Massachusettes Considers Slavery Era Disclosure Law

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Massachusetts considers slavery-era disclosure law | The Living Consequences

http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/186/ht03pdf/ht03148.pdf

Massachusetts state representative Byron Rushing has re-introduced his slavery-era disclosure law, “An Act Relative to the History of Slavery in the Commonwealth.”

Rushing’s bill would require companies doing business with the state to research and report their connections to slavery (and those of any predecessor companies) prior to 1889. The secretary of state, in turn, would use this information to publish a history of slavery and the slave trade in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts would become the fourth state, after Illinois, Iowa, and California, to pass a slavery-era disclosure law since 2000. Nine major cities have also passed ordinances requiring companies seeking to do business with the cities to reveal any ties to, and profits from, slavery. These cities include Berkeley, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Oakland, Philadelphia, San Francisco.

 

[xotoxi]

Sound ridiculous to me.

I really doubt that any current company is where they are today due to proceeds earn from slavery...except for maybe Fruit of the Loom or Haines.

 

[xotoxi]

The other question is...how would this be enforced?

What would the penalty be for a company if they chose not to researching this?

Maybe the law is symbolic in nature.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Sound ridiculous to me.

I really doubt that any current company is where they are today due to proceeds earn from slavery...except for maybe Fruit of the Loom or Haines.

The people on the radio are saying there will be a $25,000 fine for any company found to have historical ties to anything related to slavery.

However, this fine isn't to go to reperations, it is to go into the state's coffers.

Now this was said by Ed Lambert, a morning talk radio guy on Cape Cod. I am searching for more details.

 

[Si modo]

I'm for disclosure of historical facts but I think it's ridiculous to require some sort of analysis of those facts about one's organization in how it fits into some specified thesis. And to have a fine for that? No.

 

[xotoxi]

Sound ridiculous to me.

I really doubt that any current company is where they are today due to proceeds earn from slavery...except for maybe Fruit of the Loom or Haines.

The people on the radio are saying there will be a $25,000 fine for any company found to have historical ties to anything related to slavery.

However, this fine isn't to go to reperations, it is to go into the state's coffers.

Now this was said by Ed Lambert, a morning talk radio guy on Cape Cod. I am searching for more details.

That's true bullshit!

And the fine is for having a tie to slavery?

As far as I'm concerned, the statue of limitations on hiring slave labor has run out - if a company had slaves in 1950...that's another story.

 

[strollingbones]

waste of time

 

[bodecea]

Sound ridiculous to me.

I really doubt that any current company is where they are today due to proceeds earn from slavery...except for maybe Fruit of the Loom or Haines.

The people on the radio are saying there will be a $25,000 fine for any company found to have historical ties to anything related to slavery.

However, this fine isn't to go to reperations, it is to go into the state's coffers.

Now this was said by Ed Lambert, a morning talk radio guy on Cape Cod. I am searching for more details.

Ridiculous. Patently ridiculous.

 

[Bass v 2.0]

Sound ridiculous to me.

I really doubt that any current company is where they are today due to proceeds earn from slavery...except for maybe Fruit of the Loom or Haines.

The people on the radio are saying there will be a $25,000 fine for any company found to have historical ties to anything related to slavery.

However, this fine isn't to go to reperations, it is to go into the state's coffers.

Now this was said by Ed Lambert, a morning talk radio guy on Cape Cod. I am searching for more details.

That's true bullshit!

And the fine is for having a tie to slavery?

As far as I'm concerned, the statue of limitations on hiring slave labor has run out - if a company had slaves in 1950...that's another story.

is there any statue of limitations for whites who benefited from the evils of slavery and Jim Crow legislation? Funny how no one is against the Jews who sue German companies for their ties to the nazis, but are against blacks asking for anything.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

The people on the radio are saying there will be a $25,000 fine for any company found to have historical ties to anything related to slavery.

However, this fine isn't to go to reperations, it is to go into the state's coffers.

Now this was said by Ed Lambert, a morning talk radio guy on Cape Cod. I am searching for more details.

That's true bullshit!

And the fine is for having a tie to slavery?

As far as I'm concerned, the statue of limitations on hiring slave labor has run out - if a company had slaves in 1950...that's another story.

is there any statue of limitations for whites who benefited from the evils of slavery and Jim Crow legislation? Funny how no one is against the Jews who sue German companies for their ties to the nazis, but are against blacks asking for anything.

