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The first people to get them would be the Native American's whom we stole this land from.
If they aren't getting any than why should anyone else? This is including Slaves, Japanese/Chinese internment camp survivors, etc...
It should go in order of atrocity by date.
No I think it is way to late for that. Unless you were ACTUALLY a slave - not a relative- but YOU, then of course not.
I have personally been on some Native Rezervations, and of some, they are on full time welfare at tax payer expence.
In my experience this welfare is worse than giving them nothing. i understand that seems harsh, please read.
What happens now is a credit card comes in the mail. It is brown, and can be used to purchase only so called quailty foods and other so called related qood things, but it isn't.
Say on Pine Ridge where there isn't even one bank, these cards get used over the border in Nebraska where the local liquor store will accpet these cards for what they have in stock. By the way Pine Ridge is dry.
Around 2 weeks goes by and there is a fairly rez wide party, after that the card is all used up and all there is to look forward to is another weeks of no card.
The poverty created by the card is devistating. Would I take the card away? No not ever, but something other than living for 2 weeks and the party and then straving for 2 weeks must happen. The toll in human life is astounding.
Life as it is know by many is a simple escape for 2 weeks straight, then suffering for 2 more weeks.
The children and women suffer the most. That is what welfare gets you.
Out there there is nothing, no buildings to speak of, no community, no back that's for sure, the post office looks like a armed concrete block on the prairiee.
NO reparations ! Where does it stop ? My forefathers were denied basic rights....Does that mean I should get a million dollars ?? NO !... What about the people that got screwed most of all - THE AMERICAN INDIAN !!...They had their lands taken away, were rounded up & placed in tiny reserves in desolate places where they couldn't continue their way of life....If there was a list for deserving reparations - they would be at the top....( That is, if reparations made any sense ).....the Japanese were incarcerated during WW II, Germans, Italians & Irish faced discrimination in our country - just about every nationality experienced something....How about the middle easterners being discriminated against right now in America ??....Where does it stop ? If it's about being sold as slaves years ago, they need to go after the root of the problem - the ones in Africa that started the whole thing - the people that did most of the capturing & selling at the time - THEIR FELLOW AFRICANS !...In fact , in stead of reparations, how about reimburement ??? I think the U.S. taxpayers should be getting reimbursed for the ridiculous number of negroes / coloreds / blacks / african americans / that we fed, clothe & house in our prisons - 1/4 of the civilian population - 75% of the prison population.....( by the way -can we finally pick a permanent name & stick with it ?? - it changes every few years ) Everyone's had more than enough time to help themselves & better their lives... Hats off to anyone that took advantage of the opportunities available & bettered their lives.....Everyone has had equal opportunities for MANY years now ( in fact - it wasn't really equal, because a lot of whites were unfairly denied job placement because you automatically got extra points on job applications for no logical reason except for being black - uh-oh ...I guess those whites that were discriminated against should get a reparation too ! ) If anyone wasted all the opportunities available in our country - white, black, red or green - too bad ....quit askin for handouts & do something for yourself.....
I have personally been on some Native Rezervations, and of some, they are on full time welfare at tax payer expence.
This is hardly an Native American problem. I take it you have never been to Oakland on the 1st of the month?
I said they should get reparations. White people can get welfare as well, has nothing to do with skin color. Asians, Mexicans and Black people qualify as well.
I am stating my opinion that if we are giving away a lump CASH sum (i.e. 40K) to peoples the government has wronged, let's start with the first victims, The Native American Tribes.
This is hardly an Native American problem. I take it you have never been to Oakland on the 1st of the month?
I said they should get reparations. White people can get welfare as well, has nothing to do with skin color. Asians, Mexicans and Black people qualify as well.
I am stating my opinion that if we are giving away a lump CASH sum (i.e. 40K) to peoples the government has wronged, let's start with the first victims, The Native American Tribes.
Mostly I agree, but am at a loss as to which oakland. Oakland Ca? I am un-aware of any rez by that name.
My point is welfare creates a living of no hope and poverty, it's a trap.
I've thought about reparations many times and have mixed feelings on it. But we have a huge class problem. During the middle of the century, many Americans moved to the city to seek new opportunities. And for some reason, some of these opportunity seekers escaped to middle class suburbs, and other people did not. It was a mix of policy, and opportunity.
One of those policies encouraged home ownership in the suburbs, but the same redevelopment wasn't available for urban neighborhoods (Here's an opinion piece on what's wrong with the suburbs now: The Naked City: Do cities matter? Whither the suburbs?).
