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Reparations are paid by the perpetrator of a wrong to the victim/aggrieved in order to make them whole, not 3rd parties who witnessed or even excused a crime. That is how reparations work. Harming the current US taxpayer in the name of harm done by someone else anywhere from 150-300 years ago is simply institutionalizing injustice on a grand scale. Beyond that, let's look at a very important concept in the legal framework of the US...
Very important starting point for the legal framework of the US. No ex post facto laws shall be passed. For reparations to be authorized by law, you have to declare ex post facto that current citizens are liable for what was legal prior to 1863 and illegal since, since it is current citizens who will be punished/penalized. You do get this, correct? The current US citizen will be found guilty of something, on an ex post facto basis, that last occurred more than 150 years ago. And no amendment has superseded or abolished Article 1, Section 9, Clause 3 thus far, so before reparations can happen, you'll need to open the massive can of worms of allowing ex post facto laws to be constitutional. Yes, some civil laws have ex post facto requirements and have been upheld by the SCOTUS, but on this scale? Never happen without amending the Constitution.
And the same holds for Jim Crow. That was confined to a minority of states, but you would punish/penalize every American on an ex post facto basis for that as well.
You also punish blacks, immigrants (who weren't even in America until after all of this), the descendants of abolitionists and Union government/military, civil rights activists, etc who all worked, suffered and even died to end both slavery and Jim Crow.
Thus, reparations paid for by the federal government start off as a sticky wicket, and are made nigh impossible by our whole "no ex post facto" thing. Realy, the best anyone could ever hope for is civil suits against actual slave owners brought by the descendants of those actually owned/indentured by those slave owners. Burden of proof would be tough to meet, and I have no idea about statute of limitations, but assuming all the proof could be found and presented in court, that would actually have a marginal amount of merit. I realize that kinda foils your plan for the "Big African American Payday" and all, but we are a nation of laws (mostly) and random whims according to the winds of social grievance are not how we make/adjudicate law.
I'm not talking about citizens paying for reparations. I'll keep saying it, America has plenty of resources to fund reparations. No one would see an increase in their taxes or something like that to go toward reparations. We have the money, we have the land, we have the natural resources.
For instance, had reparations taken place when they should have a long time ago, there was plenty of land that no one owned, the government could have given my ancestors. Just like they could have done it back then, they can definitely do it now. The constant whining of citizens paying for reparations has always been a distraction and people bought it hook, line, and sinker.
I'm not talking about citizens paying for reparations. I'll keep saying it, America has plenty of resources to fund reparations. No one would see an increase in their taxes or something like that to go toward reparations. We have the money, we have the land, we have the natural resources.
For instance, had reparations taken place when they should have a long time ago, there was plenty of land that no one owned, the government could have given my ancestors. Just like they could have done it back then, they can definitely do it now. The constant whining of citizens paying for reparations has always been a distraction and people bought it hook, line, and sinker.
You don't get it. The government does not "own" anything, nor does it create wealth. It all belongs to the PEOPLE, including YOU. What is your goal with the reparations money, and/or land? What would you, and others do with it?
It cannot be proven except in the most documented of cases. How many people found out they were the descendants of the slave owner vs the slave? That's a rabbit hole people trying to push this crap need to be careful what they wish for.
It cannot be proven except in the most documented of cases. How many people found out they were the descendants of the slave owner vs the slave? That's a rabbit hole people trying to push this crap need to be careful what they wish for.
But we know who are Democrats. All the registered Democrats should pay.
You don't get it. The government does not "own" anything, nor does it create wealth. It all belongs to the PEOPLE, including YOU. What is your goal with the reparations money, and/or land? What would you, and others do with it?
My goal is to stabilize black life. Black people descendants of slaves are at the very bottom of society due to our history, and the bottom is about to fall out.
I'm not talking about citizens paying for reparations. I'll keep saying it, America has plenty of resources to fund reparations. No one would see an increase in their taxes or something like that to go toward reparations. We have the money, we have the land, we have the natural resources.
For instance, had reparations taken place when they should have a long time ago, there was plenty of land that no one owned, the government could have given my ancestors. Just like they could have done it back then, they can definitely do it now. The constant whining of citizens paying for reparations has always been a distraction and people bought it hook, line, and sinker.
But the current government IS the people. This is how our nation works. Look it up.
So whatever "the government" does, it is "the people via their representation" doing it. Reparations, therefore, penalize/punish today's people for yesterday's ills and do so on an ex post facto basis. There's no getting around it. You punish me for something I did not do, and you do it not just ex post facto, but by the slimmest association - is American.
That you keep presenting this discussion means no amount of logic I present will make a dent in the walls of your personal echo chamber, but maybe someone else reading might learn something.
My goal is to stabilize black life. Black people descendants of slaves are at the very bottom of society due to our history, and the bottom is about to fall out.
Except, you almost unequivocally cannot tell who is and who isn't a descendant of slaves. So, there's that....
But, if you want to stabilize it, it's very simple, not handouts.
Get an education. Get, and stay, married. Raise your kids in a loving family to respect people, irrespective of color or faith. Promote education, and encourage civil activism and volunteerism in your local community. When we do those things, we will change our society. If, however, we continue down a path of broken families, broken communities, race-baiting, racial profiteering, and distrust there will be no United in our states.
My goal is to stabilize black life. Black people descendants of slaves are at the very bottom of society due to our history, and the bottom is about to fall out.
You want equal outcome (which is another way of describing communism).
What America can offer you is equal opportunity. The rest is up to you (this is how capitalism works).
My goal is to stabilize black life. Black people descendants of slaves are at the very bottom of society due to our history, and the bottom is about to fall out.
so you think giving them a bucket of money is going to stabilize them?
how?
go to any indian reservation, ask if they feel stabilized because they have "reparations"
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