1st Black Billionaire Wants $14 trillion in Reparations for Black Americans

a reply to: LSU2018

Don't forget that there were also Black slave owners as well. One more thing. A lot of the people in Africa that were made slaves, were sold to the slavers by Black Africans.

a reply to: Mikemp44

How ironic he became a billionaire pandering to people based on the color of their skin, and wants reparations for an inherently racist country...

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
He supported Trump,

Not exactly... he refused to support Biden, especially on Biden's now demonstrably broken vow to enact business crippling federal mandates to fight COVID.

Regardless of any of that, virtue signal or him speaking from the heart, I show my ass and both middle fingers to any moron who presumes white people owe them a single damn thing in this life aside from providing them a casket and a hole in the ground if they cannot afford one upon their death. Everything else, either get it for yourself or go without, but STFU about it either way. Alongside my undying wish to see this nation divorce it's logical half from it's lazy half is a deep seeded desire to actually see Atlas shrug his shoulders... if for no other reason than the fact that it would thin the herd and separate the doers from the thieves, ultimately starving the thieves out of existence for a while. In a way I guess I would silently smile to myself if tax payer paid reparations extended beyond the generations of welfare funding that have already far and away paid the bill for any racial disparities seen in the USA 170+ years ago. I would smile because such an action by the feds would almost certainly spark that shrug... At that point my time is better spent chopping firewood, growing my own crops, and fishing to fill my smokehouse rather than working for someone else just for the honor of paying higher taxes to provide money for those too lazy and lacking self responsibility to earn it for themselves.

Racism a reply to: Mikemp44

originally posted by: Mikemp44
While I am of the thought that reparations for Black Americans can and should be discussed,

Why? There is not one person alive today in the USA that had anything to do with the slavery that existed in the world (not just in the USA) in the first hundred years of this nation.

Now, if you want talk about reparations for the American Indian nations that are still existing and their peoples are living on reservations set aside for them, and who have actual signed treaties that the American Government violated too many times to count - well, that is a conversation we could have. I'm not saying I'm in favor of 'reparations' (just handing out cash) per se, but I would be in favor of some kind of legislation that would make some kind of real attempt at making things right there. One thing off the top of my head that I'd be in favor of would be lifelong income-tax exemption status for any and all (and their children, and their children's children) that choose to exit the reservation and join our nation as a full fledged Citizen. They are currently only exempt for income earned on their reservations.

My family didn't get here until the 1880's. I don't owe anyone sh*t.

If reparations were to be paid it should be to the original owners of this land, the Native Americans. They have a legitimate claim.

originally posted by: LSU2018
a reply to: Mikemp44

He's a billionaire, if it's that important to him then he can start shelling out of his own pocket. There were hundreds of black slave owners pre-Civil War so how do we know that the blacks getting reparations aren't descendants of these slave owners? Kamala Harris is a descendant of slave owners as well. Not to mention, blacks aren't slaves and haven't been slaves since slavery was abolished on December 6, 1865.

ETA: One more thing, only rich people were slave owners and that disqualified millions of white families back then. How do we know who owned slaves and who didn't? I know Ben Affleck is a descendant of slave owners, too. So far, lots of rich people are but us normal white folk aren't descendants of slave owners.

Should the 45 million immigrants in this country have to pay? How about anyone descended from folks who emigrated here after 1865? And you'd have to find a way to tax only white people for the bill, right? What about mixed race people? Should black Americans who aren't descended from people who were enslaved in America get reparations? Sounds like the ultimate can of worms. And if African Americans get reparations, we'll have to do the same for American Indians.

Sounds like he is on to something. America should just pay the reparations and get it over with. Things should be made square with the ancestors of slaves and all Blacks. a reply to: Mikemp44

People alive today had nothing to do with slavery, whereas, we are occupying Native American land.

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
originally posted by: Xtrozero
"At 400k per, a single mother with 6 kids would be a cool 2.8 million. How much would anyone want to bet she would be 1 million in debt in less than 5 years."

As much as I think this reparations thing is nonsense, your prejudicial expectations are worse.

Everyone is unique, no matter what colour there skin is.

Don't stereotype, it helps no one.

I didn't read that as having anything to do with race.

I know some people mother and daughter - who received $300,000 in life insurance back in the seventies when I was a teenager. Within 6 months it was all gone, and they were much worse off than before.

Oh - and they were poor, and white.

Poverty is a state of mind.

The problems with reparations for slavery are many, and not easily resolved.

The general consensus is that descendants of slaves are owed monies by the descendants of slave owners. Though it is often morphed into white people owing money to black people.

The truth of the matter is that it is remarkably hard to determine who is the descendant of slaves and/or slave owners. In some cases, and I stress the word some, there is a clearly defined lineage. That is often not the case. And in many cases the real problem is defined: that a large percentage of descendants of slaves are also descendants of slave owners.

It is no secret that slave owners had sex with slaves. It was a way of generating wealth. More slaves = more wealth. So for the large percentage of people who are descendant of both slave and slave owner, who pays whom?

And what about the white slaves? Who is going to pay them? And the black slave owners... who do they pay?

