Uncle Sam’s Plantation by Star Parker
Uncle Sam’s Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America’s Poor and What We Can Do About It
By Star Parker
3 out of 5 bookmarks 
In her book Uncle Sam’s Plantation, Star Parker chronicles her personal experiences as a self-professed ”welfare queen”. Throughout the book, Parker weaves her personal stories into a well formulated argument against government dependency comparing it to the slave trade of early America. Her unique position as a former welfare recipient who escaped the lure of government provision allows her to address the critical issues while remaining compassionate toward the poor who often find themselves in a position of needing assistance.
Parker does a great job analyzing the historical background of social services as well as their place in a Biblical worldview. She is careful to maintain a separation between the role of the state and the needs of the poor, and to promote the Biblical practice of requiring the poor, as much as possible, to work for their assistance. She is also quick to point out that those who readily accept government assistance share some culpability in perpetuating the myth that the government is able to rid the poor of their problems simply by handing out paychecks and government services.
While I believe that Parker hits the nail on the head with her analysis of the effects of “big government”, I found the book to be littered with grammatical errors and sloppy phraseology. Star Parker’s strength is her ability to think clearly and intelligently about the key issues- however, the publisher should have provided an editor to help her better articulate her thoughts. For this reason, I give it three out of five bookmarks. A subsequent edition could benefit from better editing. Despite this, the book is a must read for anyone desiring to escape the bondage of government assistance.
