Does Gray Davis really want to lose his re-election bid? Because he's doing a pretty good job of setting himself up for Bill Simon.

In Thursday's San Francisco Chronicle Davis weighs in on the issue of slave reparations -- on the wrong side.

With a landmark state study on slave-era insurance policies about to be released, Gov. Gray Davis addressed the issue of possible reparations to California minorities yesterday, saying, "Clearly, we want to right any wrongs and do justice to people who were taken advantage of."

OK, let my try to explain this to Gov. Davis. The people who were taken advantage of were SLAVES. Slavery ended in 1865. All of the people who were taken advantage of ARE DEAD!

While the slavery reparations issue is despicable, and nationwide is far out of favor, shakedown artist Jesse Jackson is giving Davis a gameplan for turning it around. You see, everyone was a victim and deserves money -- except the honkies.

Jackson, at a news conference, said the California Department of Insurance study on slave-era insurance practices represented "a ground-breaking national issue." He said the findings, scheduled to be released Wednesday, might raise the possibility of reparations from private businesses owed to African Americans -- and Californians of Chinese and Mexican descent.

"We do know that the same ships that brought Africans over, to become African Americans . . . brought in Chinese to the West Coast," said Jackson, referring to immigrant laborers, known derogatorily as "coolies," who worked on the railroads and other building projects, including the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta levees.

Let's just take all of the money from white people, rich and poor, and give it to non-whites. Because all whites (or their ancestors) are evil -- that's Jackson's worldview. And it's racist.

Jackson said African Americans, as well as Mexican Americans, also appeared to have been the victims of unethical insurance business practices in which they were charged more than whites for the same services.

Well, if this happened to anyone who is still alive, I think a class-action suit would probably be successful. I don't know how long ago the practice stopped -- I expect that it did. But if we're talking about having to do genealogical research to figure out who might be a part of the class, then I wouldn't hold my breath on anyone getting any money.

Jackson, in an editorial board meeting at The Chronicle this week, said he would not expect reparations to be paid to individuals but to nonprofit groups, educational programs, arts facilities or other groups that help minorities.

Aha! Jesse doesn't want the money for poor blacks -- he wants it for himself and his cronies. Jesse Jackson IS a nonprofit group. That's how he works. Jackson has moved up in the world. First he shakes down corporate America with threats of "racism" and boycotts, next up -- government.

Asked specifically about his position on reparations yesterday, the governor declined to comment, saying he would await the release of Low's formal findings.

But he noted, "I signed the legislation that commissioned the study by the insurance commissioner."

The state law, which took effect in January, authorizes state researchers to collect data on slaveholder insurance policies issued before 1865.

Davis promised that Low "will indicate in detail which, if any, companies have not treated their policyholders properly, and what the appropriate remedies are for those policyholders."

The insurance commissioner's study collected data on businesses that insured slaves, much the same as they insured cargo or property, Scott Esalen, public information officer for Low's office, said yesterday. In what appears to be an unexpected finding, some of the data collected has confirmed that some Chinese workers were insured in the same manner -- after one insurance firm submitted a policy covering "coolie" workers in response to the state's request for information, Esalen said yesterday.

A companion bill directs the University of California to hold a research conference to examine the economic legacy of slavery, which may well try to tote up the economic benefits of slavery for owners and the insurers. This study could attempt to put a dollar amount on the damages resulting from slavery, one source said yesterday.

Sing it with me...Money, money, money.....mooooney! You think your auto insurance rates are bad now, just wait until insurance companies are having to money to Jackson too.

But the issue of reparations to minorities in California -- which has the nation's largest minority population -- poses a potentially thorny problem for Davis in his re-election year.

The Democratic governor must satisfy the concerns of legions of minority voters in his Democratic base, who were represented in force yesterday at Jackson's business conference.

But 71 percent of the Californians who voted in the 2000 presidential election were non-Latino and white, studies have shown.

Davis also has been under fire from Republicans, including his opponent in November, Bill Simon, who charged this week that the governor had been unfriendly to California business; his support of reparations could hand the Republicans even more ammunition.

Davis suggested yesterday that he would side with Jackson on the issue.

"Clearly, we want to right any wrongs and do justice to people who were taken advantage of, if that is the case," Davis said. "I believe that will be the case."

If Davis does that -- he'll lose.