Recently, California Gov. Gavin Newsom made headlines when he declined to endorse a state reparations panel task force’s recommendation to send up to $1.2 million each to descendants of slaves in California. The task force was created in the wake of the George Floyd riots and proposed a wealth redistribution plan in order to attempt to make up for the sins of slavery.
Newsom’s response to these recommendations was that justice and healing required more than just cash payments. While he did admit that many of the task force’s recommendations were already being addressed, he did not go as far as to endorse the reparations proposal.
This decision is a sign that Newsom isn’t a complete idiot, as it is evident that reparations in this form would do little to actually address the systemic racial inequality in our country. The proposed reparations would do nothing to address the disparities in education, housing, and employment that have resulted from centuries of racism.
The task force’s recommendation is also not nearly as generous as it may seem.
The majority of payments would be for redlining, over-policing, and mass incarceration, which would add up to just over $115,000. This amount does not even come close to the total sum that could be doled out, which could potentially reach $1.2 million.
The reparations proposal that has been put forward by the task force is a perfect example of the Democrats’ flawed logic when it comes to addressing systemic racial inequality. Throwing money at the problem in this form will do nothing to solve the root cause of the issue.
Instead of wasting time, money, and energy on this reparations proposal, the state should focus its efforts on finding ways to provide access to better education, housing, and employment opportunities to disadvantaged communities. This is the only way to truly address systemic racial inequality.
While Gov. Newsom should be commended for not wanting to endorse the task force’s reparations proposal, this does not mean that he is not a complete idiot. He should be focusing his efforts on finding real ways to address racial inequality in the state. Throwing money at the problem is not the solution.
