Current Events > Plan for Reparations Sent in By Cori Bush

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https://www.npr.org/2023/05/17/1176753190/rep-cori-bush-introduces-bill-on-reparations-for-black-americans

Missouri Democratic Rep. Cori Bush has introduced new legislation calling for $14 trillion in reparations for Black Americans, in an effort to see the federal government atone for the practice of chattel slavery and hundreds of years of racist policies that followed. "The United States has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people," Bush said in a Wednesday news conference attended by Reps. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., as well as other stakeholders.

"America must provide reparations if we desire a prosperous future for all," Bush said. Her resolution is the latest in a long line of congressional efforts by Democrats to compensate Black Americans for centuries of racial inequity. Similar language about reparations has been introduced in every legislative session since 1989.

"We know that we continue to live under slavery's vestiges. We know how slavery has perpetuated Jim Crow. We know how slavery's impacts live on today," Bush said, citing the racial wealth gap, voter suppression, infant mortality rates and other negative health outcomes for Black people."

Considering how long segregation went on makes sense to setup a fund now and then decide how the funds are spent either payouts or required community investments. Trying to read on how South Africa setup and sends out its reparations.

I'm fine with reparations, but good luck ever passing anything.

Sounds good, but it's never gonna happen unfortunately

Is this just a cash handout? I'd rather see it as an infrastructure and educational system improvement in impoverished communities

PoopPotato posted...

Is this just a cash handout? I'd rather see it as an infrastructure and educational system improvement in impoverished communities

so no benefit for Black Americans who are not in impoverished communities?

famfam posted...

so no benefit for Black Americans who are not in impoverished communities?

Nope. Not a penny.

I get the spirit behind reparations, but supporting working class communities is much more effective and beneficial.

14 trillion? so over 400k per person?

Good luck getting THAT passed. In addition to getting 0 republican support, I imagine a good number of Democrats will balk at that number.

I understand the desire for reparations, but I can never shake the feeling that it won't have negative consequences that more than outweigh the positive outcome for those who recieve them.

It runs a very real risk of silencing the ability to address other systemic issues because the other side of the aisle will just go "well, you got paid so shut up"

I know you shouldn't base your actions off of what your (potential) opponents will do, but in the current political climate, I just feel it would just be bad overall.

Maybe I'm off base.

PoopPotato posted...

Is this just a cash handout? I'd rather see it as an infrastructure and educational system improvement in impoverished communities

Yeah this isn't a good idea for just a cash handout. Because then there's nothing keeping that money in there, and what happens when you give (mostly) poor people money? They immediately spend it on the crap they've been needing.

Which means the overwhelming majority of money in the community will be leaving it, and then we'll be at the same point we are now, except Americans will be able to say they've paid restitution for slavery and things like Jim Crow, and nothing has systemically changed. And if anything, this will give racist white people an excuse to be more racist, because the government just wrote a huge check for every black person for something that happened 200 years ago.

~400k per person or so means that it can get basically every black person in the country out of the poverty they're currently in, but would it do literally anything to stop the other very real barriers that are put up in order to hold down black people? If not, its a very big check to kick the can down the road for another decade or two.

The better way to pay for reparations is to acknowledge the problems that still exist because of things like slavery or Jim Crow, and actually solve those problems, not just cut a big check.

wackyteen posted...

I understand the desire for reparations, but I can never shake the feeling that it won't have negative consequences that more than outweigh the positive outcome for those who recieve them.

It runs a very real risk of silencing the ability to address other systemic issues because the other side of the aisle will just go "well, you got paid so shut up"

I know you shouldn't base your actions off of what your (potential) opponents will do, but in the current political climate, I just feel it would just be bad overall.

Maybe I'm off base.

The other side already have plenty of ammo to fight any change. Most of them deny the existence and effects of any systemic injustice.

How it looks to the right is an irrelevant attribute for any policy

Where the heck are they getting that $14 trillion anyway?

I don't think they'd just give everyone a one time payout. I have a friend that's part native american and she gets a ~1200 check every year with her taxes

Universal Basic Income is a lot more sensible and helps everybody. Direct payments wouldn't work, and I'd much rather see proactive initiatives towards funding communities of color and Black-owned and operated institutions and businesses. Even then, that would be difficult to implement.

How would you determine who is black and who is not?

14 trillion, damn. Reparations are due, but good luck.

Iodine posted...

How would you determine who is black and who is not?

1 drop rule