The governor's wife playing the 'race card'

Usually criticizing any family member of a politician is off limits, but when they weigh in on politics and race in such an irresponsible, shameless way, it can't be ignored.

It wasn't big headline news when Tammy Murphy talked about New Jersey having one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country earlier this week. She's a mom and the first lady of our state, so one would expect the wife of a progressive governor to take up such a cause. Many of us would say "good for her that she's trying to tackle such an important issue."

But when she pointed out that "black women are seven times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy related death" and that health disparities in our state are a result of systemic racism, no one pushes back. Are women of color denied care? Are they turned away for prenatal visits, denied prenatal vitamins? Where is the evidence that it is a result of "systemic racism"?

The term is the talking point for just about every Democrat politician in this election year. Thanks to pandering politicians and a mainstream media's insatiable appetite for stirring up more distrust and unrest among the people, using race to gain attention and power is out of control. More importantly, it's irresponsible, immoral and disgusting. There could be many social and demographic reasons for health disparities, but saying that it's systematic racism is so dishonest and disgusting that someone has to speak up and say "enough is enough."

If you want to use your position to help a certain segment of the population improve their quality of life, that's admirable and honorable. But to blame health problems and issues like this on systemic racism, without evidence, is shameful and disgusting.