and Ã¢ÂÂmainstream media elitesÃ¢ÂÂ (173). She says that on the Left, Ã¢ÂÂfacts will never get in the way of ideologyÃ¢ÂÂ (187). I think that the lack of civility between disagreeing parties is a major problem, and ParkerÃ¢ÂÂs language does not help. I was tired of it well before the end of the book. 2. 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. 3. Parker sure could have used a better copy editor. There are too many examples of typos and mangled sentences to list here. 4. At its root, Parker is arguing for moralism, not Christianity. She talks about Ã¢ÂÂbiblical truthsÃ¢ÂÂ and Ã¢ÂÂabsolute guidelinesÃ¢ÂÂ (98). She talks about Ã¢ÂÂfaithÃ¢ÂÂ and Ã¢ÂÂethicsÃ¢ÂÂ (129) and an Ã¢ÂÂabsolute moral codeÃ¢ÂÂ (134). She talks about Ã¢ÂÂmoral and spiritualÃ¢ÂÂ solutions (165). She says that the Old Testament law was about family, property and ownership, and Ã¢ÂÂbeing concerned about building your own and not what your neighbor hasÃ¢ÂÂ (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 JesusÃ¢ÂÂ death on the cross, never mentions forgiveness of sins, never mentions grace, and never mentions that the Old Testament law was about GodÃ¢ÂÂs holiness. Parker seems to think that the solution to poverty is moralism. I think that morality is better than immorality, but please letÃ¢ÂÂs 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, ParkerÃ¢ÂÂs 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, donÃ¢ÂÂt bother reading this book. One book IÃ¢ÂÂve read recently that IÃ¢ÂÂd recommend for that purpose is Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller. October 3, 2010

Slavery is seen as an evil act that was forever abolished with the Thirteen Amendment. Star Parkers Uncle Sams Plantation (2010), however, suggests that slavery and the current American government are analogous. Parker demonstrates how governmental programs have eroded American values. She believes the US welfare system has caused many women, particularly African American women, to be more satisfied having children out-of-wedlock and collecting government assistance than marrying. In fact, since welfares creation, out-of-wedlock births have soared to 69 percent in the Black community. Moreover, studies have shown that children from single-parent households typically have less education, lower job outlooks, and thus are likely to suffer future financial problems. Furthermore, government oppression is not limited to single mothers. Inheritance Lawslaws requiring estates to be heavily taxed upon the owners deathmake it nearly impossible for lower and middle class families to leave money to their heirs. Parker goes on to address other topics including abortion, homosexuality, public education, healthcare and rent control.At some points, Parker oversimplifies issues. She explains how she was once a welfare queen, but was able to pursue an education and become successful. Parker encourages other women to do the same. Parker implies the process is simple: single mothers should refuse welfare and get a job. Many single mothers would disagree that becoming financially independent is this easy.Nevertheless, the majority of Parkers book is well-researched and informative. She does a great job portraying how big government is harming both small businesses and families. I highly recommend this book to anyone concerned with political issues affecting African Americans.I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. September 30, 2010