As if her intention was to kick off the new year in the most divisive way possible, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) on Jan. 1 signed a package of bills, one of which officially classes racism as a “public health crisis.” So, we can safely assume that, within a very few years from now, racism and “racial inequity” will no longer exist in the Empire State. Of course, that is not going to happen because no Democrat is ever going to declare he or she has eliminated racism; whatever would they campaign on and how would they ever get folks to vote for them if they could no longer claim they were fighting for racial equity? Perhaps the real crisis is the seemingly never-satisfied lust for power.
Why would racism be considered a public health emergency? It is not a disease – even though it is easy to wonder what is wrong with people who are truly racist – it is not contagious, except through indoctrination, and even though a person might commit a racially motivated crime, racism itself does not kill or even hospitalize the person affected with it.
Why Does NY Still Have a Racism Problem?
The answer to that question is obvious, as we have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. By declaring a “public health crisis,” government officials – both elected and unelected – can impose all manner of rules and restrictions and can gather to themselves all kinds of extraordinary powers, even if none of them are constitutional. It’s a public health crisis! There is no time to consider such trifles as rights and freedoms!
In a statement released on Dec. 23, the governor said, “For far too long, communities of color in New York have been held back by systemic racism and inequitable treatment.” It would seem, then, that systemic racism has been largely fostered by Democrats. The New York State Assembly has been held in an iron grip by Democrats since at least 1992. The largest number of seats Republicans have held in that time was 56. The smallest number of seats Democrats controlled during the same period was 94. Since 2016, New York Democrats have enjoyed a 105-43 majority in the Assembly. Democrats have also held onto a sizeable majority in the state Senate since 2018. Prior to that, Republicans clung to a slim advantage, sometimes only by virtue of a coalition with the Independent Democratic Conference.
(Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The governor’s mansion has been occupied by a Democrat for all but 11 of the past 46 years. It’s not as if New York Democrats have not had the time or the power to eradicate racism, then – especially “systemic” racism which, by definition, means racism is ingrained into the system. In New York, Democrats are the system.
The price tag for this new war on racism, real or perceived, is likely to be eye-popping. One of the many new measures involves providing all state government online content in a multitude of foreign languages. New Yorkers can look forward to higher taxes, then, to foot the bill.
When will it all end? When will Hochul have her “mission accomplished” moment? As previously stated, the answer is never. Economist Milton Friedman wrote, “Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.” Perhaps just as importantly, he also wrote, “One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.” Will anyone in New York ever hold the governor accountable for the results, or lack thereof? Will a standard for success even be established – a set of criteria which, once met, will allow the state government to declare victory over racism? Obviously not.
What Americans should really be concerned about, though, is the taste for almost unlimited power certain politicians have gained since early 2020. What issue might next – in New York or some other state – be declared a “public health crisis”?
~ Read more from Graham J. Noble.
