The California legislature is now moving toward implementing a series of reparation proposals after years of debate. The bills notably do not include the most talked about item: financial reparations. After years of batting around figures as high as $5 million per recipient, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently balked at the cost. It is not clear if voters will see this as a bait-and-switch given the building expectation of huge cash awards. However, buried in one of the items in the slew of benefits for African-Americans is the restoration of affirmative action in education.
The 14 bills to “dismantle racism” vary from “natural and protective” hairstyles in all competitive sports to “prohibit[ing] involuntary servitude for incarcerated persons.”
One provision would restore property taken by “race-based” cases of eminent domain. It is not clear how that would work. Taking property by eminent domain requires compensation. If such compensation was not given, it would be a constitutional deprivation regardless of race and all citizens should benefit regardless of race. If it was given, the question becomes whether the compensation is repaid with interest and then the state would have to pay the current owners for the property before giving it back to the earlier owners.
However, the provision that stood out was the bill from Democratic Assembly member Corey Jackson (D., San Diego) to change California’s Constitution to allow the state to fund programs aimed at “increasing the life expectancy of, improving educational outcomes for, or lifting out of poverty specific groups based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, or marginalized genders, sexes, or sexual orientations.”
Technically, affirmative action was barred decades ago by the Supreme Court. For decades, universities have avoided the type of outright quota the court held unconstitutional in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978). Justice Lewis Powell wrote. “Preferring members of any one group for no reason other than race or ethnic origin is discrimination for its own sake. This the Constitution forbids.”
However, universities quickly ramped up the use of race under diversity rationales until the recent rulings of the Supreme Court barring the use of race as an admissions criteria.
Californians have repeatedly rejected affirmative action in education despite being a deeply blue state and well-funded campaigns to change the law. This is the latest attempt to restore affirmative action as a matter of reparations. It is not clear how that would work in light of the recent opinions.
While there are a few monetary provisions, the lack of a payment to residents will likely not sit well with some.
For years, Newsom and other Democratic politicians have campaigned on reparations and that bill has now come due. A card and an apology is not going to cut it.
In past hearings, speakers demanded cash in large amounts. Rep. Barbara Lee (D., Cal.) declared that “Reparations are not a luxury, but a human right long overdue for millions of Americans. We are demanding that the government pay their tax.”
She was not talking about a heartfelt apology.
Nor were others at the hearing.
In prior hearings, speakers have been asking “where’s the money.” Some warned the Democratic task force that they would not vote for the party unless they received money before the 2024 elections.
San Francisco’s board of supervisors is also facing the same expectations after a recommendation of its African American Reparations Advisory Committee to give $5 million to each eligible Black resident as reparations.
Some balked at even that figure. Reverend Tony Pierce asked “Where’s the money? Where’s the cash? Where’s the check?” “$5 million, San Francisco’s already made a move. $5 million is nothing.”
Some congressional Democrats have pushed for similar federal reparations and passed a bill out of the House Judiciary Committee in 2021 that failed to receive a floor vote. BET founder Robert Johnson has called for $14 trillion in federal reparations.
Even Disney has gotten into the act with a controversial children’s episode in which cartoon children demand reparations.
Most recently, Rep. Cori Bush (D., Mo.) introduced her bill for a $14 trillion payment to black Americans. Bush could not answer where the money would come from and just said that the source is a matter of ongoing discussions.
Among the Democrats supporting the bill was Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.) who explained “The federal government backed slavery, right? So the federal government needs to hold itself accountable for that. And then policies that have continued throughout American history have continued to inflict harm on Black Americans.”
The years of calls for reparations have created a greater expectation, even an urgency. One well-known California activist declared: “It’s a debt that’s owed, we worked for free. We’re not asking; we’re telling you.”
The very idea that some “decendents” of slaves are due reparations merely because they can prove their lineage, is a ‘6 degree of separation’ can of worms they might not want to open.
The practice of slavery did not just cause harm to the slaves or their decendents.
There’s a troll commenter today that answers every objection to reparations with the phrase “white rage.” That’s not an argument, it’s a mindless robotic way of avoiding discussing the substance of the issue.
People like that are liars. They’re not interested in an actual discussion.
OldManFromKS,
Yeah, in the face of things like facts, common sense, they pull the race card.
