Written by Nicholas Vetrisek
A reparations bill has successfully passed the California State Assembly. The bill, AB 3121, passed 61-12, with 6 not voting. All that is left is for the State Senate to pass the bill and have Gov. Gavin Newsom sign it into law. The Senate is as blue as the Assembly, so the chance of it passing is nearly certain. This may cause more sensible people in the state to immediately move elsewhere because, at some point, enough is enough.
There are many things that Californians are willing to tolerate, but a blatantly unconstitutional measure forcing people to pay others because of their race is not one of them. It will devastate the state economy and social fabric, but it will give Democrats in government exactly what they want: power.
As of right now, the bill is not technically a full reparations plan. AB 3121 was proposed by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber simply to set up a committee to investigate whether reparations should be a policy in California. The committee would have eight members and four have to be from pro-reparations organizations, and 2 of the members will be Democrats from the State Legislature, so is there really any doubt as to how they will vote?
When they do inevitably recommend reparations, the proposal will once again be put before the Legislature, but given the fact that just about every Democrat in the Assembly already voted for it, it’s pretty much set in stone.
This may very well be the final straw for many Californians who have grown tired of far-left Democratic policies. California has had no shortage of awful legislation and ridiculous taxes, but most of it can be attributed to idiocy and incompetence. This is a blatant slap in the face to all Californians—not just Republicans. The idea that in a state that never had slaves—and where the overwhelming majority of the population came 80 years after the end of the Civil War—someone whose ancestors weren’t slave owners has to pay someone who was not a slave and is in fact generations removed from slavery simply because of the color of their skin is not just wrong, it’s insulting.
Disingenuous supporters of the bill use the example of reparations for victims of Japanese internment camps as if these two are in any way related. The reparations were paid to living victims, not their great-great-grandchildren. This has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with politics.
If and when this passes into law, numerous Republicans—myself included—will look to leave the state and find one that respects its citizens. Goodbye Golden State, you’ve lost your luster.
