Polls show most Americans support the COVID-19 relief bill. But this bill comes with a slap in the face for people who believe in racial equality and want everyone to benefit.
Section 1005 of the bill offers women and minority farm owners a total debt forgiveness of up to hundreds of thousands of dollars per farmer. No strings or other requirements. An amazing offer — but white men need not apply.
Newly elected Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, who proposed it, says it’s intended to make up for years of discrimination. Sorry, Senator, but this is discrimination.
There’s more discrimination in the bill’s aid to restaurants, Section 6003. It grants restaurant owners up to $5 million per facility to offset losses during the pandemic. That’s a lifeline for restaurants hanging on week by week, trying to make one more mortgage or rent payment and keep from going out of business.
Here’s the hitch: Only women, minorities and veterans can apply during the program’s first three weeks. Most white men have to go to the back of the line, even if their losses are larger or their need more pressing.
Treating white male farmers and restaurant owners like second-class citizens violates a fundamental principle that we’re equal under the law — a principle guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.
The pandemic is hurting everyone.
Many of New York’s upstate dairy farmers are facing bankruptcy because restaurants accounted for half the demand for their products. Yet, the farm aid in the COVID-19 relief bill is not about helping them get through the pandemic. Most of them won’t be eligible because they’re white men.
The bill looks more like reparations than COVID-19 relief. It says farm aid is being provided “for the purposes of addressing the longstanding and widespread discrimination against socially disadvantaged farmers.”
The truth is that farmers have been struggling for a decade, and more than half lose money year after year. Minority-owned farms are generally less in debt than farms owned by whites, though diminished access to credit may be part of the reason. Debt relief is urgently needed by white and minority farmers alike.
Senator Chuck Schumer crisscrossed the state last weekend bragging about his role in the COVID-19 relief bill, and claiming credit for the $25 billion in aid to restaurants. He cautioned that 54% of New York restaurant owners won’t be able to survive the next six months without help. “They’re needed because they’re one of the biggest employers in every community in New York, whether it’s urban, suburban like here in Camillus, or rural.”
That’s the point, Senator. Instead of dwelling on racial or gender equity, the COVID-19 relief bill should focus on ensuring economic survival. All will benefit.
On taking office, President Joe Biden pledged that his “priority will be Black, Latino, Asian and Native-American owned businesses” and “women-owned businesses.” So it’s no surprise that Section 4201 of his COVID-19 relief bill sets aside over $1 billion of loans for women and minority small-business owners only. As if they’re the only ones struggling.
In New York City, 47% of small businesses have closed, and those hanging on have incurred a nearly 60% drop in revenue, according to TracktheRecovery.org, a Harvard University database. Minority businesses are often hardest hit, but government help should be based on need and viability, not a business owner’s gender or skin color.
It’s what the Constitution requires. When Oregon and Colorado set aside COVID-19 relief funds for minority businesses only, white business owners sued, demanding equal treatment.
If Congress enacts provisions discriminating against white men, the federal government should be sued, too.
As Congress debates the COVID relief bill, Republicans should protest the racist giveaways. They’ve hardly mentioned them, and the public is unaware. More are on the way.
Warnock and four other Democrats, including New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, introduced a bill on Feb. 5 to give 32 million acres of farmland to Black farmers over the next 10 years. Reparations without the label. What’s next — tax credits for being Black?
Racism will never cure past racism. It’s not how to unite the nation.
Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York and author of “The Next Pandemic,” available at Amazon.com. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter @Betsy_McCaughey. To find out more about Betsy McCaughey and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
Oh, how I love a racist bill from the communist Democrats! Is there any way we can build enough mirrors, so all of the Democrats can look at themselves in the mirror and scream “racist”, at their reflection in the mirror?
If you review this joke of a bill it only provides minimal relief for folks and is mostly pork from the dems wish list! Thats what they always do-lie about caring about people in need and then shove it up our backsides with mountains of future tax increases. Anyone who cant see this is just blind, ignorant, or both!
It gives all the money to those of color and almost nothing to white people, I never received the last relief check, there are black people that I know the received three times what some white people got, so the quid-pro-joe 8s as racist as he can be, every person in oneness has shown nothing but hatred of their own people, if those in congress are embarrassed for the white people then they need to get theheck out of congress.
I honestly wonder.. WHEN HAS ANY BILL the left’s tried to push through, NOT BEEN RACIST towards whites?
When racists are elected to congress and have access to the purse strings, then what can be expected besides them showing their true colors? Hundreds of millions of $ was spent to get warknocking elected. Why would those amounts of $ be spent for anyone’s campaign? Much money from California for a Georgia candidate! Why? What is expected in return for a quarter of a billion $ spent on a campaign ?? I think everyone knows.