Has anyone noticed that these prog/left ideologues and their parasite base are like crack addicts – there is never enough to satisfy them and their crazed need for more (progressive sops to the parasites) will eventually leave them in the same sad state as any other addict.
Yup, and the politicians who pander to them are whores.
The $5 million is not enough comment is telling. If that were paid, which it shouldn’t be and won’t be, the race hustlers would continue on seeking additional money. The race hustling business is lucrative for those folks and a great talking point for politicians. What is always missing is accountability for the cultural issues like families with no fathers in the household and rampant crime, much of which is against their own.
The grift never ends.
There is reason to this. Until the 60s it was legal and common for blacks to be systematically discriminated against. This prevented them from building generational wealth from real estate and prevented them from getting the education needed for higher income. Between the 60s and today, the situation has gotten better, but discrimination is still quite real an blacks are still prevented from building as much generational wealth as white. This is what affirmative action was designed to (partially) compensate for. Society can’t be openly racist for 400 years, kinda racist for 60 years, then suddenly call it all good.
How many white people have generational wealth? Not many. The poor and working classes have none. The middle income have a house that they leave their three kids, which is sold; the proceeds split three ways and soon used up. Maybe they get a new car out of it, but nothing that lasts. I’ve worked in estate planning for 30 years and see this every day. Or the divorced father leaves everything to wife #2, which she passes on to her own kids, leaving his kids from the first marriage nothing. I know that blacks like to compare themselves to very wealthy Americans, to create a unrealistic contrast, but the reality is that the vast majority of white Americans are passing on nothing or very, very little to their children.
TIN,
I would agree but only to a degree.
The Boomer Generation is reportedly suppose to pass on one of the biggest wealth transfers in history.
What will that wealth be able to buy by then is a question.
My grand parents came to this country, legally, with nothing but a suitcase of their clothing. Through hard work, thrift, savings the achieved the American dream of home ownership. They only had a sixth grade education.
They were able to pass on some degree of wealth to my parents.
My Boomer parents, following my grandparents example, are in a very good place to pass on to me and my sister. Although both of us are doing well, dont really need it. Would be able to pay off the farm.
Slavery ended 159 Years ago.
How many generations is that in Life Terms ?
The Civil Rights Act passed over 60 years ago.
How many generations is that in Life Terms?
What is the difference between an Irish immigrant, a Native American, and a Freed Man who all started with nothing almost 160 years time?
Let’s take a specific case…..that Irish Immigrant who took up Arms and fought in the Union Army in a War that put an end to Slavery in the United States….and was killed in action.
What is owed to his descendants and should the descendants of Slaves who benefitted from that Man’s service and loss be expected to offer something in return….if only a heart felt thank you?
What do the descendants of Slaves freed as a result of the War owe society?
What have they done with their freedom?
What would that Soldier have done if he had survived and not been killed?
It sounds trite….. but I have owned no Slaves and the current living generations of Blacks have not been Slaves or children of Slaves….or even grandchildren of Slaves….or Great-Grandchildren of Slaves.
At some point folks are going to have to take responsibility for their own actions and life choices as government and society have granted them the ability to advance and improve their lot in Life.
Trillions of Dollars have been spent in social welfare programs and we have had Affirmative Action and other government enforced compliance and yet. here we are…..with another bunch of grifters looking for yet more free money not requiring anything useful from them in return.
They have had their Reparations….many times over and as in their Welfare Checks, AFDC money, and all of the rest of the Social Welfare money given them….they have squandered their Freedom paid for at a horrible cost by others.
Time they put their hands into their own pockets for a change or put them to work earning their way in Life.
“No Irish Need Apply.”
“Five million is nothing”. Who are these idiots. The biggest obstacle for these half wits is the policy they are so desperately trying to change that’s would personally benefit themselves has to be devised and implemented by themselves, all of whom appear to be mentally challenged.
If you get votes by screaming, “Racism,” you don’t want racism to disappear.
Excellent point.
So the civil rights act(s), preferential treatment in higher education, employment, housing and welfare wasn’t enough so now it’s just “show me the money”?
But I think black Americans are facing a setback that might take generations to overcome if they don’t wise up and wake up. Where’s that setback coming from, the hordes of illegal aliens.
It’s rather obvious that the Federal government is tired of blacks and their never-ending drama, so they’re being replaced by Hispanics. California’s black population was until recently 7%; now it’s 5%. It will continue to go down as millions of Hispanics pour over the border. This is by design, to minimize the percentage of blacks in the U.S. population, while gaining additional Democratic voters.
