Racists and those who perpetuate unfair employment practices participate in and are an integral part of costing the United States trillions of dollars yearly.
Yes, that’s more than what we spend on the entire defense budget. With this money, we could in 10 years approach eliminating our $31 trillion debt, thereby releasing us from paying China and other countries for borrowed money.
Racists think it is cute when Black folks are seated near the bathroom, kitchen, entrance or cash register of the restaurant. Too often I have had to request a seat change. Racists are also pleased when boarding is announced at airports. Carry-on bags often get flagged at the gate for cargo loading when the bulk of the “cheap seat” people are boarding, many of which are disproportionately minority. This happens even though many times there is plenty of room on board to hold their carry-ons.
I am not attributing the entirety of $2.4 trillion in public assistance to racist acts, but would argue that it is at least the cause of a third of our problems, nearly a trillion dollars ($800 billion).
It should be noted that white people make up the largest group on welfare (37%), but African Americans are second and disproportionate to their population size – about 14% of the population (26% of those on welfare). It is about jobs – a problem African Americans have faced since the end of slavery.
Your employment (and by extension salary) determines your quality of life. It determines the quality of your education. It determines the safety of your neighborhood. It determines the kind of neighborhood, house, or land you would have. It determines your stress levels, which greatly affect your quality of life. It determines if you have a supermarket nearby with fresh vegetables and fruits along with a variety of seafood items for better health and longevity. It determines the use of a personal doctor versus a reliance on emergency room physicians. Most importantly, it shapes the future for your family as the cycle continues.
Racist employers who treat minorities unfairly also play an indirect role in the crime in our inner cities, which has a significant cost to society as well. When folks are not able to work in legitimate roles they are more easily enticed to do illegal things. Why? Because they like to eat too. Survival.
In the past, I have talked about a Black woman being paid under the salary range. She was being paid about 50% less than her white male counterparts even though she had the same title and reported to the same person? And, this woman had multiple degrees while the white men did not. The white men worked for low level officials in their former position while the Black woman worked previously for the top person in the same organization. A racist would see nothing wrong with this scenario – with paying the Black woman 50% less than the white males while everyone involved held the exact same titles.
President Joe Biden and government officials do not count people receiving public assistance as part of any evaluation of how the economy is performing (including the unemployment rate). But these people make up almost 20% of the U.S. population. Often these folks have not had any significant long-term employment. Forgotten Americans.
We have nearly 60 million Americans on public assistance/welfare. I do not blame racist employers for the entire amount, that would be unfair. There is personal responsibility as well. But 10 to 20 million – yes!
So if we were able to alter a third of these cases via numerous means, it would save nearly a trillion dollars and create a more productive U.S. workforce.
We spend over $750 billion a year just on Medicaid, healthcare for the indigent. We spend a whopping $1.65 trillion a year on other welfare benefits.
For the most part, public housing is found in dilapidated neighborhoods and so are underperforming schools. By creating more poor people you are developing a permanent class of folks that soon will find it hard to qualify for meaningful jobs. And forget about the “fall back” career – joining the military. I was told that a standardized test for post high-school students seeking admission into a prestigious prep school was easier than the enlisted Army test.
Thanks to Black Democrat elected officials the less advantaged are trapped in failing schools with no hope of attaining “school choice” that those same politicians enjoy for their own families. Heck, there was even a National Teacher of the Year at a public school who did not send her own child to a public high school. Ironic.
After seriously reducing the staff via funding cuts to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Congress should better support the “employment practices police.” Racist employers are creating more and more poor people because of their refusal to hire, retain, evaluate, promote and pay minorities fairly.
Let’s remember, as racists have their way, the cost of being a “racist” only grows leaving good white people and their children with a potential trillion dollar yearly bill.
Gary Franks served three terms as U.S. representative for Connecticut’s 5th District. He was the first Black Republican elected to the House in nearly 60 years and New England’s first Black member of the House. He’s host of the podcast “We Speak Frankly” and author of “With God, For God, and For Country.” Reach him on Twitter @GaryFranks. His column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lima News editorial board or AIM Media, owner of The Lima News.
