Slavery reparations gaining momentum

mike · #1 07-10-2006, 08:14 PM

Should African Americans be compensated for America's history in the slave trade? Here is an article about it.

Paying reparations to African Americans may be the silliest idea I have seen my life time. Here are my basic points.

1. There is not a single person alive today that was a slave in America.
2. There is not a single person alive today that owned a slave in America
3. Do we sue the descendents of Africans that rounded up Africans and sold them to Europeans?
4. Do we pay African Americans reparation money that arrived after slavery was abolished? There are countless of blacks in America that came to the U.S. after slavery was abolished.
5. What about the whites that came to America after slavery was abolished? Do they have to pay as well?

Again this is extremely silly. I for one am sick of people bringing up this topic. How are we ever going to move forward when we get this stuff rammed down our throats almost daily?

I have a feeling if the average American sees an tax increase to repay African Americans you will have a revolution on your hands.

My grandparents came to American after 1900, well after slavery was abolished. Why the heck should I be forced to pay anything? Also, why should anyone in America receive a check because they are black?

Racism exists, but we have come so far! I think Martin Luther King would be proud of America today. Now in the U.S. all races admire people like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Condi Rice, Colin Powell and countless other successful black Americans. It is not a color blind society by any means, but it is better than 1960 America and getting better every day. Do you think Mr. King would have ever thought African Americans would be making millions playing sports and in business, and working in some of the highest posts in America? Do you think he would have dreamed that there is talk of Collin Powell and Condi Rice for President of the United States?

Let's stop bringing up the past and move forward! Bringing up old scars only divides the country. If you force a tax down the throats of Americans you will only create animosity. If you try to cripple businesses that once dealt with the slave trade you are only becoming vengeful. Let's look to the future, not the past!

Turk · #2 07-13-2006, 11:47 PM

Mike, you are becoming a master at picking good subjects to argue about. The idea of reparations is one I have pondered in the past. No matter the outcome of this national debate, there will always be some who remain unsatisfied or offended. Here is my view:
I believe that the USA does owe something to two groups of people, (1) African Americans who are descendents of slaves, (2) Native Americans with tribal connections. It can be convincingly argued that the USA might not be the prosperous country it is today were it not for the slave labor and the total subjugation of Native American Tribes. The questions now become; What do we owe and for how long must we pay?
I am against any cash reparations. Cash reparations will do nothing in the long run to bring an end to this issue. Here is my proposal: Four free years of college at any state school for anyone in those two groups who has achieved a high school grade average of at least a ‘B’. There must be a time limit. I would propose fifty years from the date of inception. It’s my view that a reparation like this will improve society and bring a final resolution to the issue.

Parisok · #3 07-14-2006, 12:32 AM

It will never happen. There are several reasons. First they want Cash/free hand out not something they have to work for ( maintaining a GPA to stay in college. #2 Doing something positive as giving a hand up instead of a hand out makes too much sense. I do think that the American Indians were taken advantage of and have way less opportunities than many other races. In many cases the Chinese and Irish were like slaves in many parts of this nation. I will also state that if you want to improve your lot in life you can do it here but it takes a lot of hard work determination and more hard work.

Turk · #4 07-14-2006, 12:43 AM

The vast majority of Chinese came to America in search of gold and ended up working on the railroad and other high labor places, just like my Slavenian people. The Irish, I believe left their home land due to extremely meager lives and hunger, famine. In other words, they came looking for opportunity to have a better life, just as my people did. Sure, they all had hard times but, those times in no way compare to the way African slaves were brought here or the way we waged a virtual geneocide campaign against native Americans. I'm not implying any kind of reparation will ever happen, I am just expressing my view for the right kind of reparation should it ever reach the point of true national, public debate.

Parisok · #5 07-14-2006, 02:11 AM

I was commenting on the fact that there were other races that did slave like work admittedly non were treated worse than the Indians and slaves from Africa. I like your solution but we have had the quota thing for college that did not really work but I agree that anygroup in this country that wants to improve themselves education is the key. There are several programs to help several races but to my knowledge there seems to not be much for native Americans. That is a shame because I believe they really have gotten the short end of the stick. I wish the education solution would work but I have my doubts just due to human nature. If I interpet your writing you are not for reperations but for assistance. Higher Education better housing but as for cash direct to them I am not sure it would help Any help that can or should be given should be given in a form that it will relly help them not just put more spending cash in their pocket because it has been shown if it is money it will be spent and not on things that will really help in the long run. Then again Congress does not have a good track record of long term solutions. They are better at throwing money with out making sure we get a result.

mike · #6 07-14-2006, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Here is my proposal: Four free years of college at any state school for anyone in those two groups who has achieved a high school grade average of at least a ‘B’. There must be a time limit. I would propose fifty years from the date of inception. It’s my view that a reparation like this will improve society and bring a final resolution to the issue.

That is a very good idea. I would be for something like this if the person could prove that they are a descendant of a slave. I would even go as far as a good mortgage backed by the government like the VA.

Turk · #7 07-16-2006, 06:02 AM

[quote]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parisok

If I interpet your writing you are not for reperations but for assistance.

Sorry it took so long to comment back on this one. I sometimes forget about my long windedness and where I have made comments. lol. I am not at all for assistance in the general sense. Public housing, though it does provide shelter, has been a failure in almost every sense. Just as unlimited welfare and foodstamps were. We do need cheaper shelter for minimum wage workers in the USA but public housing is no solution. The solution has to somehow come from private industry, based in profit. The one and only reparation I am for is the education one I talked about. Nothing else. I would add that healthcare remains a huge and vital issue that I wouldn't lump in with the rest of the issues. I think vital healthcare issues need to be looked at differently. Public, (social) healthcare hasn't provided the quality care in the past and relegating healthcare to total private, profit motivated companies has only served to price too many citizens out of the healthcare market. Getting back to the topic, education is the one and only thing I see that will serve the interests of all involved.

Parisok · #8 07-16-2006, 08:38 AM

I agree the best way a person can improve is thruogh education. Foor some things schooling might not just be classroom but hands on that would require business to get involved. Start with young people local stuff by local business training and educating maybe future employees. Also education is a constant thing as the day I stop learning means I am dead. I think the availiablity of low or no cost education college or vo tec is what is needed but that cost keeps going up that is where a lot of tax dollars need to focus an educated citizenship= citezens getting better jobs=more tax dollars. Not a solution but an idea

joeninpo · #9 07-18-2006, 02:51 AM

Ummm...great idea guys, but they already do that for Native Americans. My sisters and I were the first generation of our family born off the reservation, so I feel very adamant about not giving any type of reparation to anybody that came to this country...at all. My blanket statement for everyone that has immigrated here, whether it was your choice or not, is that if you don't like it here, go back home.
I know that is a pretty inflamatory statement, but I get tired of the whining and crying. Honestly, any time you see a group of organized cry babies, if you look closely, there's a lawyer standing at the back of the crowd with a big grin on his face. All of that crap boils down to lawyers getting rich from class action lawsuits. So...to all the cry babies that have been manipulated by lawyers, get a new hobby. It'll be much more rewarding and it won't cost you money, time, and dignity.

Turk · #10 07-18-2006, 03:22 AM

Well, if native Americans already get a free college education on uncle sam then, that is good. An average white man wouldn't know that, being results oriented as we tend to be. I don't think African slaves came here on their own. Maybe you shold read the entire thread.

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