Congressional Hearing On Slavery Reparations Set For Wednesday

This is what House democrats are focused on.

Clearly, this is another democratic bill that is only designed to get out the black vote in 2020.  

Clearly, this is another democratic bill that is only designed to get out the black vote in 2020.  

This is just calling for a study, not a bill that will actually declare any reparations.

"The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is holding the hearing on   H.R. 40 , which calls for a commission to "study and develop reparation proposals for African-Americans," including a formal apology by the U.S. government "for the perpetration of gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity on African slaves and their descendants".

Have there been "the perpetration of gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity on African slaves and their descendants" or not? If so, how do we address what's been done? Do we just say "Too bad, water under the bridge" and ignore the major financial disparities that were created by the "gross human rights violations"? It takes generations for families to build wealth. To simply say "We didn't do it, so we shouldn't have to care or even think about the plight of our fellow American citizens" is not only dishonest, it is a furtherance of the same racist ideology that inflicted those gross human rights violations. At a minimum they are owed an apology.

This is just calling for a study, not a bill that will actually declare any reparations.

As, I said - It's purpose is purely political!


Have there been "the perpetration of gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity on African slaves and their descendants" or not? 

The United States has done an extraordinary job in addressing that issue.

If so, how do we address what's been done? 

Through all the legislation and affirmative action programs the government has undertaken.

Do we just say "Too bad, water under the bridge" and ignore the major financial disparities that were created by the "gross human rights violations"?

We say that we have paid a very heavy price for the actions of people who are long gone. 620,000 lives lost during the Civil War, the legislation and enforcement that followed and all the strife the nation endured since. I think it's long past time for the nation to unite and for all of us to act as Americans.

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I know what I would call people like that, but we have to be polite dontcha know. 

Reparations are not practical, and in fact we don't know just who should be deemed qualified to receive their benefit. But that is not to say they are not owed. 

The racism excusers always like to say that "we freed" the slaves , but the fact is that racial discrimination was largely legal for the next 100 years.  How on earth can we successfully explain that fact?  When Tanesi Coates, the black author wrote his well known long form article advocating for reparations a few years ago, one of his major points was that blacks did not receive full benefit from the GI bill after WW2 , and thus entire generations of blacks were prevented from accumulating family wealth that could be passed from one generation to another.  There was also real estate redlining that made black owned housing less valuable and kept blacks in the cheapest and least desirable parts of town. 

We have on this forum and of course elsewhere and everywhere , whites who are self satisfied that they have done all they could to bring racial equality to the country, when they have done nothing. 

White people don't need to be advocated for Vic, and you sure seem to spend a lot of time advocating for white points of view and white grievance. 

What is your problem? 

White people don't need to be advocated for Vic,

Neither do black people, John. In case you haven't noticed they fought for their Civil Rights pretty much on their own. The idea that a bunch of white liberals advocating for each and every minority group, every election cycle is getting to be a bit obvious, don't you think?

The racism excusers always like to say that "we freed" the slaves , but the fact is that racial discrimination was largely legal for the next 100 years.

Reparations is, and always has been, a question about slavery.  Anything else is simply moving the goal posts. It is not about racial discrimination.  There have been plenty of programs set up to deal with that, using much effort and many expenditures all of them with a notable lack of success.  The reason for that is elementary; we have law enforcement personnel who can control behavior but we do not, and should not, have thought police who can control attitudes.

  Actual slavery reparations aren't hard to figure out.  Get the number of slaves in the U.S. from the 1860 census.  Assign a monetary value per slave in 1860 dollars, probably figuring that from the cost of a slave on the open market at that time.  Refigure that amount to present day dollars.  Then remove the entire cost of the Civil War, including widows' and orphans' pensions, also refigured to present day dollars.  Divide the remainder among those who can prove decent from one of those slaves.

Then remove the entire cost of the Civil War, including widows' and orphans' pensions, also refigured to present day dollars. 

Utter nonsense. 

IF whites  had met the end of the civil war and the emancipation of the Negroes with open arms and given the ex slaves full legal equality and their 40 acres and a mule, you would have a much better argument.  That is not what happened. Southern whites did not want "equality" for the inferior Negroes.  The wanted to keep the Negroes down and that is what happened by force of law. And it lasted another hundred years. It is absurd to say since the slaves were freed that is the end of it. 

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remove the entire cost of the Civil War, including widows' and orphans' pensions, also refigured to present day dollars. 

The United States government aided and abetted southern slavery through the US constitution, which did not prohibit it, even though the argument in favor of ending slavery was well known at the time the US was founded. 

You want the victims of the crime to "pay" for it?  The cost of the civil war was the cost of America getting its soul back. It wasnt the enslaved Africans fault, it was the white people's fault. 

Utter nonsense. 

