Issues like standing that would be necessary if you were planning a court case to sue for damages wouldn't apply if Congress simply passed a federal law with a system to disburse the money.
Which brings me back to how that law is worded. Also, realize that lots of states were not slave holding states. California is one such that has always been a free state. Slavery was actually a state based law, so the federal government would have to require that the individual slave holding states from back in the day would be on the hook. Except of course those states are no longer the same states. It's a cute idea meant to pander for the black vote with promises of free money to buy their votes, but it would be tied up in the courts until the scotus shot it down. Even democrats are probably aware that it's a completely unworkable idea. Unfortunately, they don't care, so long as it buys votes.
Unworkable is different from being illegal or unconstitutional. Frankly, in all of the critiques of reparations (and there are many) I've not heard the argument that it would be either illegal or unconstitutional. If it passes, in whatever form, it'll be legal.
I didn't make the initial claim that it would be illegal, but I just don't see how it could be legal due to how unworkable it all is. I mean really, there are red flags every step of the way. Those Japanese who were compensated were the same Japanese interned. The same federal government that stripped them of their rights agreed to pay them. We know who they were! To say that just because the Japanese got compensated, then the blacks can too is ignoring seemingly insurmountable problems that simply didn't exist with the Japanese.
To be frank, reparations is much more useful as an issue than a real policy precisely because it is so unworkable. It's hard to imagine all the different parties could get together to figure out who would qualify and what they would get. My point was just on the legality point. The workability issue is what makes it unlikely to actually be passed, but if a version did (say a simple one like just give all black people, whether slave descended or not; money), it would be legal.
Which would go directly against the civil rights act, which does not allow discriminating based upon race.
The second and probably the worst thing about reparations is how it divides the nation, and keeps racism alive.
Like Logical stated the talk about reparations just keeps the country divided, that may be the democrats intention by bringing up something as ridiculous as reparations. How do you justify to most americans whos ancestors hadnt even arrived in america until years after slavery was abolished and never owned slaves. Its an issue that will never be law and serves no purpose but to indianrub open wounds and divide america even more. Its a loser for democrats because all the support for it is from their progressive left base which in the scheme of things is small.As a middle of the road republican I believe it helps Trump and GOP alot more than the democrats
I guarantee that sort of legal challenge would go nowhere, otherwise there would be no such thing as affirmative action.
My grandmother (RIP) never used the Internet. My great grandparents would not have wasted time in online discussions. But in 1919 they worked and taught to build Soviet Russia. Descendants of serf-owners lost their property. Sadly in 1930s USSR became totalitarian and Jews were kicked out of meaningful positions.
That’s because police administrations have gotten so greedy. They take from every poor or poor enough race. There is no check so if we focus on the cops doing wrong PERIOD there would be a change and the racist cops would get the scrutiny as well.
This may be the strongest argument for the unconstitutionality of such a law. Holding non-slave states accountable for the actions of slave states is something that I don't believe the Federal government has the authority to do.
That’s a good point but you forget it’s up to a point in time. But what are the New England states other that majority white populations there is a reason for that after all.
You don’t have to buy black votes. All you have to do is promise change. If blacks were savages they would have exterminated the couple of whites in a plantation. They didn’t do that they put their faith in God. So in short the black votes is not due to hand outs but the faith that things will be better for all. Blacks have shown an acceptance of everyone. It is white Americans turn. That’s how you get the black vote
I don’t think so. Reparations would be deemed racist because they target specific race. SCOTUS would shut it down.
I don't think I understand what you are saying here. The New England states are "more white" because they didn't have large plantations full of slaves. But the "point in time" thing is unclear to me. Could you elaborate?
Yeah well, hopefully we can get rid of democrats and their racism one way or the other. This country has been saddled with their barbaric ways for far too long.
The north did have slaves up to a point right? They just made a decision either it be moral or because slave revolts were becoming a norm which is bad for business. Who really knows. But the fact that let’s say Maine has a significant difference in population shows that blacks although free weren’t welcome here. If they were fully they would have planted roots but only in the big city you would find that there was a melting pot. Example being joe Biden I believe in busing but I don’t want MY KIDS GOING TO SCHOOL WITH BLACKS.