MARK POPE: Americans Becoming Self-Sufficient [OPINION]

Americans becoming self-sufficient

Last week we examined the possibility that more Americans are becoming more self-sufficient, and less reliant on the government.  The encouraging national unemployment rate leads one to believe that this is the case.  With the lowest unemployment rate in decades, the nation seems poised for more positive economic news in the months and years to come.  One bit of discouraging news – “the rest of the story” – is that there are currently more jobs in the U.S. than there are qualified people to fill the jobs.  The written solution is easy – get training and become qualified for the unfilled jobs.  Easy to say, but not so easy to execute.

The reality is that to seek job training – or anything worth attaining in life – requires motivation, hard work, and a belief in oneself.  Therein lies the rub.  Many people here in the politically correct 21^st Century are of the belief that the deck is stacked against them.  The “Victim Industry” is a scourge within our great country.  The “leaders,” such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, tell the minority community over and over that racism and discrimination is rampant in our country, and that is the reason that minorities cannot prosper.  Many Millennials, regardless of their race, believe the harmful, dishonest claims spewed by the likes of Jackson and Sharpton.  But wait . . . read on, there is hope for the future.

There are practical, common-sense young people in society, and many of them are starting to speak out against the naysayers who peddle the learned hopelessness that is the basis for the propaganda of the Victim Industry.  Let’s examine some examples of young people who are standing up and speaking out for the type of tough-minded, can-do attitude necessary to improve one’s lot in life.

Candace Owens is a young African-American woman who is the Communications Director for Turning Point USA.  The organization is an American conservative nonprofit organization whose stated mission is “to educate students about true free market values.” It was founded on June 5, 2012, by conservative activist Charlie Kirk.  With a presence on over 1,000 college campuses and high schools across the country, Turning Point USA is the largest and fastest growing youth organization in American.  Let’s look at some of what Ms. Owens and a student in attendance said at a recent summit on the campus of Stanford University in California.

The theme of the summit was “Escaping the Democrat Plantation.”  Ms. Owens espoused the power and value of the free market.  She encouraged her young audience to become self-reliant and disavow the defeatist, negative message of the Democrat party.  The “empowering” message was that education and a belief in oneself are the keys to economic success and a self-fulfilling and happy life.  She told the Stanford students that Millennials have had to overcome nothing in life, contrary to what Sharpton and his ilk in the Grievance Industry say.  Owens denounced Sharpton as a race-baiting, self-serving charlatan who does far more harm than good with his words. Capitalism, Owens continued, is the proven path to free and advance African-Americans in the 21^st Century.  She also stated that President Trump’s policies are working, specifically pertaining to the economic advancement of African-Americans.

An African-American male student, who is a freshman at Stanford, said the following at the summit:  “I’m off the Democrat Plantation.  I escaped the Plantation.  I’m in power.  They [Democrats] don’t want to see me in power.  They want to see me dependent.”  And shortly after the Stanford summit, hip-hop artist Kayne West said: “I like the way Candace thinks.”  More and more young people are realizing that they are the masters of their fate.  Education and believing in oneself is the elixir for “Making America Great Again.”   Keep doing what you’re doing Candace Owens:  Keep up the positive message, and keep growing the membership of Turning Point USA.  We are on the path for a stronger, more self-reliant America with young people like Candace.

-Mark Pope