With NY Ballot Initiative, Left Wants Superior - Not Equal Rights

In less than three weeks not only will the fate of political candidates be decided, but so will the fate of ballot initiatives.

One proposed in New York deserves to be tossed in the garbage bin.

Despite earning the support of the state’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) it’s likely unconstitutional, it’s overcomplicated, and it should be insulting to minority populations.

New York’s Proposition One, dubbed an "Equal Rights Amendment," was proposed to address events occurring in other states — restrictions on abortion after Roe v. Wade was struck down, as well as restrictions on minor children receiving gender reassignment "care."

None of this is likely to occur in the Empire State.

Nonetheless, the ACLU of New York claims that "We might like to think we’re safe from these attacks here in New York, but the truth is there are dangerous loopholes in our state constitution that leave us vulnerable to the whims of politicians."

But Cornell Law School professor William A. Jacob argues that it does much more — that it "sets up . . . racial retribution and favoritism under the guise of 'dismantling discrimination.'"

Jacobson is also the director of the Equal Protection Project, which has been sounding the alarm over Proposition One since April.

Part A of the proposal adds terms like "gender identity" and "gender expression" to the long-protected categories or classes such as race, color, creed, national origin, and religion.

If approved, this could lead to the erosion of parental rights, the loss of privacy in girls' and women's restrooms and locker rooms, as well as the end of girls' and women's sports.

As bad as Part A of the proposal is, Part B may be even worse — yet it won’t even be referenced for voters on the ballot.

Jacobson observed in a New York Post column that it’s expressed in nearly indecipherable legalese.

It states, "Nothing in this section shall invalidate or prevent the adoption of any law, regulation, program, or practice that is designed to prevent or dismantle discrimination on the basis of a characteristic listed in this Section."

In practice, actions designed to "prevent or dismantle discrimination" more-often-than-not turn into more discrimination — what’s commonly called "reverse discrimination."

That was the case for affirmative action which gave preferential consideration to minority applicants at colleges and universities.

That practice was struck down as unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court last summer.

But that doesn’t stop progressives from trying to give a leg up to favored classes of people.

Vice President Kamala Harris' White House bid has been losing support from Black males recently. In an attempt to pander to Black men and reel them back in, she announced a new proposal Monday, called an Opportunity Agenda for Black Men.

Stripped to its essentials, Harris would:

• Give one million, $20,000 loans to Black entrepreneurs to start a new business or expand an existing one. Because the loans are "fully forgivable," they’re really grants
• Support education, training, and mentorship to help Black men get ahead
• Launch a national health initiative focused on illnesses that disproportionately affect Black men
• Legalize recreational marijuana and help Black Americans succeed in this business

As Florida-based lawyer and GOP strategist Ford O’Connell told Newsmax's Bianca de la Garza Tuesday, Harris' proposal is "blatantly unconstitutional," and is "nothing more than an attempt to buy votes."

It also demonstrates that the left doesn’t want equal rights — they want superior rights.

That’s what equal means to them.

Both New York’s Proposition One and Harris’ Opportunity Agenda amount to one more device to divide the country into "us versus them."

What’s more, both are insulting. They tell minorities that they’re incapable of making it on their own without Big Government giving them a treat and a pat on the head.

Someone much wiser than I once said that the general rule on ballot initiatives is to vote no, and he may have a point. We survived just fine without them for 200 years, give or take, and we probably can’t afford them anyway.

If New York wants to draft an Equal Rights Amendment, all they need are five words — five simple words that paraphrase a famous line in the Declaration of Independence, "All people are created equal."

That’s it. Anything more than that could amount to legalese designed as a smokescreen, hiding something they don’t want you to know.

All people are created equal.

Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.