Scientists have been warning that California was slipping into the ocean because of the San Andreas Fault Line, a tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. Given the consistent slouching towards Gomorrah by the Left, Mother Nature might well be ready to catapult them into the ocean
Fialko Y. Interseismic strain accumulation and the earthquake potential on the southern San Andreas fault system. Nature. 2006 Jun 22;441(7096):968-71. doi: 10.1038/nature04797. PMID: 16791192.
https://igppweb.ucsd.edu/~fialko/papers/Fialko_Nature06a.pdf
the funny thing is FAILED cities like Camden, NJ Bridgeport CT etc basically are FAILED Democrat plantations. The worse they make it for blacks…the more Federal Money Democrats get. So guess what…THEY don’t want better for the black community.
Time to END Federal Aid to cities, states, colleges, and non-profits where anyone gets $100k+
There is a WHOLE culture of just stealing government money…with negative productivity.
Time to remove gender and race from census, education, etc. There is ZERO stopping blacks, native Americans, etc from being successful except their morals, abilities and work ethic…and you can’t Action that away! People will become when they don’t have a choice.
BTW any word on why young black men commit 70%+ of murders(mostly in their own communities) while only being 3% of society?
There is no money. The governor and the one-party Democrat “progressives” blew through the budget surplus and now they are in explosive debt. There is no money.
Yesterday, I spoke with a real estate broker friend in the Midwest and said that droves of families are fleeing the chaos and heading for higher ground. (Seeking financial and political asylum in red states).
This begs the question, since this will never be paid, why? Why now? What is the real reason? In the outward chaos, is there a deeper, more evil objective? It is imperative to keep one’s eyes on the ball. Do you remember the plot of the movie “Disclosure?” The character was off on a wild goose chase and could not see that the subversive motives of his antagonist were much worse than he could imagine.
Why now? It is happening now so that the Dems can promise money to a group that supports them in order to “get out the vote” in November. This will end up passing into the ether after November.
Vote buying, like paying off student loans after the Supreme Court ruled that he can’t. They don’t care. It’s all about the votes for these losers.
Aren’t these types of race-based benefits sure to be stuck down in court, based on Scotus’s recent AA decision?
Oldman, Supreme Court decisions, aren’t you being naïve. Biden just put out a tweet today bragging about how SCOTUS said he couldn’t give out student loan money and yet he did it anyway. Biden doesn’t care about laws, Dems don’t care about laws and liberals don’t care about laws.
It’s buying the votes that matters. There are no consequences for lying corrupt Progressives. EVER.
Good luck with all that, the tide is turning.
There is a typical essay by Charles Blow in today’s op ed section of the Times. Untypically comments run decidedly against affirmative action, the comments up top, the comments receiving the most recommendations. Ever since the Claudine Gay scandal it seems as if permission has been granted to speak up against unequal opportunity and treatment.
Yesterday online even by the director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission when she schooled Mark Cuban about how he might have just admitted to breaking the law in a tweet.
It’s long past time for professional victims to find another hobby.
Not the “director”. It was Andrea Lucas, a Republican member of the commission, appointed by Trump. So it’s no surprise that she would take that position and react as she did to Cuban’s statement. She certainly didn’t need any “permission” to do so.
I say we take the average joe in chad or mali or whatever and make every black person in the US the same as those people. Slavers took that future from the American blacks.
“Equality isn’t enough, we want primacy.”
Many say: “Diversity is our strength.” But in non-diverse Denmark, no one is demanding reparations.
DEIversity.
I am wondering – as a person whose earliest ancestress on these shores was shipped here willy-nilly into indentured servitude, why don’t I qualify for reparations? Can I claim them on behalf of my late husband, whose great-grandmother was a Choctaw (her name is on the first rolls of the Choctaw Nation) born into slavery?
I would be very happy being for $5 million richer, personally.
Sorry for your plight. You do understand that your value to the Democrat party is your vote. Your actual victimhood is irrelevant to them.
The reparations, if any, should be paid by the Democrat party, which was the root cause of any wrongdoing.
Where Presidential qualities are concerned, Newsome is dragging a chain of ‘do not want or need’ long than that of Jacob Marley’s. Attention must be paid…now and going forward.