By Phillip C. Parrish, Candidate for Governor of Minnesota
“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”
— Proverbs 13:4 (ESV)
I have shaken the hands of Minnesota farmers at dawn, watched welders spark steel in -20°F shops, and sat with nurses who work double shifts to keep our hospitals alive. These are the Producers—the backbone of every paycheck, every meal, every roof.
Yet across our state—and our nation—an Empire of the Sluggard rises on their backs. It begins with laziness, slides into grift, and finally hardens into wickedness. And unless we name it, it will devour us.
1. The First Step: Laziness Rejects the Plow
God placed Adam in the Garden “to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15)—before the Fall. Work is not punishment; refusal to work is rebellion.
The sluggard starts small:
A student copies homework instead of learning.
An employee inflates hours instead of earning them.
A contractor cuts corners instead of mastering craft.
“The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.”
— Proverbs 20:4
This is not inability. This is choice. And every unplowed field becomes someone else’s burden.
2. The Slippery Slope: Skill Without Sweat Becomes Grift
Knowledge is a gift. Used lazily, it becomes a weapon.
Consider the marketing consultant who learns psychology—not to help, but to manipulate.
Or the “finfluencer” who masters SEO to sell get-rich-quick courses—while never building a business.
They acquire skill, then abandon production.
They sell the idea of work instead of doing the work.
“The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.”
— Proverbs 26:15
Real-world Minnesota examples:
Feeding Our Future: 200+ fake meal sites, $250 million stolen. Organizers knew grant rules—then weaponized paperwork to avoid cooking a single meal.
Childcare fraud rings: Providers learned licensing loopholes, then billed for phantom children while real parents paid full price.
Nonprofit grift: Executives pull $300k salaries to “fight poverty”—while poverty metrics worsen.
These are not crimes of ignorance.
These are crimes of laziness perfected into systems.
3. The Descent into Wickedness: Exploiting Fear, Lies, and the Human Condition
Here the sluggard becomes the destroyer.
“Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.”
— Proverbs 18:9
Once lazy systems are built, wickedness scales, lies, and fear scale the grift:
Big Pharma Ads: Fear of death → “Ask your doctor.” Farmers pay $1,000/month for insulin. “Their poison is like the poison of a serpent” (Psalm 58:4).
Social Media Algorithms: Dopamine loops → endless scrolling. Parents lose children to screens. “The thief comes to steal, kill, destroy” (John 10:10).
Green Energy Scams: “Save the planet!” → subsidized junk panels. Taxpayers fund Chinese factories. “They promise freedom but are slaves of corruption” (2 Peter 2:19).
DEI Consulting: “Equity or you’re racist” → $10k/hr training. Small businesses bankrupted by compliance. “Woe to those who call evil good” (Isaiah 5:20).
These are not accidents.
They are engineered extraction machines—built by people who refuse to produce, then profit from panic.
4. The Lie That Destroys Families, Communities, and the Land
The sluggard’s final boast: “I did almost nothing—and got rich.”
But the Producer pays:
The trucker funds welfare for able-bodied non-workers.
The teacher buys school supplies while consultants fly first-class.
The farmer watches soil-depleting “carbon credits” enrich Wall Street.
“Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.”
— Ecclesiastes 10:18
Minnesota’s collapse in slow motion:
Rural hospitals close while urban “health equity” nonprofits thrive.
Family farms sell to corporate funds pushing “sustainable” scams.
Kids can’t read while “trauma-informed” curricula cost millions.
5. The Biblical Antidote: Expose, Refuse, Produce
God does not leave us helpless.
“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.”
— Proverbs 6:6
Step 1: EXPOSE
Name the grift.
Publish the audits.
Drag the lies into daylight.
“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
— Ephesians 5:11
Step 2: REFUSE
Buy from Producers, not parasites.
Vote against subsidies for sluggard empires.
Say NO to fear-driven purchases.
Step 3: PRODUCE
Mentor a kid in real skills.
Start a business that makes something.
Run for office to cut the grift pipelines.
A Minnesota Rebuilt by Producers
I am one man—but I refuse to be lazy.
I have read the audits, traced the dollars, written the plans.
And I know you—the nurse, the farmer, the welder—are ready.
We do not need geniuses.
We need ants.
“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
— Proverbs 28:1
Join me.
Let’s starve the sluggard’s empire and feed the future with honest work.
Because in the end:
“The diligent will rule, but the sluggard will be put to forced labor.”
— Proverbs 12:24
Phillip C. Parrish
Candidate for Governor
Parrish4MN.com | #ProduceOrPerish | #AntsOverSluggards
Share this. Tag a Producer. Let’s rebuild.
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Philip C. Parrish is a Republican candidate for Governor of Minnesota, retired Navy intelligence officer, father, farmer, teacher, administrator, and lifelong Minnesotan running to restore integrity and prosperity.