San Francisco Reparations Plan

[.455_Hunter]

I fully support direct and high-value cash payments to any individual who was personally enslaved in the United States prior to the end of the Civil War.

[.455_Hunter]

I think we can all agree that the period of slavery in what is now the United States (trying to include the pre-Revolutionary War period of slavery in what has become the U.S.) was egregious and we wish it'd never happened.

Slavery anywhere, at any time, including the slavery still going on today (usually in the form of sex trafficked slaves), is reprehensible and one of the worse things a person can do to another person.

Thing is, at some point in time, just about every group of individuals, every culture, and every nation had people enslaved. Not just black or Asian or Hispanic/Latina, but every race on this planet was enslaved at some point in time. Every single one of us has an ancestor somewhere in our lines that was a slave.

The question begging to be asked is just how far back do you go to hold people today accountable for the actions of those before us?

The Oxford Languages dictionary defines "reparations" as "the making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged." This idea of paying reparations by people who did no wrong in this regard and their parents and grandparents who did no wrong in this regard to individuals who did not directly have any wrong done to them, their parents or their grandparents is absolutely insane.

It's a generally accepted belief that the last slave in the United States was freed on June 19, 1865 (which is where "Juneteenth" comes from). That was just days short of 158 years ago from today.

This is nothing more than someone claiming their circumstances today are the result of actions from over a century and a half ago. This push could only gain traction in today's environment where personal accountability, taking responsibility for ones own circumstances, is no longer valued. Realistic or not, we get to blame anyone and everyone else for our circumstances and they can be made to pay a price for it.

Look, I get that everyone wants something for nothing, but how can any sane society consider entertaining this sort of nonsense? I guess the question sort of answers itself: We no longer live in a sane society.

Mankind is truly doomed.

100% spot on- That fact that this is seriously being discussed in various levels of local, state and national government, and not just in some progressive fringe echo-chamber, is complete idiocy.

[rondog]

It's all about getting more people to vote for the D ticket, because they be fo' de peoples, ya know.....

[DDT951]

My family financed much of the War of 1812 for the US government. And the USA never paid it back.

I want the money with a nominal historical interest rate of say 7% annual.

Pay up people! We saved you a$$es.

Conservatively I am owed $213B.

Oh. And since as Governor of NY which outlawed slavery, my family is owed for that too. We need reparations for setting slaves free. African Americans should be paying me!

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

They always talk about these reparations like they are going to be direct payments. But the reality is that if it happens it will just be money that goes to advocacy groups for the benefit of these people, and all teh reach hucksters and NGOs will spend the money on staff and outreach.

Ever see the Sountern Poverty Law Center? There sure is a lot of money in the poverty business….