Cry ‘systematic racism’ to get more money from the state (Opinion)
Every single business, every single industry and institution in this state is suffering from the loss of revenue because of the COVID-19 shut down. That means that everyone in both the private and public sectors is trying to figure out how to recoup these losses.
But one very important educational institution has found out a sure fire way to get exactly what they need. All they have to do is to convince a far left liberal governor like Phil Murphy that he will be defending minorities with those funds. And conversely, imply that not allocating those funds is akin to supporting “systemic racism.”
Systemic racism is not a fact, a hard and set tenet of American society, but a narrative created by political and community groups who can most benefit from its being true. So when community colleges call for more funding from Murphy’s new budget, the most effective way to obtain those funds is to pull the systemic racism card. So that’s what they’ve done.
According to an article on NJ1015.com, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges is asking for an extra $10 million in aid from the fiscal 2021 New Jersey budget. And I hope they get it. Community colleges are an integral part of New Jersey’s education system and actually turn out to be a much better option for kids than the standard four year degree.
Firstly, because community college students generally live at home, so they can be more closely monitored by their parents, which makes it less likely that they will turn into the drunk sex-crazed lunatics that many college freshman do when they move away at the tender age of 18. But also, because it’s just more financially responsible to do two years at a community college and then transfer those credits to another institution if a four year degree is what you’re looking for.
But the method by which they will guilt Murphy into opening the coffers is genius. The council, according to the piece, claims that New Jersey has the most skilled workforce in the country, and that giving it the additional funding will “address the systemic racial injustice and inequality on a local and state level.”
Bingo. “Systemic racism” is going to be the new get-out-of-jail-free card for any public institution suffering financially from the effects of the health crisis. How is anyone going to say no to that?
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco. Any opinions expressed are Judi's own.