Farms and Plantations

Do entitlement and affirmative action programs keep Blacks "on the plantation," Hispanics "down on the farm," and other minorities under the control of Democrats? Do these liberal/progressive programs truly help minorities or are they in place simply to keep minorities voting for Democrats?

A blogger named Kevin DuJan asked the question, "What is the difference between slaves on plantations and blacks who blindly vote for Democrats?" He then answered his own question by listing the following areas where there are no differences: The slave owner (and Democrats) provides free "housing," "food," "healthcare," and "A menial education sufficient to the task he requires the slave to perform." In return, the slave owner (and Democrats) requires "unquestioning loyalty."

DuJan continued his article by claiming that Democrats keep other voting blocs under their control by similar questionable tactics: He stated that Democrats 1) tell gays that "Republicans are evil and want to kill us," 2) make policies making Spanish our unofficial second language so "Hispanics never learn English and don't progress as much in society," 3) keep women "in line" "through cultural wedges like abortion" by using scare tactics about the evil Republicans.

I would add that Democrats also keep Hispanics in line by pushing laws and policies aimed at giving illegal Hispanics the right to vote. The 2010 census showed Hispanics and Latinos to be 16.3 percent of the U.S. population. Hispanics and Latinos are expected to be 39 percent of our population in 2050.

A large voting bloc of Alaska Natives secured re-election for liberal Senator Lisa Murkowski in 2010 because they were scared they would lose some of their benefits if Tea Party favorite Joe Miller became our Senator. I'm sure that some of these voters were upset when Senator Murkowski admitted in a recent interview that benefits must be cut in order to bring fiscal security to our nation.

There are numerous people who claim that blacks are being kept on a modern-day plantation. U.S. Representative Allen West (R-FL) was interviewed on the O'Reilly Factor by guest host Laura Ingram on August 18, 2011. During the interview Congressman West claimed that liberal Whites are the plantation overseers of the 21st century. He said that black leaders such as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, and Barbara Lee follow instructions from liberal Whites who tell them "…pacify the black communities, keep the black communities firmly behind us." Rep. West stated that the "black leaders" are "absent" regarding the "devastation in the black communities" and the "flash mobs" against Whites.

The next evening on the O'Reilly Factor, Representative Charles Rangel (D/NY) agreed with West's claim that liberal policies have failed Blacks on the Democrat plantation. Guest host, Laura Ingram, attempted to interview Rangel, but he avoided every question put to him. She was finally able to pin him down when she asked, "Has liberalism - has Obama - worked for inner cities?", and he answered "no."

I believe that the "Great Society" programs instituted under the Lyndon Johnson Administration are the worst things that could happen to Blacks and other minorities. Under the direction of LBJ the national welfare programs were expanded with policies that encouraged people to not marry and to have more children than they could afford - all on money from the government. The result of those policies is that we had third and fourth generations of welfare families in America.

President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act in 1996 that restructured the welfare program and instituted work requirements to encourage employment among the poor. The new requirements forced thousands, if not millions, off the welfare rolls and out of the cycle of poverty.

There are many ways that Democrats keep minorities firmly behind them. Blacks, Hispanics and other minorities would all benefit from good education, and reforms in the education system would make big differences in the lives of all students. Changes are needed in the education system such as education vouchers where students could choose which school to attend and policies that would reward good teachers and get rid of bad teachers. Democrats, with their teachers unions firmly behind them, oppose education reform. Just as slave owners wanted to keep their slaves illiterate and unable to read, liberals/progressives do not want minorities to become educated. They know that educated citizens can provide for their own needs and would not need the entitlement programs. They also know that educated citizens are much harder to fool by shady practices.

I believe that Democrats with their liberal/progressive ideas, entitlement programs, and other handouts keep Blacks "on the plantation," Hispanics "on the farm," and other minorities firmly behind them in order to win elections.