HR 40: Reparations for African-Americans

[DamnYankee]

Congressional Legislation

Reparations for African-Americans
Bill # H.R.40

Original Sponsor:
John Conyers (D-MI 14th)

Cosponsor Total: 5
(last sponsor added 03/12/2009)
5 Democrats


About This Legislation:

1/6/2009--Introduced. Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act - Establishes the Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans to examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies.

Congress.org - Current Legislation

 

[dilloduck]

Congressional Legislation

Reparations for African-Americans
Bill # H.R.40

Original Sponsor:
John Conyers (D-MI 14th)

Cosponsor Total: 5
(last sponsor added 03/12/2009)
5 Democrats


About This Legislation:

1/6/2009--Introduced. Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act - Establishes the Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans to examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies.

Congress.org - Current Legislation

Racial insanity

 

[Zoom-boing]

Give me a break.

 

[editec]

Stupid idea.

Help them what need help and stop pretending that the only people screwed by this nation were Black.

There are twice as many White people living in poverty as there are Blacks in this nation.

The fact that Blacks are twice as likely to be living in poverty, while likely the result of history, is irrelevant to finding the solution to the problem of poverty in the USA.

 

[Missourian]

I am in favor of Congress giving reparations...to anyone who is legally a slave on or after the day the bill passes or any living person who was a slave in the United States before the Emancipation Proclamation.

Bold type was added for clarity

 

[strollingbones]

o be careful what you say there missourian....there was some study...approximately 100,000 or so "slaves" being held in the us....interestingly most of them are being held by other immigrants..what were they called in history indentured servants and like those in history are being abused...

as for the black thing....approximately 40% of todays black americans are descented from blacks who freely came here...how are you going to tell the difference? at times i think this might be a good idea..with the agreement that that is the last dime blacks will get from taxpayers...no more welfare queens (well at least black ones) no more aid from social programs...a one time payment and its done....but that aint gonna happen.

 

[Missourian]

o be careful what you say there missourian....there was some study...approximately 100,000 or so "slaves" being held in the us....interestingly most of them are being held by other immigrants..what were they called in history indentured servants and like those in history are being abused...

as for the black thing....approximately 40% of todays black americans are descented from blacks who freely came here...how are you going to tell the difference? at times i think this might be a good idea..with the agreement that that is the last dime blacks will get from taxpayers...no more welfare queens (well at least black ones) no more aid from social programs...a one time payment and its done....but that aint gonna happen.

Uh oh, you're right...I better go edit that.

 

[DamnYankee]

I see that most, so far, agree that Congress is, yet again, displaying its genius.

 

[xsited1]

Weren't Asians mistreated as well???

 

[editec]

Weren't Asians mistreated as well???

Hell yes!

And had it NOT been for those ASIANS, the Pacific Railroad that eventually combined with the Union Railroad would NOT have been completed, too.

No, I'm not just tlking about the fact that the Chinese did most of the guntwork, I'm talking about how they problem solved in one particularly difficult bit of terrain which had consistently defeated the American engineers.

Their solution -- lowering Chinese in (chinese designed) baskets to create the roadbed on the side of a mountain -- was entirely their own.

Had they not come up with this creative solution, the Pacific railroad would have had to find another route through that part of the Sierra Madres.

That might had added years to the project and that assumes there WAS another route, too.

 

[slackjawed]

This could be a good thing. It could be used as a precedent in the world court to force Egypt to pay reparations for holding the Israelites as slaves.
Personally, I would compromise by not accepting the principle, I would sacrifice and only take the 5000 years worth of interest......

 

[AVG-JOE]

Based on human nature and some historical records, if my great-great-great grandaddy did own your great-great-great grandma, the odds are good that we are related...

So, who pays?

Reparations are a bad idea... just give us a fair tax code and equal opportunity in education.

-Joe

 

[AVG-JOE]

Weren't Asians mistreated as well???

