Government Creates Poverty; Freedom Creates Prosperity

(Reprinted from Reason.com 4/28/11 by John Stossel)

The U.S. government has "helped" no group more than it has "helped" the American Indians. It stuns me when President Obama appears before Indian groups and says things like, "Few have been ignored by Washington for as long as Native Americans."
Ignored? Are you kidding me? They should be so lucky. The government has made most Indian tribes wards of the state. Government manages their land, provides their health care, and pays for housing and child care. Twenty different departments and agencies have special "native American" programs. The result? Indians have the highest poverty rate, nearly 25 percent, and the lowest life expectancy of any group in America. Sixty-six percent are born to single mothers.

Nevertheless, Indian activists want more government "help."

It is intuitive to assume that, when people struggle, government "help" is the answer-- the opposite is true. American groups who are helped the most, do the worst.
Consider the Lumbees of Robeson County, N.C.—a tribe not recognized as sovereign by the government and therefore ineligible for most of the "help" given other tribes. The Lumbees do much better than those recognized tribes.

Lumbees own their homes and succeed in business. They include real estate developer Jim Thomas, who used to own the Sacramento Kings, and Jack Lowery, who helped start the Cracker Barrel Restaurants. Lumbees started the first Indian-owned bank, which now has 12 branches.

The Lumbees' wealth is not from casino money. "We don't have any casinos. We have 12 banks," says Ben Chavis, another successful Lumbee businessman. He also points out that Robeson County looks different from most Indian reservations. "There's mansions. They look like English manors. I can take you to one neighborhood where my people are from and show you nicer homes than the whole Sioux reservation."

Despite this success, professional "victims" activists want Congress to make the Lumbees dependent—like other tribes. U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), has introduced the Lumbee Recognition Act, which would give the Lumbees the same "help" other tribes get—about $80 million a year. Some members of the tribe support the bill. Of course they do. People like to freeload.

Lawyer Elizabeth Homer, who used to be the U.S. Interior Department's director of Indian land trusts, say the Lumbees ought to get federal recognition. "The Lumbees have been neglected and left out of the system, and have been petitioning for 100 years. ... They're entitled, by the way."

People like Homer will never get it. Lumbees do well because they've divorced themselves from government handouts. Washington's neglect was a godsend.

Some Lumbees don’t want the handout.

The Mexican Immigrant: The Stress Recipient

Nancy and I work with Mexican and Central American immigrants every Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Crossroads of the Rockies, a food and clothing bank. Most of these people are illegal immigrants.

We receive various reactions from friends and associates about that work. The reactions vary. “You should never do that—you are only encouraging illegal immigration.” Some say, “We think what you are doing is commendable.” Well…both reactions are wrong.

The first comment is wrong because the Bible clearly instructs us to care for and help the immigrant living in our midst. We are not instructed to first consider the immigration laws of our federal legislature to see if we are acting correctly. We are to show mercy first and foremost.

The second response is also incorrect, because the work we do is to be done as to the Lord; and commendation is not the goal.

We, American Christians, should consider who it is who comes through the doors of Crossroads and other compassionate ministries in our country. The Mexicans/Central Americans in these ministries are suffering from lack of money, few jobs, poor education, and systematic discrimination from society in general and the government in particular. In addition to all the above, these poor people live in a drug, alcohol, and violence/crime-soaked society. Their children go to schools where many bad forces influence them. TV and movies encourage them to participate in immoral activities. Their families are riven with spousal abuse and desertion. In addition to all this, they do not have the Spirit of Christ to guide them through the difficulties in life.

We, Christians, need to help these people as long as they are on our doorsteps. However, I must say, that constructive government policies and enforcement of good laws would help this immigration situation immeasurably. Unfortunately, we have neither. Correct government policy could stop a lot of the pain, which these very poor people suffer.

Blanket amnesty for these people would not help them much. They need to be selectively admitted to U.S. citizenship and to a reasonable guest worker program.