Dont forget to vote in the poll charlie .

 

[Sunni Man]

Next, there will be a law requiring people to research their ancestry to see if they have any connection to slavery.

 

[Big Black Dog]

This is just one more of those "worthless, feel-good" laws that politicians come up with to say they've done something productive. If everybody is so wanting and demanding that racism in this country be ended, why does bullshit like this keep popping up? In the Bible, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Shouldn't we research this out to see if anybody made any money off of this slick move? After all, it has about the same amount of revelance.

 

[JakeStarkey]

I'm for disclosure of historical facts but I think it's ridiculous to require some sort of analysis of those facts about one's organization in how it fits into some specified thesis. And to have a fine for that? No.

I agree with si modo on this. Other than enriching the state treasury, what is the point?

 

[Ravi]

Sound ridiculous to me.

I really doubt that any current company is where they are today due to proceeds earn from slavery...except for maybe Fruit of the Loom or Haines.

The people on the radio are saying there will be a $25,000 fine for any company found to have historical ties to anything related to slavery.

However, this fine isn't to go to reperations, it is to go into the state's coffers.

Now this was said by Ed Lambert, a morning talk radio guy on Cape Cod. I am searching for more details.

While I agree this is stupid, there's nothing in the bill about a $25,000 fine...

 

[manifold]

This has boondoggle written all over it.

I'd wager there is a consulting company somewhere that is already set up to perform this "research" for fee, complete with a state-certified seal of approval. It works something like this: Want to do business in our state? then pay these guys a paltry extortion fee to produce a document that proves your company has no historical ties to slavery, or try to do it yourself and watch how much more it costs you in the end (*wink*wink*). The choice is yours.

 

[Si modo]

This has boondoggle written all over it.

I'd wager there is a consulting company somewhere that is already set up to perform this "research" for fee, complete with a state-certified seal of approval. It works something like this: Want to do business in our state? then pay these guys a paltry extortion fee to produce a document that proves your company has no historical ties to slavery, or try to do it yourself and watch how much more it costs you in the end (*wink*wink*). The choice is yours.

Excellent point. That sort of scenario would not surprise me either.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Sound ridiculous to me.

I really doubt that any current company is where they are today due to proceeds earn from slavery...except for maybe Fruit of the Loom or Haines.

The people on the radio are saying there will be a $25,000 fine for any company found to have historical ties to anything related to slavery.

However, this fine isn't to go to reperations, it is to go into the state's coffers.

Now this was said by Ed Lambert, a morning talk radio guy on Cape Cod. I am searching for more details.

While I agree this is stupid, there's nothing in the bill about a $25,000 fine...

I called up the radio show Ravi and told them the same thing earlier. They told me it was information from a caller .

 

[Ravi]

The people on the radio are saying there will be a $25,000 fine for any company found to have historical ties to anything related to slavery.

However, this fine isn't to go to reperations, it is to go into the state's coffers.

Now this was said by Ed Lambert, a morning talk radio guy on Cape Cod. I am searching for more details.

While I agree this is stupid, there's nothing in the bill about a $25,000 fine...

I called up the radio show Ravi and told them the same thing earlier. They told me it was information from a caller .

Prolly MidnightMaurader.....

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

I'm very dissapointed that the Bass didn't vote for the first option in the poll

I should probably vote

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

The people on the radio are saying there will be a $25,000 fine for any company found to have historical ties to anything related to slavery.

However, this fine isn't to go to reperations, it is to go into the state's coffers.

Now this was said by Ed Lambert, a morning talk radio guy on Cape Cod. I am searching for more details.

That's true bullshit!

And the fine is for having a tie to slavery?

As far as I'm concerned, the statue of limitations on hiring slave labor has run out - if a company had slaves in 1950...that's another story.

is there any statue of limitations for whites who benefited from the evils of slavery and Jim Crow legislation? Funny how no one is against the Jews who sue German companies for their ties to the nazis, but are against blacks asking for anything.

That is an excellent point Charlie Bass. It does seem hypocritical if one is for redistribution of wealth for jewish people who suffered under Hitler's Germany but isn't for redistribution of wealth for African-Americans who suffered under europe and american's fondness for the slave trade.