Quote from RCG Trader:
Well see it is kind of a complex situation, since the OP brought up Dr. King, perhaps we should look this picture in it's totality, to see how we got to be here, then, in light of that see how we can get out.
"While America refused to do anything for the black man at that point, during that very period, the nation, through an act of Congress, was giving away millions of acres of land in the west and the mid-west, which meant that it was willing to under gird its white peasants from Europe with an economic floor. Not only did they give the land, they built land grant colleges for them to learn how to farm. Not only that it provided county agents to further their expertise in farming and went beyond this and came to the point of providing low interest rates for these persons so that they could mechanize their farms, and today many of these persons are being paid millions of dollars a year in federal subsidies not to farm and these are so often the very people saying to the black man that he must lift himself by his own bootstraps. I can never think ... Senator Eastland, incidentally, who says this all the time gets a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars a year, not to farm on various areas of his plantation down in Mississippi. And yet he feels that we must do everything for ourselves. Well that appears to me to be a kind of socialism for the rich and rugged hard individualistic capitalism for the poor."--Dr. Martin Luther King, 1968
But, since, they are not making any new land, the original and proper solution has been missed. A better solution would be to address this as a class issue anyways, which is what is actually happening.
Those Homestead programs was for land in untamed lawless,Indian country.
It forced "White" people to think , work and defend their very lives.
It was anything but free.
Here are more opportunities for rugged hard individualistic folks.
Pass this along to your friends who feel they missed their chance to live in the frontier.
http://www.cfra.org/renewrural/freeland
Free Land: Mini Homestead Acts
In the spirit of the 19th Century Homestead Act, an option that is gaining popularity is the mini Homestead Actâoffering free land to those who are willing to locate in a rural community.
The main concept behind all of these opportunities is: we have a great town in which to live. We will provide you the land to build your own home, schools for your children, local amenities for you to enjoy. We will leave the job hunting to you.
Communities in Kansas have taken this concept and put it to good use. The Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska took a look at how successful these programs have been.
Ellsworth, KS â made 10 lots available, four were given away, and 20 families received down payment assistance to purchase existing housing.
Marquette, KS â made 80 lots available, all but a few were given away.
Minneapolis, KS â made 33 lots available, 27 were claimed.
Wilson, KS â gave away one lot and offered 5 new families with down payment assistance.
See also:
www.kansasfreeland.com.
