California just can’t seem to get ahold of itself. We hear about everything from wildfires to water restrictions to high levels of crime. It would seem that they should be dealing with one of those problems.
Nope. They’ve decided that it’s time to focus on the crimes committed by some of our forefathers. We haven’t had slavery in over 100 years. Most people of color in the country haven’t the slightest idea of what their ancestors went through – or even know if they were subjected to slavery.
Yet, California wants to make a big apology in the form of reparations.
Let’s be clear – reparations are a way to provide money or other assistance as a way to right a wrong.
Reparations were paid years ago – to the people who were actually wronged.
The time to provide reparations has come and gone. At this point, no one living in the country has been a slave where they were required to provide free labor. Everyone has equal opportunities. Everyone can earn a degree, attend a trade school, and become the person they want to be.
And for those who claim otherwise, they haven’t tried hard enough. We hear countless stories where people were able to make something from nothing. It’s all about hard work and determination.
California liberals disagree.
There’s a state reparations task force – the first of its kind in the country. They believe that there is systemic discrimination as it pertains to the justice system, education, and housing. The recommendations from the panel include “comprehensive reparations” that will include financial reparations for Black residents, as shown in a report examined by USA Today.
The task force’s interim report is approximately 500 pages long. It talks about racial oppression that dates back to the 1600s – and there are recommendations on how to repair damage in over a dozen categories.
It’s safe to say that repairing the damage would be impossible. And there would always be the people who feel that whatever is done isn’t enough.
And really, where does it stop? If we make reparations for one group, shouldn’t we do the same for everyone who has been wronged?
The Irish were treated as second-rate citizens throughout much of the 1800s. What about Asian immigrants?
Discrimination and exclusion are a big part of American history – but no longer. The reality is that everyone has the ability to get an education, work, and vote to make the country a better place to live.
The report that was created for California talks about “the horrors and harms perpetrated against Black Americans in California and the nation.” The problem is that it was over 100 years ago. Those who are living today have not experienced the horrors and harms – they have the ability to do everything that white Americans can do.
Yet, California liberals believe that it’s time to make changes – and they’ll go broke trying to right the wrongs of yesterday. As such, if they were to go through with even some of the recommendations within the report, they would be making considerable changes to the legal system, the health system, the financial system, and more.
It’s a considerable undertaking that could take years and billions of dollars. But the question really is, would it change anything? We already know the answer to that.
