Posted on 03/19/2021 8:25:54 AM PDT by Kaslin
This provision Democrats specifically wrote into the American Rescue Plan pushes a blurred vision of ‘social equity’ by providing relief for farmers based on the color of their skin.
Last week, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law. The bill, comprised of $1.9 trillion in the name of “COVID relief,” received no support from Republicans in the House or Senate, and it’s not hard to see why.
The legislation includes carveouts for dozens of leftist priorities, including a bridge in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s New York and a tunnel in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Silicon Valley. These items clearly have nothing to do with pandemic relief for the millions of Americans out of work or the businesses shuttered by blue state governors’ harsh public health regulations. To the hardworking Americans everywhere, this bill should reek of the far-left’s desire to shove their ill-conceived policy priorities wherever they can stash them.
What most don’t know about this bill, however, is the small provision known as “Section 1005” that authorizes the secretary of agriculture to make payments of 100 to 120 percent of the “outstanding indebtedness of socially disadvantaged farmers.” Under this provision, those included in the socially disadvantaged category are American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Asians, Blacks, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics.
Putting aside all of the Washington jargon that makes little sense outside of a committee hearing room, this provision—specifically written into the American Rescue Plan by Democrats—pushes a blurred vision of so-called “social equity” by providing relief for farmers based on the color of their skin. Rather than offering much needed relief to all farmers, Sec. 1005 prioritizes race, just as it would ethnicity, sex, or any other factor.
It bears repeating: Sec. 1005 focuses debt relief on farmers based on their race, not based on how harshly the pandemic has affected them—the very reason for relief in the first place. Ironically, this racial discrimination is the very focus of what officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have worked so hard to combat.
The 1999 Supreme Court case Pigford v. Glickman handled this very issue when a class-action discrimination suit against the USDA by black farmers found true discrimination on the basis of race that subsequently resulted in cash relief, debt relief, and tax payments. In the years since, the case has provided billions to claimants due to proven discrimination within the department.
With Section 1005, Democrats are playing the ultimate social justice warrior with needed relief, weaving their flawed narrative into legislation as a naked attempt to balance the scales in the name of racial justice. The American Rescue Plan should have been designed to help all of those affected by the pandemic, but this provision specifically avoids focused aid toward all farmers.
Furthermore, the provision does not require any proof of discrimination to receive debt relief, simply designating a certain group of farmers as “socially disadvantaged” based solely on skin color. Despite this being a marked change from what was required in earlier relief to minority farmers in Pigford, Democrats are intent on ensuring all pieces of legislation are somehow tied to race, even when it makes no sense at all.
What’s more, Section 1005 excludes women from the list of socially disadvantaged farmers. For a party that claims to care so much about women’s empowerment, the “socially disadvantaged” category seems to be nothing more than a misnomer, including only the individual groups tied to race instead. This although there are fewer women farmers than men and many have been disproportionately harmed by lockdowns over the last several months.
While the American Rescue Plan received no support from conservatives because of all the pork it contains, the Democrats will continue to rail against House Republicans for our lack of support for this ridiculous bill, knowing all the while all it did was show how the left wants to push its radical agenda that hurts the American people rather than fight for real relief.
In my district and across the state of Florida, farmers have been forced to disk crops that can’t be sold due to the pandemic. Real relief isn’t including social equity provisions when all farmers have been affected by COVID-19. While the Democrats continue to push leftist policies in the U.S. House, I’ll continue to fight for all farmers—just as Democrats should fight for all Americans.
The 14th Amendment guarantees "equal protection of the laws." But it doesn't mention "equal benefits" so it must be OK to hand out goodies based on race.
“How is this even legal?”
It isn’t. But if the GOP doesn’t say anything about it and the media doesn’t print it, is that tree making a sound in the forest when if falls?
wy69
Nobody can argue with you on that.
The difference is the Dems are rabidly pushing this disintegration of the USA. They have been for 60 years and now that the deer are frozen in the car headlights, they have pushed the pedal to the metal.
Meanwhile, the milquetoast do-nothing go-along-to-get-along Reps let them get away with whatever they want. That is consistent from the local school board and town council elections all the way to POTUS.
Occasionally a handful push back (Meadows, Trump, Cruz, Nunes, DeSantis, Noem and a few others), but never enough to effect permanent change and turn the communist tide which is washing over us like a failed Hoover Dam.
Damn all of the quisling weaklings to hell.
Because covid is racist.
There’s your reparations.
I am sad to say that the USA does indeed of systemic racism/sexism, and its name is “affirmative action.”
“ This kind of thing is the very definition of racism!”
It won’t matter because white folks don’t riot and burn down cities.
They aren’t afraid of white people. We need to change that.
And so it begins. Soon whites will be locked out of most if not all federal programs. Also notice they’ve been trying to encourage blacks to farm by funding them. I guess they dont want a repeat of Zimbabwe.
How is this even legal?
LEGAL you say? The only thing legal as far as punishment goes is being MAGA, anti-Trans, anti-abortion speaking out about it, and that’s what we have now. You don’t walk the leftist walk you suffer.......skeeeeruu them!!!! I had heard this went on in the Odungo administration. They were dolling out bucks to black farmers then. Only God in Heaven can save us!
Everyone needs to file their claims and say they are African American.
You use the same tactics to destroy the system.
equal protection under the law.
Those days are long past.
Would this not be unconstitutional as it discriminates against people because of their race?
Trump held the key. We were mobilized. We all knew the election had been stolen. We would have followed Trump anywhere. When it came down to fighting for the republic and constitution, Trump listened to his Uniparty (R) handlers and backed down. At the very least he could have hit the ground running with a real second party. The Uniparty (R) has Trump where they want him, out of power, incommunicado and STILL listening to their Uniparty advice. Trump blew it.
One of the DNA tests I took revealed I’m something like 0.01% Saharan African. That’s good enough for me! I also have a lot of Neanderthal genes and they looked rather minority, too...as well as severely oppressed!
JACKPOT!!
To the back of the COVID relief bus with you. But in a nice way, of course.
The USDA Loan limit is $400,000. So 120% of $400,000 is $480,000.
Coming soon, housing, electricity and food will be prioritized for POC. Not POC, too bad. You can starve.
Ripe for a 14th amendment based lawsuit.
THAT is reverse discrimination. Sue their @$$e$!!
p
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