And what about the biggest single lynching in the history of this Nation? March 14, 1891, in New Orleans 11 men were taken from a jail where they were awaiting trial, shot, mutilated, and dragged through town by an angry mob. They were Italian. Italians in those days were often treated the same as blacks due to their 'olive' skin. They were considered racially suspect, and accorded the same contempt as blacks. Well into the 1900's Italians were openly discriminated against. It was common knowledge that Italian owned businesses were prohibited from bidding on government contracts. Who hasn't heard of Roman slaves? Italians were dipped in oil, impaled on pikes, and set on fire to light outdoor dinner parties. The guests would dance to the sound of their screams. Are these acts not exactly the kind of thing that deserves reparation?

And for the many black people sitting with their hand out waiting for this glorious payday, are you enjoying that subsidized rent? The free cable tv? The free cell phone? The mandated hiring quotas? The NAACP? The Miss Black America Pageant? The many government programs and agencies dedicated to providing aid to blacks only? These are your reparations. You have been receiving them for decades. And now you want more.

The truth is, no matter how much is paid it will never be enough. Its not about righting a wrong, its about free stuff. And you can never have too much of that...

originally posted by: carewemust
a reply to: HawkeyeNation

Then every minority in America is subjected to systemic racism. Correct?

In theory...yes.

a reply to: Mikemp44

If there are any reparations for anyone, then who does the money come from, and who do you pay?

The people to blame are now mostly dead, and if you just give every eligible person a single pay-out, then there is no enduring value.

Perhaps if the money went to fund things that would 'lift' particular communities, schools, park areas, community centers, transportation, hospitals, and business development loans and grants, then the money would have an enduring positive effect?

a reply to: chr0naut

No matter what is done it will never be enough. They want the goose that lays golden eggs.

originally posted by: EdisonintheFM
a reply to: Mikemp44

Is it me or are almost all billionaires wanting to do something that makes no sense and would probably harm more than help?

Gates wants to dim the sun, Johnson wants reparations...does having ludicrous amounts of dollars make people insane?

And yeah, Native Americans should be on the list first, if there's going to be reparations.

Freaking insanity is smiled upon these days.

There's a lot of guilt with the Hollywood set. They have so much money they have to virtue signal to convince themselves they didn't get rich selling smut and violence.

a reply to: HawkeyeNation

In theory...yes.

There are less men than women in the US. That makes men the minority.

a reply to: Mikemp44

I’m going to try something new on this site, and speak for myself:
The issue I’ve seen my “white” peers encounter solely start with their beliefs. Meaning; if the situation confronts or adds an alternative truth to their timeline, they feel challenged;offended;defensive.
As an Aboriginal-American (big wide nostrils & large lips and mahogany complexion) with knowledge of self and history, I find most of the topics “whites” speaking oppositional to or defiant of in these boards alarming.
With fear no one wins; but what do you think you look like to a growing, vibrant population of indigenous individuals like myself?
I’m guessing you’re of mature-mind, so this thought/comment of yours is even more perplexing.
So on the premise that you don’t know, because you haven’t ever experienced or won’t experience through the channels and Avenue that western society has created you lambast the idea?
As I see it, lands that were stolen should and ought to be given tribute - regardless of what “laws” swindled them out of their jus sanguine.
Reparations should be allotted to the group that’s endured perpetual abuse at the expense and hand of others.
Sure there’s a lot of learning and re-thinking that needs to be instructed into misnomered “african-Americans” but instead of dividing yourself through ignorance, go do some active learning.
Sure I could blow the whole lid off 99% of topics ATSers ascribe to, but what would that validate?
Again, I’m only speaking on what I would and wouldn’t do but the 35 years on this earth I’ve seen ignorance and fear control the minds for far too long.
Till you or any other person that isn’t the stat quo, have been ostensibly marginalized as my fellow Aboriginal-Americans, misnomered African-Americans your opinions are vastly unwanted and quite frankly silly.
Trust, the enemy is well aware that the collective ignorant mind of the west will be the easiest to divide.

That is all. I don’t need to debate with you or anyone else.


Ps
A lot of you closet bigots really need to Do Better.
Look around you, everything in this universe is carbon and melanin-related.

a reply to: cornpop

Because I said that a white man who spoke about why he doesn’t understand a black billionaire advocating for trillions, makes me racist?

No corn dog it does not.

But you know that.

originally posted by: carewemust
14 trillion equates to how much money per black person?

Or is the money just for African americans?

There are 41.99 million black people, so getting my calculator 14 trillion /41.99 million comes to about 333 thousand each.




Looking up welfare numbers:




There are about 5 times as many white people in the USA as there are black people. So black people accept welfare with approximately twice the frequency.

They make up 20% of the nation's repicients. So if we counted half of that as "repairations", then we could consider 10% of the welfare budget to be reparations.


So according to this, the annual federal budget for welfare in 2019 was 361 billion. (This doesn't count state contributions which may add to that.)

www.cbpp.org...

So at the federal level, the government has been paying 36 billion a year in reparations. In about 420 years, we should be all paid up. (Unless they decide to charge interest.)