Didn't realize how really long it had been since I had posted something. FaceBook seems to have taken over for the past several months. But, here I am. I have a book review to post and may be back later to post other thoughts and musings.
I recently finished Star Parker's Uncle Sam's Plantation. It took me forever to finish it. It has very interesting information, but my reading attention span has decreased over the past year. I have been reading mainly magazines, and shorter online articles. I think it has something to do with my sleep patterns. Snore, Snore....but, here is my review.
I came to the close of Star Parker's book, UNCLE SAM'S PLANTATION, with some mixed feelings. I heartily endorse the "How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can Do About It" statement, underneath the Title, but I do not wholeheartedly agree with some of her generalizations. She has definitely done her homework, including living in the situations she describes, and providing the reader with an impressive amount of research on her topics, which include, to name a few, What Is Poverty?, Liberals Hijack History, The Welfare State, and OPM (Other People's Money). She does a great job of showing how "Uncle Sam" has undermined the family, hijacked the dream of personal wealth for marginalized people, and contributed to the breakdown of societal mores. As a late 50'ish female who came from the "left" in my college years, to become a "liberal" in my middle years, and now a self proclaimed Libertarian, I found her analysis of the state of welfare and how our current social, economic, and political conditions have evolved, refreshing. I particularly liked Chapter 9, where she summarizes the Freedoms that we are losing and need to start protecting (Freedom in the Womb, Freedom in Education, Freedom in Health Care, Freedom in Retirement, to name a few). I think she does a disservice though, to the many honest, hard working, caring, moral people whom she excludes when she discusses the definition of Family. I have lived long enough, and seen enough different family "configurations" to know many such people who are positive contributors to society but that do not fit into her discussion of the Traditional Family; and I have seen more than enough "Traditional" Families that have not made a healthy imprint on society. To pull a few quotes from the author's last few pages......"Whoa! Wasn't this country supposed to be about freedom?", and "There's no substitute for the fruits of personal responsibility." Star Parker's book does a startling job of discussing those freedoms that we are in danger of losing, or have already lost, and the resulting consequences if we do not strive to protect them.
14 years ago
