Have We Made Progress on Race or Not?

Conservatives are judging President Obama by the content of his character. Liberals are judging President Obama by the color of his skin. So who is closer to MLK's ideal? The reason liberals see racism under every bed and behind every tree is that they need minorities to vote their identity. If you vote your identity, then the results your government actually produces are irrelevant.

I grew up in Montana in the late 50's and early 60's. I spent my summers on a ranch on the Flathead Indian Reservation near St. Ignatius, Montana. The Flathead Indians were not very well off. Some Indians were hunting just to get enough to eat. They would literally shoot fish with a .22 because it was legal for them and easier than hooks and bait. My family was unpopular locally with other ranch owners because we paid "white wages" to Indians working on our ranch.

There is a BIG difference today. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes run several profitable businesses including timber operations and an electronics factory as well as a luxury hotel and casino. They have established Salish and Kootenai College, which grants both 2 year and 4 year degrees. They even have a permitting process for tourists using their land for camping. (When I visited, I found out that Lower Mission Falls, where my family used to picnic, was tribal land and I needed a permit.) The point is that they have made immense progress through their own hard work. To pretend that everything is still the same is to demean their accomplishments.

In the larger picture, liberals pretending that racism is still rampant throughout the US demean the accomplishments of countless individuals who started with nothing and improved themselves and their families against the odds with hard work and study. It's just wrong, and worse, it's a cynical lie told merely to further leftist political fortunes because liberal governments have no accomplishments they can point to.