Is Walgreens racist or is Ayanna Pressley uninformed
Is Racism the Go-To Accusation for the Left?
If patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel, the charge of racism has become the first refuge of the liberal. And few people in Washington epitomize this problem more than Democrat Rep. Ayanna Pressley.
Her latest target? Walgreens. According to Walgreens, it is planning to close its Boston-area Roxbury location “due to several factors including the cost of operating, low prescription volume and low reimbursement rates.” Pressley, a member of the House of Representatives’ ultra-leftist “squad” who represents Roxbury in Congress, shot back, “These closures are not arbitrary and they are not innocent. They are life-threatening acts of racial and economic discrimination.”
Joined by Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, the three “demand answers” from Walgreens for its actions. Because “when a Walgreens leaves a neighborhood, they disrupt the entire community and they take with them, baby formula, diapers, asthma inhalers, life-saving medications, and, of course, jobs.”
The private sector can’t win with the left. When it stays it is accused of “taking” from communities, and when it leaves it is also accused of “taking.”
In Pressley’s diatribe of indignation, there is no mention of the neighborhood itself. However, Roxbury’s reputation is no secret. Roxbury “has 104 percent more crime than Boston overall with a high violent crime rate of 1,271/100k people. Roxbury has a higher rate of rape and attempted rape and it’s most known for drugs and violent crime.”
A quick scan of the internet shows site after site after site listing Roxbury as the second most unsafe neighborhood in the Boston area. And Boston is having its shoplifting problems; WBUR in Boston ran a segment recently in which David Johnston of the National Retail Federation stated: “I can tell you in my 35, 36 years of doing this, it’s unprecedented and unmatched. First and foremost, we’re seeing the frequency of theft, the openness and the brazenness of the criminals, the quantities and the type of merchandise that are stolen.”
Perhaps these factors played a role in Walgreens’s decision. What might help? More policing, especially in neighborhoods with high crime. But of course, Pressley supported efforts to defund the police. Then in a police-for-me-but-not-for-thee move, Pressley also spent $50,000 from “her Member’s Representational Allowance (MRA)” on “security services” in the second half of 2021. House rules say the MRA is “intended for individual member offices’ expenditures and receipts during a single legislative year.”
Apparently, Pressley’s constituents are not so fortunate.
If Pressley’s charges of racism against Walgreens were serious, she would have produced evidence that Walgreens was not closing stores in neighborhoods with similar crime statistics but a different population demographic. This would isolate the variable, race, that she is interested in examining and eliminate crime as a factor.
Pressley did not do that. Instead, the action she dislikes is reflexively labeled racist.
What Pressley really wants is made clear in another remark made on the House floor: “Talking points about health equity and underserved communities is not enough. Walgreens is a multibillion-dollar corporation that needs to put their money where their mouth is and stop divesting from black and brown communities.”
What Pressley wants from this “multibillion-dollar corporation” is a subsidy — someone else to absorb the costs of operating in Roxbury — because they can afford it and we deserve it.
This economic reasoning, or rather lack thereof, makes perfect sense to someone like Pressley and the ultra-leftists who dismiss the private sector and the profit motive.
What Pressley and other leftists really want is to be done with the private sector altogether and have the government take charge. There, economics need not apply — as witnessed by the federal government spending $6.1 trillion last fiscal year, running a $1.7 trillion deficit, and amassing a $25.8 trillion debt equal to 98 percent of America’s GDP.
If government-run drugstores sound far-fetched, then remember that just last September, Chicago’s mayor was exploring city-owned grocery stores in response to private stores leaving. And if you want to know how such government-run options will turn out, just look again at the federal government’s performance.
Racism has become a catchall accusation by the left for getting what they want. Their constant cry of “Wolf!” short-circuits thought in their pursuit of results. It also cheapens real racism, which sadly does exist — especially notable in the left’s antisemitism and radical DEI initiatives. In actuality, the left no longer knows what racism is, nor do they care to know; they just know what they want and the easiest way to get it.
How does the knee-jerk reaction of accusing Walgreens of racism by left-leaning politicians undermine legitimate instances of racism?
Solve the problems of the neighborhood. Instead of advocating for effective solutions to crime and economic issues in Roxbury, Pressley resorts to accusing Walgreens of racism without any concrete evidence. This type of knee-jerk reaction is becoming increasingly common among left-leaning politicians, who seem to default to accusations of racism whenever they encounter a situation they disagree with or want to gain attention for.
It is important to note that racism is a serious issue that needs to be addressed and combated. However, using it as a go-to accusation whenever convenient not only cheapens the seriousness of the problem but also undermines legitimate instances of racism. By crying wolf and making baseless claims, politicians like Pressley are doing a disservice to the cause they claim to support.
Moreover, their reliance on accusations of racism deflects attention away from the real issues at hand. Instead of addressing the root causes of problems like crime and economic disparity, they prefer to point fingers and assign blame. This approach does nothing to solve the problems faced by the communities they claim to represent.
In the case of Walgreens, it is clear that their decision to close a store in Roxbury was based on a multitude of factors, including low prescription volume, low reimbursement rates, and the cost of operating. These are valid concerns that any business would consider when making such a decision. To label this decision as an act of racial and economic discrimination without any evidence is not only irresponsible but also counterproductive.
If politicians like Pressley truly care about the well-being of their constituents, they should focus on finding practical solutions to the issues at hand. This means working with businesses, community leaders, and residents to address the underlying causes of problems like crime and economic disparity. It means advocating for policies that promote economic growth, job creation, and public safety. It means looking beyond simplistic accusations and political posturing to actually make a positive impact.
Accusations of racism should not be used as a weapon to further political agendas or gain attention. They should be reserved for situations where there is clear evidence of discriminatory behavior. By using this accusation so casually, the left is not only undermining the credibility of the term but also hindering progress towards real solutions.
In conclusion, the tendency of the left to resort to accusations of racism as a go-to tactic is concerning. It diminishes the seriousness of the issue and detracts from legitimate instances of racism. Instead of reflexively labeling every disagreement or perceived injustice as racist, politicians should focus on finding real solutions to the problems at hand. It is time to move beyond the easy and empty accusations and start working towards meaningful change.
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