At some point our cities became bastians for the poor and ultrarich. Middle class families of all ethnicities moved out to the 'burbs, and integrated neighborhoods were socially acceptable n some places by the 80s, but some people had a 30 year head start to build wealth via homeownership.
30 years ago it was possible for a high school grad to find a blue collar job that cold support a middle class lifestyle, but as we have lost manufacturing these opportunities no longer exist and everyone is a service worker: whether it is sales, real estate, law or retail. We not longer have those well paying "hands-on" jobs.
I think the most effective reparation strategy would help to bridge the education gap and empower people to seek better opportunities. We all know we lose a lot of African American males to violence and crime, but it is also true that sentences are typically much harsher for "ethnic people." Once you are a convicted felon, your employment opportunities are extremely limited, so it is hard to break the cycle. And many people fall into crime because they can't find well-paying gainful employment.
I've always thought that drug dealers are really entrepreneurs. There isn't a difference between a successful drug dealer and a successful business person, just the goods being sold and those skills are being wasted because of a lack of employment opportunities.
Here is what I'd propose, offer a pardon to any felons convicted of non-violent offenses, and rehabilitate with education. If you are successful in retraining (college degree, a trade) you get a clean slate and your felony is removed from your permanent record. There would of course be a few strings, like staying out of trouble for a period of time in order to be eligible for the program.
Considering the unequal charges for things like drug possession in small amounts and the fact that people get "3 strikes" for something minor, this would help ease jail over crowding, help ex-cons reintegrate into society and offer economic opportunities for a large group of people.
This program doesn't need to be limited to African-Americans, but would send a good faith gesture to say, if you give us a second chance, we'll give one to you as well. It wouldn't redress a lifetime of wrongs, but it would give people an opportunity to forge a new path.
The thing about "40 acres and a mule," is that it gave people a fresh start to forge a new path and that lead to opportunities firm footing in the middle class. That's really the only thing reparation supporters are seeking. This wouldn't help everyone, but at least would help a segment of the population that needs it most.
I've thought about reparations many times and have mixed feelings on it. But we have a huge class problem. During the middle of the century, many Americans moved to the city to seek new opportunities. And for some reason, some of these opportunity seekers escaped to middle class suburbs, and other people did not. It was a mix of policy, and opportunity.
One of those policies encouraged home ownership in the suburbs, but the same redevelopment wasn't available for urban neighborhoods (Here's an opinion piece on what's wrong with the suburbs now: The Naked City: Do cities matter? Whither the suburbs?).
At some point our cities became bastians for the poor and ultrarich. Middle class families of all ethnicities moved out to the 'burbs, and integrated neighborhoods were socially acceptable n some places by the 80s, but some people had a 30 year head start to build wealth via homeownership.
30 years ago it was possible for a high school grad to find a blue collar job that cold support a middle class lifestyle, but as we have lost manufacturing these opportunities no longer exist and everyone is a service worker: whether it is sales, real estate, law or retail. We not longer have those well paying "hands-on" jobs.
I think the most effective reparation strategy would help to bridge the education gap and empower people to seek better opportunities. We all know we lose a lot of African American males to violence and crime, but it is also true that sentences are typically much harsher for "ethnic people." Once you are a convicted felon, your employment opportunities are extremely limited, so it is hard to break the cycle. And many people fall into crime because they can't find well-paying gainful employment.
I've always thought that drug dealers are really entrepreneurs. There isn't a difference between a successful drug dealer and a successful business person, just the goods being sold and those skills are being wasted because of a lack of employment opportunities.
Here is what I'd propose, offer a pardon to any felons convicted of non-violent offenses, and rehabilitate with education. If you are successful in retraining (college degree, a trade) you get a clean slate and your felony is removed from your permanent record. There would of course be a few strings, like staying out of trouble for a period of time in order to be eligible for the program.
Considering the unequal charges for things like drug possession in small amounts and the fact that people get "3 strikes" for something minor, this would help ease jail over crowding, help ex-cons reintegrate into society and offer economic opportunities for a large group of people.
This program doesn't need to be limited to African-Americans, but would send a good faith gesture to say, if you give us a second chance, we'll give one to you as well. It wouldn't redress a lifetime of wrongs, but it would give people an opportunity to forge a new path.
The thing about "40 acres and a mule," is that it gave people a fresh start to forge a new path and that lead to opportunities firm footing in the middle class. That's really the only thing reparation supporters are seeking. This wouldn't help everyone, but at least would help a segment of the population that needs it most.
