Standing beside Gov. Hochul for a bill signing Wednesday were Carl Heastie, speaker of the state Assembly, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, leader of the state Senate, key state Sen. James Sanders, prominent Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages and longtime political kingmaker the Rev. Al Sharpton.
In short, the most powerful people in the state. All of them black.
There to watch the governor sign a bill to study how disenfranchised black people are in New York.
Showing that Democrats never learn from their mistakes, Hochul is following in the foolish footsteps of California by setting up a reparations committee that is bound to infuriate everyone.
New York passed a law in 1817 to abolish slavery. Over the years, it has tried to rectify past racial discrimination with affirmative action and minority loans and grants for small businesses, among countless other programs.
Yet this committee is bound to come up with some astronomical number to compensate for historical racism, which will infuriate white residents who don’t agree with collective punishment for actions they were not a part of — not to mention other ethnic groups that have their own grievances.
And then, just as in California, the governor will be forced to admit that New York can’t afford to spend billions in reparations, which will embitter black residents who were falsely promised a payout.
So congratulations, Gov — you’ve set back race relations for no good reason except a political stunt.