While the Bush Administration and Congress wrangle over exactly how much the American taxpayer will be shafted in order to rescue the flagging economy, the temptation to spend more than the $700 billion already estimated will be impossible to resist: It is, after all, pretty hard to buy votes without money. Barney Frank, Charles Schumer, Chris Dodd and their ilk will want to attach all kinds of provisions to the legislation that have nothing to do with bolstering failing banks and everything to do with bolstering Democrat politicians' hopes of reelection, so we'll see an additional $100 billion for another "economic stimulus package" as the price of getting things done, and the only people really complaining will be those stuck with the check.
This attitude of, "While we're at it...," will certainly carry over to the next administration and if Barack Obama is elected, we may very well face the zenith of Federal largesse: Slavery reparations. Now, before I start getting hate mail, let me say that slavery was a great evil, that it was tragic beyond description, perfectly horrible and rightfully expunged from our national life. Using the suffering of millions of people as the foundation of the Southern economy and culture was an affront to humanity, and nobody in his right mind looks back to it fondly. (NOTE: Senator Obama rejected the idea of reparations in a speech on 02 August, but given that the NAACP supports reparations, as do the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the City of Chicago, the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, and at least two dozen Members of Congress who are sponsoring legislation to investigate the payment of reparations, the political pressure to proceed may be too great for the first black President to resist.) That said, if official action were ever taken to reimburse black Americans for their ancestors' bondage, the damage it would cause could be literally incalculable:
1) Who would pay these reparations? If the Federal government assumed such an obligation, then we may assume that the Federal taxpayer would be the source of the funds, in which case, the situation would include black people paying themselves for slavery. If not, perhaps the proponents of reparations envision only white people paying reparations, and transforming the US Census Bureau into a sort of American Gestapo, ruthlessly enforcing racial purity for the purpose of taxation. Would there be any exemption for those people whose ancestors owned no slaves, or who fought for the Union in the Civil War? Maybe, maybe not.
2) Who would receive the reparations? It would seem that the logical recipients would be US-born black people whose ancestors were slaves, but what if the advocates of reparations envision a broader scope, maybe just all US-born black people, or all black people living in the United States regardless of their nationality or their ancestral connection to slavery?
3) How much "white" blood would a person have to possess to be considered white? Conversely, how much "black" blood would a person have to have to be considered black? Would self-identification suffice? What would be the penalties for lying?
4) How much money would each recipient receive and how would the amount be calculated? What proof would a person have to present to receive payment, if any? This question would probably be the most controversial as black Americans would fight each other over whose ancestors were more oppressed, and no formula exists that would please everyone except the word, "more."
5) Would the payment of reparations be a single event, or might it become an entitlement that would dwarf Social Security? Could reparations be considered an asset that could be passed from one family member to another like an inheritance, or seized like personal property in a bankruptcy, or divided in a divorce settlement?
6) Would there be any assessment against those West African nations who assisted in and profited from the slave trade, or US citizens of West African heritage?
7) Would there be any consideration for the descendants of the 360,000 Union soldiers who died during the Civil War or of the million who were wounded fighting to end slavery? Or would active opposition to slavery in a person's past not count? Would there be any penalty for the descendants of black soldiers who fought for the Confederacy?
8) Who would oversee such a massive program, by what authority would they operate, and for how long?
As you can see, reparations represent the most Gordian of knots. The more we attempt to answer these specific questions regarding slavery reparations, the more it becomes apparent that this movement is not about granting long-overdue relief for injustice suffered but about revenge, not about righting an historic wrong but about lining the pockets of professional race-baiters, and that after whatever gigantic sum is spent, black Americans would still, to a great extent, be mired in poverty.
This attitude of, "While we're at it...," will certainly carry over to the next administration and if Barack Obama is elected, we may very well face the zenith of Federal largesse: Slavery reparations. Now, before I start getting hate mail, let me say that slavery was a great evil, that it was tragic beyond description, perfectly horrible and rightfully expunged from our national life. Using the suffering of millions of people as the foundation of the Southern economy and culture was an affront to humanity, and nobody in his right mind looks back to it fondly. (NOTE: Senator Obama rejected the idea of reparations in a speech on 02 August, but given that the NAACP supports reparations, as do the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the City of Chicago, the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, and at least two dozen Members of Congress who are sponsoring legislation to investigate the payment of reparations, the political pressure to proceed may be too great for the first black President to resist.) That said, if official action were ever taken to reimburse black Americans for their ancestors' bondage, the damage it would cause could be literally incalculable:
1) Who would pay these reparations? If the Federal government assumed such an obligation, then we may assume that the Federal taxpayer would be the source of the funds, in which case, the situation would include black people paying themselves for slavery. If not, perhaps the proponents of reparations envision only white people paying reparations, and transforming the US Census Bureau into a sort of American Gestapo, ruthlessly enforcing racial purity for the purpose of taxation. Would there be any exemption for those people whose ancestors owned no slaves, or who fought for the Union in the Civil War? Maybe, maybe not.
2) Who would receive the reparations? It would seem that the logical recipients would be US-born black people whose ancestors were slaves, but what if the advocates of reparations envision a broader scope, maybe just all US-born black people, or all black people living in the United States regardless of their nationality or their ancestral connection to slavery?
3) How much "white" blood would a person have to possess to be considered white? Conversely, how much "black" blood would a person have to have to be considered black? Would self-identification suffice? What would be the penalties for lying?
4) How much money would each recipient receive and how would the amount be calculated? What proof would a person have to present to receive payment, if any? This question would probably be the most controversial as black Americans would fight each other over whose ancestors were more oppressed, and no formula exists that would please everyone except the word, "more."
5) Would the payment of reparations be a single event, or might it become an entitlement that would dwarf Social Security? Could reparations be considered an asset that could be passed from one family member to another like an inheritance, or seized like personal property in a bankruptcy, or divided in a divorce settlement?
6) Would there be any assessment against those West African nations who assisted in and profited from the slave trade, or US citizens of West African heritage?
7) Would there be any consideration for the descendants of the 360,000 Union soldiers who died during the Civil War or of the million who were wounded fighting to end slavery? Or would active opposition to slavery in a person's past not count? Would there be any penalty for the descendants of black soldiers who fought for the Confederacy?
8) Who would oversee such a massive program, by what authority would they operate, and for how long?
As you can see, reparations represent the most Gordian of knots. The more we attempt to answer these specific questions regarding slavery reparations, the more it becomes apparent that this movement is not about granting long-overdue relief for injustice suffered but about revenge, not about righting an historic wrong but about lining the pockets of professional race-baiters, and that after whatever gigantic sum is spent, black Americans would still, to a great extent, be mired in poverty.