By far, your post is one of the best on this thread. It's great to see someone who acknowledges that the playing field, still isn't level between the races. You've also shown that you have compassion for the underdogs, of all races.
Most of all, you suggest viable solutions to help the oppressed, even if reparations might not be applicable. You also have not resorted to stereotyping African Americans, nor have you called us 'whiners who only want handouts'. So I thank you again, for your fair-minded, intelligent post.
I hadn't even started on very old, as thought of today blues singers. Lead Belly, Missisippe Fred McDowel, the blacks that taught Dylan to be what he is now. I am old, and can't recall everything all the time, so thanks.
When i went to school they taught Blacks in History to us but my sons did not learn as much as i did...why?The people i posted here earlier my boys and their friends had no clue who they were or what they contributed to society which is sad.
I've thought about reparations many times and have mixed feelings on it. But we have a huge class problem. During the middle of the century, many Americans moved to the city to seek new opportunities. And for some reason, some of these opportunity seekers escaped to middle class suburbs, and other people did not. It was a mix of policy, and opportunity.
One of those policies encouraged home ownership in the suburbs, but the same redevelopment wasn't available for urban neighborhoods (Here's an opinion piece on what's wrong with the suburbs now: The Naked City: Do cities matter? Whither the suburbs?).
At some point our cities became bastians for the poor and ultrarich. Middle class families of all ethnicities moved out to the 'burbs, and integrated neighborhoods were socially acceptable n some places by the 80s, but some people had a 30 year head start to build wealth via homeownership.
30 years ago it was possible for a high school grad to find a blue collar job that cold support a middle class lifestyle, but as we have lost manufacturing these opportunities no longer exist and everyone is a service worker: whether it is sales, real estate, law or retail. We not longer have those well paying "hands-on" jobs.
I think the most effective reparation strategy would help to bridge the education gap and empower people to seek better opportunities. We all know we lose a lot of African American males to violence and crime, but it is also true that sentences are typically much harsher for "ethnic people." Once you are a convicted felon, your employment opportunities are extremely limited, so it is hard to break the cycle. And many people fall into crime because they can't find well-paying gainful employment.
I've always thought that drug dealers are really entrepreneurs. There isn't a difference between a successful drug dealer and a successful business person, just the goods being sold and those skills are being wasted because of a lack of employment opportunities.
Here is what I'd propose, offer a pardon to any felons convicted of non-violent offenses, and rehabilitate with education. If you are successful in retraining (college degree, a trade) you get a clean slate and your felony is removed from your permanent record. There would of course be a few strings, like staying out of trouble for a period of time in order to be eligible for the program.
Considering the unequal charges for things like drug possession in small amounts and the fact that people get "3 strikes" for something minor, this would help ease jail over crowding, help ex-cons reintegrate into society and offer economic opportunities for a large group of people.
This program doesn't need to be limited to African-Americans, but would send a good faith gesture to say, if you give us a second chance, we'll give one to you as well. It wouldn't redress a lifetime of wrongs, but it would give people an opportunity to forge a new path.
The thing about "40 acres and a mule," is that it gave people a fresh start to forge a new path and that lead to opportunities firm footing in the middle class. That's really the only thing reparation supporters are seeking. This wouldn't help everyone, but at least would help a segment of the population that needs it most.
You make some interesting points. Most of them I don't agree with, but they are interesting points no less.
As I see things the term African-American only applies to those born in Africa. Any other use of the term is racist. I have no problem with Black American, when the term black is needed to identify for a specific reason, and onlt when there is that need.
Other wise it just becomes a racist term no matter who says it. If you were not born in Africa and are black in America, then you are not any African-American, period.
X Cons. I don't understand why x con carry their record. Once the time is served it seems to me the punishment, or what ever else it is called has had the debt to society paid.
As I see it, it is a done deal, and should end. If the time served hasn't paid the debt, then the con, who then still is a con, should be in prison, untill the debt is paid.
Once out I consider the debt paid, and full rights should be restored.
If there is a paroll, and the x con commits another crime I think the judge, the lawyers, and the whole paroll board should serve the same time the criminal does. If these people have the power to convict and paroll a con, who further commits crimes, then all of them should serve the time, and the power of authority be stripped from the judges, lawyers and paroll boards. By doing that it might put teeth in the law, where the judges, lawyers and paroll boards think twice before they release violent offenders.
I rather like the idea on earning freedoms after paroll/release. That makes a great deal of sence. It is in conflict with my thinking, but I could live with that, if it comes to be.
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