Reparations for Blacks

I don't understand why someone would think that reparations would hurt someone or why that would have any bearing on the legality of paying some for the hurt done to them.

When someone sues for Pain and Suffering or Loss of Wages or Wrongful Imprisonment we don't say, "Well the first thing we need to do is find out if the money they are rightfully entitled to will help or hurt them."

No, the person has to pay the money or do the prison time as punishment for the crime they perpetuated. The law tells us that and we, the United States, are a nation of laws are we not?

The other thing is the issue of the fact that it would cost too much at this point. Again, I don't know of a situation where the finances of the person or entity that committed a crime are taken into account to such a level where their financial well-being is more important than the actual victims.

Consider a scenario where I break into your house, kill your mother and father and lock your daughters in my basement for 20 years as I have my way with them at my convenience. When I'm not raping them, I force them to make items which I sell online and actually make a good fortune from their labors.

Now 20 years later, I finally get caught. This becomes a high profile case that is always in the news. Now how crazy would it be that my defense in court is that I shouldn't do any time in prison because it would be pointless as it wouldn't give the victims those 20 years of their lives back?

Furthermore, I shouldn't have to pay any money to the victims or their families as they may spend that money in a manner that I don't approve of. Plus, "it's a lot of money and I don't know if I can afford it."

Now, let's be clear on something else as well. We may never get Reparations for the many people that were beaten, killed, raped, forced to work for free, dehumanized and denied their rights during slavery. As many people would argue that that was a long time ago.

But we could get Reparations for the many people that were beaten, killed, raped, forced to work for free, dehumanized and denied their rights from 1865 to 1970. We could even do it for people who face those issues today.

I also get that it would cost a lot of money to pay these reparations today. Not that, as the victim, this is my problem but let's address it.

Saying that reparations would be too pricey is one thing, and it sounds like a good argument... until you consider that America hasn't really even tried to have serious discussions of alternate ways to right the wrong it, as an institution, caused.

Here are some suggestions:

• Free tuition (room/board + textbooks + meal plans) at state colleges nationwide
• No taxes for a 5-year period
• Higher salaries for blacks working in government jobs
• Government subsidies for home buyers
• Specific tax breaks for African Americans
• "New Deal" programs for African Americans.
• Land grab programs for undeveloped areas throughout the US for African-Americans (this would be similar to the land grab programs for whites like the Headright program...though, the difference being that we wouldn't take land from anyone. The government would either use the land it currently owns or purchase the vacant land from the banks)
• Debt forgiveness programs

The point is that there are several things that could be done. Most of these aren't new ideas as they were done for whites throughout American history. The only difference, though, is that we couldn't use programs like the Homestead Act or the California and Georgia Gold Rush or many of the other things that helped whites quickly obtain wealth in this country, as most of those resources were already taken. So we have to be a little more creative in our approach.

According to financial expert and professor Dr. Boyce Watkins, the current price tag of monetized reparations for blacks stands at $14 TRILLION (USD). As astronomical as that number is, just remember that what was done to blacks is still equally as shocking, if not more so.

Look at some of the practices that were used against blacks by the white power structure:

Insurance Fraud against blacks during Jim Crow era

The New Deal

The Headright System

GI Bill / African American discrimination

Redlining

These links are for those who will be quick to claim reverse discrimination for the suggestions I've listed. If you STILL have issues with reparations after reading this, then you will never be happy with blacks trying to get something from this damn country after years of brutality and exploitation.

And for that, to those that feel that way I say, "live long and prosper."