Pastor walking across America calls Minnesota welfare dependency system ‘anti-American’
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As I continue my Walk Across America, a million-step journey of merit and restoration of the American Dream, I have been reflecting on the devastating news pouring in from Minnesota. There, controversy continues to rage over a series of high-profile allegations and investigations into widespread fraud in government-funded social service programs that disproportionately involve members of Minnesota’s large Somali American community.
I’ve seen the headlines of over a billion dollars allegedly defrauded from hard-working American taxpayers and given to childless daycare centers. The same goes for autism therapy, housing programs, and Medicaid.
But lately, a video has been making the rounds on social media that angered me and reminded me why this March Across America is so important. In this video, a young Somali American woman proudly declares that her community is “making it” in America. However, this success is achieved not through entrepreneurship or innovation, but by mastering the state aid system.
As I march toward the West Coast, I will continue to pray for merit and renewal of the American Dream, for every immigrant and every native-born citizen.
The same woman claimed that in Minnesota, approximately 89% of Somali immigrant households with children are in need of some form of social assistance. He proudly claimed that this figure was alarmingly high at around 86% for those who have lived in the US for over a decade.
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In contrast, only 21% of indigenous-headed households receive some form of social assistance. In Minnesota, 27 percent of Somali-headed households benefit from cash assistance, while this rate is 6 percent for natives. Fifty-four percent of Somali-headed households receive food stamps, compared to 7% for locals. 73% of Somali heads of households receive Medicaid, compared to 18% of natives.
My brothers, this is not a success. This is exploitation. This is robbery by another name. Most importantly, this is the worst addiction of all; intentional addiction.
As a pastor who spent years on the South Side of Chicago fighting to break cycles of poverty and violence through Project HOOD, I know addiction all too well. This is a trap that steals people’s dignity, suppresses dreams, and weakens societies. But being proud of it? Using it “until success”? This is such a sin. It is anti-American in terms of these values.
WALKING ACROSS AMERICA SHOWED ME WHY FAITH AND FREETHINK CAN STILL WIN
I also blame the Americans for allowing this exploitation. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have taken the white guilt approach, characterizing anyone who objects to this exploitation as a white supremacist.
Okay, call me a white supremacist like they did Larry Elder. Who cares? We cannot back down from these Americans. You saw how they allowed Black Lives Matter to take over our country in 2020. Are we going to let them drag us here once again? Are we this soft? These white criminal Americans have been undermining our great nation since the 1960s, and they are the destroyers of virtue, the great principle on which our nation was built.
LOEFFLER: A vast network of Somali nonprofits robbed Minnesota’s welfare state
Despite all this, there is another aspect of this story that gives me hope. In my Walk Across America, I walked with immigrants from all over—Latinos, Asians, Africans—who had nothing but faith, determination, and, above all, the desire to live as free Americans. They opened businesses, raised families, and made great contributions to their communities. They understood the American saying: Work hard, trust God, and opportunities will come.
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This is the hope I hold on to on this journey. America thrives when we reward merit and responsibility, not authority. Policies that concentrate refugees in residential areas, discourage assimilation, or encourage dependency benefit no one. They hinder the people they are supposed to help and become a burden on hard-working taxpayers.
As I march toward the West Coast, I will continue to pray for merit and renewal of the American Dream, for every immigrant and every native-born citizen. Let’s teach skills, build families, and cultivate faith. Let’s reject the victimization that drags people down and embrace the opportunity that lifts us all up.
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But first we must punish those who exploit American workers’ dollars with such impunity. Let them be an example to the rest of us. This is a step we must take if we truly want to rebuild and repair the American Dream.
May God bless our steps and bless the United States of America.
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