How Do You Fix Historical Injustice?
During the 1920s, Federal Homestead Acts, offered White farmers only, deeply subsidized lands. In addition, between the 1950s and late 1990s, local USDA offices in the South denied black farmers access to credit, and used bureaucracy to delay their applications. Over the years, this created a situation, where many black farmers do not have a clear title to their land, making them ineligible for USDA loans, to buy livestock, and plant crops.
More recently, Trump's $28B bailout to compensate for his "winning" strategy during his China trade war, went to White farmers.
So, as part of the American Recovery Act, $5B was set aside, to cancel out minority farmers debt. Blacks make up about 25% of the group.
Stephen Miller, Trump's former advisor and principal author of his racist speeches, and race/religion based anti-immigrant programs, felt guilty about not having done enough to advance the cause of White America, filed a lawsuit, on behalf of Sid Miller, to block the program.
Sid Miller is the Texas Agriculture Commissioner, who is also a farmer, who does not carry any debt, and who further, in 2014, was exposed for investing his campaign funds in the stock market, and then using the profits to pay himself. But Texas is Texas, and he's still the Texas Agriculture Commissioner.
This was augmented by a lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), a conservative organization. Not clear who's actually footing the bill, on behalf of 10 white farmers across the country. WILL filed for an injunction with a Federal Judge in Wisconsin, who issued a temporary restraining order to halt distribution of funds.
The judge did not disagree with past discrimination, but he said the way to fix it is to stop discrimination. This is fine, but it does not address the harm already done. The latter is the point made by the US Department of Agriculture.
The USDA plans on appealing.
More recently, Trump's $28B bailout to compensate for his "winning" strategy during his China trade war, went to White farmers.
So, as part of the American Recovery Act, $5B was set aside, to cancel out minority farmers debt. Blacks make up about 25% of the group.
Stephen Miller, Trump's former advisor and principal author of his racist speeches, and race/religion based anti-immigrant programs, felt guilty about not having done enough to advance the cause of White America, filed a lawsuit, on behalf of Sid Miller, to block the program.
Sid Miller is the Texas Agriculture Commissioner, who is also a farmer, who does not carry any debt, and who further, in 2014, was exposed for investing his campaign funds in the stock market, and then using the profits to pay himself. But Texas is Texas, and he's still the Texas Agriculture Commissioner.
This was augmented by a lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), a conservative organization. Not clear who's actually footing the bill, on behalf of 10 white farmers across the country. WILL filed for an injunction with a Federal Judge in Wisconsin, who issued a temporary restraining order to halt distribution of funds.
The judge did not disagree with past discrimination, but he said the way to fix it is to stop discrimination. This is fine, but it does not address the harm already done. The latter is the point made by the US Department of Agriculture.
The USDA plans on appealing.