Come on John isn't it the proglibs who are always saying that the only reason for the Civil war was slavery. Why shouldn't the cost to secure their freedom be absorbed by them.

If we are going to give reparations then we need to figure out the decedents of slave owners and make them pay for it, I can guarantee no one in my family ever owned a slave. If any thing slave owners owe my family reparation because we struggled to farm competing with the huge slave owner farmers....So see John where does it end? 

Come on John isn't it the proglibs who are always saying that the only reason for the Civil war was slavery. Why shouldn't the cost to secure their freedom be absorbed by them.

Is that your idea of a decent argument?  Yikes. 

A bill calling for a study on reparations for something that 

1) officially ended in 1865

2) not all states participated in

3) not every single person's ancestors participated in

4) would lead to a precedent where people could file for reparations against Italy for Roman slavery or Egypt for Egyptian slavery from the Old Kingdom

5) completely economically infeasible as the descendants of slaves in the USA are much better off today than their ancestors

6) not even affecting the countries where the slavery of the ancestors began (all of Africa)

So, the only reason for this "study" is to make political hay as the Democrats have nothing to really off but stealing from people whom have had no dealings with the issue they claim to be trying to solve.

EDIT: Let's remember the fact that HALF the country's ancestors actually fought AGAINST slavery, both politically and through shedding of blood.  How about giving the descendants of those people whom died to end slavery a piece of the reparation pie, if we are going to give reparations.

Doesn't anyone feel pandered at? Doesn't anyone get that Democrats are trying to literally bribe African Americans into voting for them? Is no one disgusted by this posturing?

I'm more disgusted at the attempts to weasel out of any responsibility for the gross human rights violations that were committed for the first four fifths of our nations history. To close your eyes and stick your head in the sand to the fact that poverty and the effects of discrimination extend through many generational layers. Black Americans were denied good job training and access to housing and loans through the GI bill for returning black veterans would continue their poverty while white GI's were filling the newly built whites only suburbs and newly created well paying jobs (when affirmative action was for white people) during the decades after WWII.

And the fact is, the racial disparities still exist. We have by no means moved past the divisive prejudice and hate that some have towards black Americans. We have a long way to go, but the first step in any 12 step program to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Denial and deflection isn't doing anyone any favors.

And the fact is, the racial disparities still exist.

If so, it's on who?

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And so were Native Americans and Asians and Europeans and Hispanics and so on.  So, you're saying that Whites are all self-serving azzwipes cause they keep everyone beneath their thumbs?

I'm more disgusted at the attempts to weasel out of any responsibility for the gross human rights violations that were committed for the first four fifths of our nations history.

Where do you get that? Slavery existed for thousands of years and it ended in America. Ex-slaves were made citizens. Then America declared that people should be treated equally regardless of skin color and the laws supporting that idea are enforced every day in this country. Furthermore, systems of affirmative action have been implemented for decades in both the public and private sector, so that people go out of their way to search for people of color to hire, house, or admit to schools. 

To close your eyes and stick your head in the sand to the fact that poverty and the effects of discrimination extend through many generational layers.

I know better than to act like only black people are poor or that slavery is the reason they are poor. People of all races struggle with poverty. What I haven't seen is evidence that specific black people can't get ahead in this country because some ancestor of theirs was a slave. Many people come from disadvantaged beginnings, but all are capable of overcoming those beginnings.

If anyone is closing their eyes, it's you and others like you who want to pretend that slavery is still happening and racial justice never took place.

We have by no means moved past the divisive prejudice and hate that some have towards black Americans.

By that you mean there are racist people in the world? Sure, no question. No one is going to say otherwise. You're not blowing anyone's mind with that declaration.

But that doesn't logically lead to taxpayers owing money to black people generally. If someone's civil rights are violated, they have a remedy in our courts. They can actually sue whoever wronged them and receive a money judgment. General reparations (i.e. "general" in either their source or their object) are not necessary.

the first step in any 12 step program to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

That happened in 1865. It's called the 13th Amendment.

Denial and deflection . . .

. . . isn't happening. Saying "no" to an absurd idea is not "denial and deflection." It's just solid common sense.

Is no one disgusted by this posturing?

You would think so.  Giving false hope to their base is what Democrats have been doing for many years.

the circus continues...

Well, a black man had the right to vote and own property before a woman did...so let us include all women too.

And what about the Japanese Americans who were relocated?  Or the great waves of European immigrants who each faced discrimination?  Or, OMG, the Native Americans who were exterminated?

Who is not included in that?

keep your "comedy" to yourself

You think that is funny?  Not surprised.

I cant comment about racism on Newstalkers or it will be deleted. 

I cant comment about racism on Newstalkers or it will be deleted. 

For a good reason.

one has to wonder why you are allowed to constantly troll this forum

Can't ya just feel the love in here?

I know i can .....

Didn't you get the email from BF that he was in charge here?  I'm not joking either.