The Reparations Primary... By The Editors

[mystery-ak]

   The Reparations Primary
By The Editors

February 26, 2019 12:50 PM

There is a strange political conversation under way as the 2020 Democratic presidential primary gets under way, and it goes like this: One group of Democrats proposes something daffy, vague, and impractical, and another group of Democrats says, “Of course that’s daffy, vague, and impractical — but at least they started a conversation!” This is said in the tone kindergarten teachers use with toddlers who test the maxim that there is no such thing as a dumb question. It’s something to see: a political party condescending to itself.

None of the Democratic 2020 contenders currently talking up reparations for slavery is serious about the project. Those of them who are serious about anything are serious only about winning the party’s nomination and the role that flattering a small but influential congregation of left-wing intellectuals might play in that.

Call it the Ta-Nehisi Coates primary.

It’s an unserious proposal, but we’ll do its authors the courtesy of offering a serious answer, anyway.

Paying reparations for slavery is a terrible idea because there is no one to pay reparations and no one to pay them to. There are not any slave-owners left among us and haven’t been for some time. There aren’t any liberated slaves, either. Slavery was a terrible crime and, like all such enormities, it was carried out by real people who inflicted unconscionable suffering on real people — specific people, individuals.

more
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/02/democratic-primary-reparations-discussion/

[Bill Cipher]

If we’re going to have reparations, then the outside amount of welfare that’s gone to blacks has to be netted out.  My guess is, it’s almost even by now.

[Right_in_Virginia]

If we’re going to have reparations, then the outside amount of welfare that’s gone to blacks has to be netted out.  My guess is, it’s almost even by now.

I'd like to add 35 years of affirmative action to this matrix.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

Before any reparations to the descendants of black slaves can be considered, we must include in the Bill, Death and Dismemberment payouts to the descendants of Union Army Casualties of the Civil War.

[Fishrrman]

"If we’re going to have reparations, then the outside amount of welfare that’s gone to blacks has to be netted out..."

Au contraire, when the dollar amounts are juxtaposed side-by-side, they owe US.

[Cyber Liberty]

I'm sure the leftists grovelling for votes have a ready answer to "Who pays what to whom?"

Since it's not easy to track down all the slaves descendants, and all the people who owned them, the Left will simply say, "OK.  All whites pay, and all blacks collect.  Repeat until all whites are impoverished.  It's fair."

[goatprairie]

If this goes through, there will be no end to greedy people asking for unearned money for something that happened to their ancestors hundreds of years ago.
There are already sh*thole countries asking for money for European colonial "exploitation." Of course in many of those SH countries the natives would still be eating each other and living in mud huts if they hadn't been "exploited" by Europeans.
That has been the way of the world well into the twentieth century....weaker, less developed peoples were conquered by stronger invaders who many times brought a superior culture with them. 
As in "what have the Romans ever done for us" from Monty Python. The Romans did that to a lot of weaker, far less developed peoples (like some of my ancestors)  and gave them civilization while often treating the inhabitants/conquered people decently...if they acquiesced to Roman rule. A number of conquered peoples were made slaves. That's where the word "slav" comes from.
Some marauders, like the Mongols, didn't bring much in the way of civilization except death and destruction.
In short, many "conquered/enslaved" people should be grateful for what happened to their ancestors. Unless they like the idea of living in mud huts, hunting for their food with a spear/bow and arrow,  or  eating other people.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

@goatprairie

Yes, but we're Smarter than they were, so We have to rewrite/change history to sell our personal, blinkered cant. /SSSSS

[GtHawk]

The way I see it is that the only reason they are pushing the reparations bus again is because they know they have been losing a lot of the Black vote by their outrageous pandering for the the Hispanic vote. They are trying to figure out how to push the bus off of the old special interest group they threw under the bus to pander to the new special interest group.

[Fishrrman]

For the sake of argument, let's say that a law to pay "reparations" to blacks WAS passed by Congress and payments were doled out accordingly.

20-25 years from now there will be an entirely NEW generation of "aggrieved" blacks.

And the first thing THEY'RE going to start complaining about:
"Where are OUR rep'rations ???"

[goatprairie]

For the sake of argument, let's say that a law to pay "reparations" to blacks WAS passed by Congress and payments were doled out accordingly.

20-25 years from now there will be an entirely NEW generation of "aggrieved" blacks.

And the first thing THEY'RE going to start complaining about:
"Where are OUR rep'rations ???"

All the previous recipients who would surely  waste the dough in quick time would be demanding more.
In short, it would never end.

[Cyber Liberty]

All the previous recipients who would surely  waste the dough in quick time would be demanding more.
In short, it would never end.

Yup.  Once the precedence is set it will never end until all non-wealthy white people are impoverished.  There's a technical term for it:  "Payback."  That's what they really want, "Reparations" is just a term meant to hide the real intent.