As were the New World Natives and just about every other group, including a lot of whites.

Reparations for history's boo-boo's is a real bad idea.

-Joe

 

[SpidermanTuba]

I am in favor of Congress giving reparations...to anyone who is legally a slave on or after the day the bill passes or any living person who was a slave in the United States before the Emancipation Proclamation.

Bold type was added for clarity

So are you for a 100% estate tax? Doesn't seem to me like you want anyone's descendants to have any of their wealth.

 

[Shogun]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgtaDijqH3I&feature=related]YouTube - En Vogue - My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)[/ame]

 

[Toro]

Reparations are a terrible ideas since they confer guilt on a group of people which had nothing to do with the crimes.

A government can be just only in its time.

 

[sealybobo]

Reparations are a terrible ideas since they confer guilt on a group of people which had nothing to do with the crimes.

A government can be just only in its time.

The only thing you are guilty of is living in a society that used to treat blacks like second class citizens.

If blacks didn't need or deserve it, we wouldn't give it.

But they do deserve it, and some need it.

But you are not guilty. However, your ancestors are guilty.

And, you may actually be guilty. Do you hire? Do you discriminate? Then you are guilty.

Think of all the whites in South Africa complaining that they are not responsible for Aparthide. Technically they are correct. So are you. That doesn't mean reparations aren't necessary or justified.

 

[auditor0007]

Reparations are a terrible ideas since they confer guilt on a group of people which had nothing to do with the crimes.

A government can be just only in its time.

The only thing you are guilty of is living in a society that used to treat blacks like second class citizens.

If blacks didn't need or deserve it, we wouldn't give it.

But they do deserve it, and some need it.

But you are not guilty. However, your ancestors are guilty.

And, you may actually be guilty. Do you hire? Do you discriminate? Then you are guilty.

Think of all the whites in South Africa complaining that they are not responsible for Aparthide. Technically they are correct. So are you. That doesn't mean reparations aren't necessary or justified.

So what do you think would be fair? $1000 per person? $10,000 per person? $100,000 per person? $1,000,000 per person?

BTW, if any reparations are given, I am pretty close to certain, you would see race relations set back about fifty years.

 

[AVG-JOE]

Reparations are a terrible ideas since they confer guilt on a group of people which had nothing to do with the crimes.

A government can be just only in its time.

The only thing you are guilty of is living in a society that used to treat blacks like second class citizens.

If blacks didn't need or deserve it, we wouldn't give it.

But they do deserve it, and some need it.

But you are not guilty. However, your ancestors are guilty.

And, you may actually be guilty. Do you hire? Do you discriminate? Then you are guilty.

Think of all the whites in South Africa complaining that they are not responsible for Aparthide. Technically they are correct. So are you. That doesn't mean reparations aren't necessary or justified.

Let's not forget... some reparations have already been made by the correct government in the timeline. Does anyone remember "40 Acres and a Mule" from their history books?

It also seems that many of the middle class black families in America who can trace their history back to those days are the ones whose ancestors were smart enough to keep and work those 40 acres.

-Joe

 

[Vel]

Reparations are a terrible ideas since they confer guilt on a group of people which had nothing to do with the crimes.

A government can be just only in its time.

The only thing you are guilty of is living in a society that used to treat blacks like second class citizens.

If blacks didn't need or deserve it, we wouldn't give it.

But they do deserve it, and some need it.

But you are not guilty. However, your ancestors are guilty.

And, you may actually be guilty. Do you hire? Do you discriminate? Then you are guilty.

Think of all the whites in South Africa complaining that they are not responsible for Aparthide. Technically they are correct. So are you. That doesn't mean reparations aren't necessary or justified.

Let me be quite blunt. I've never owned a slave, treated someone badly based on the color of their skin, repressed anyone or asked anyone to sit in the back of the bus. If my government, in their complete and utter stupidity makes me PAY for a slave, then I WANT ONE!!!