OBiden administration is evil. Socialism at its best. Wake up..rise up.
Did anyone expect anything else???
Like always, the 14th never applies to whites.
Racism is not a one-way street like the Democrats would have you believe. They only see racism when minorities are the target. When you make a generalized statement about a group of people, like all white people have white privilege’s, you are making a racist statement. Racism against whites is now allowed by the media.
ITs not just allowed, but Encouraged and celebrated!
I don’t think Democrat politicians believe any of the stuff they shovel. (Believers cannot flip-flop at a moments notice.) Only the plebes need to sign on and continue to let it all slide.
Is this really a big deal?
All the White men need to do is fill out a couple of forms saying they identify as women, and the problem goes away! President Biden says so, right?
[/sarc]
larrya:
Better yet if a White male claims to identify with being a black, transgender, illegal immigrant, female.
He will be praised, supported and protected by this corrupt puppet president Blow Biden and his “Socialist Democrat Party State”.
I identify as Joe Biden. After as much thought as I could stand (the longest 30 seconds of my life) I have decided that President Donald Trump won re-election, fair and square and nothing I said last month makes any sense whatsoever.
(Don’t tell Barrack I was thinking. It pi**es XSHim off.)
I fear we whites, would never be allowed to get away with that.
If Congress enacts provisions discriminating against white men, the federal government should be sued, too.
Also, how dare all the “white men” of the federal government to accept paychecks, Those “white men’s” paycheck should be going to minorities. Time for them to play by their own rules.
You just KNOW they never ever do that..
That’s the best part of being progressive. They get over those old rule thingies very quickly.
White {anything} is the new N-Word.
Those who don’t follow the new world order are branded as “Racists” the same way the Democrats in the South called disobedient Blacks “Uppity”, or “N-Words”, or both together back in the 1960’s. It wasn’t okay then; It’s not okay now.
(please notice that today in any public forum you cannot spell out the N-Word, nor can you use characters to spell it like other 4-Letter words. That’s a good thing. Now we need to apply that same standard to White Supremacist, Racist, White Privilege, and any other pejorative label designed to commandeer the conversations.)
The most degrading offensive insult one can give another:
Is to call them a “Democrat”……
the “N” word ain’t nothing compared to being call a “Democrat”!! 🙄
It ain’t nothing compared to being called a D-word.
I feel that I understand what he is suggesting but his plan has not been proofread…
You can not put a group on the top line for political reasons and it doesn’t matter what their agenda is to get ahead.
There have always been black & white farmers that have kelp this country afloat through the good and bad times and both should be at the top receiving equal benefits.
We all know and must accept things haven’t always been above board on a fair playing field, but it’s now time for us that prefer not that our immediate family and grandchildren starve to death that we should help fix the system by working together for a common cause ( food ).
When i sit at my dinner table I don’t see anyone! Most of us have never worked on a farm and can’t appreciate what those families endure on a daily base just to make sure we get to eat and they should not be push to the bottom because of what some dishonorable people did 100 years ago and continued to do as we speak.
2 wrongs make a right to democrats. Wait until he takes white farm away and give them black people and we starve.
Didn’t they do that in South africa??
If there is an unknown “right” (the end) to be created, achieved, and redistributed, any number of “corrective actions” (the means) may be justified to realize the needed change.
Look how many it took to, temporarily, rid the country of Orange Man Bad!
The Democrats took the farms away from the Japanese Americans and put them in internment camps during WWII, so they have practice. But they don’t send mean tweets.
A Democrat also decided to drop TWO nukes on Japan. I guess because we didn’t have three.
Most Americans support the bill because of the $1400 payment, but most don’t know what’s in the bill other than that payment. Actually most of the House and Senate probably don’t know what’s all in it!
Probably cause they don’t CARE WHAT else is in it.. THEY GET theirs, so who cares.
It’s a legal, if not Constitutional, shakedown.
It certainly seems to be legalized, shakedowns.
Just an admission that white males are so smart and efficient that nobody else can compete without help…
Special benefits for one group is, by its definition, discrimination against all other groups.
Whites only water fountains were an abomination. Blacks only colleges are likewise an abomination.
Whites only hiring practices are a violation of human rights. Black farmers only benefits are horrendous.
Two contradictory signs side-by-side in a state employment office:
“Equal opportunity is the law.” “Special benefits for veterans.”
When cops and their families pay speeding tickets just like other people do, that will be the beginning of equality.
When civilians pay the same interest rate on home loans as military families, that will be an advancement of equality.
When factory workers receive the same honors at their funerals as military officers, that will be a glorious day.
When politicians actually go to prison for accepting bribes, those will be spectacular events.