Is It Time for Reparations?

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Robert Ringer

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Steve Hilton, whose intellect I have come to admire over the past year, probably startled his audience recently when he presented his case for “asset reparations” — things like home loans and loans to start businesses — for descendants of African-American slaves.

Hilton said that even though no African-American today has experienced slavery, and very few African-Americans now living were around when Jim Crow laws were still commonplace, he can understand how wrongs that were committed generations ago can shape people’s belief systems today.  I definitely concur with him on that point.

Hilton then went on to say that wealth inequality between whites and blacks of today is a result of past discrimination, which is why African-Americans should be compensated for their lack of wealth.  The logic in his position is that racial policies have made it more difficult for African-Americans to borrow money, which in turn has them much poorer, on average, than their white counterparts.  Which is where asset reparations come in.

The remedy, so goes the argument, is to take specific action to close the wealth inequality gap that has occurred through years of racial discrimination.  On the surface, it all sounds logical and reasonable, but, as always, the devil is in the details.

First of all, I have never believed that wealth inequality, of and by itself, is a bad thing.  Rather, it’s a natural consequence of freedom.  Put two people together on a deserted island in the South Pacific, and in a short period of time one will end up being much better off than the other — guaranteed.  It’s called life.  (A great film of yesteryear that graphically demonstrates this phenomenon is the 1953 William Holden classic, Stalag 17.)

But there are also many practical problems with asset reparations.

  • What criteria would be used to determine who is legitimately “black.” What if a person is only one-half black, like our esteemed former president?  Or one-quarter black?  Or one-tenth black?  This isn’t a moral problem; it’s a practical problem.  People would be at each other’s throats arguing about who deserves how much, and of what, based on their percentages of blackness.

    Identity politics is already one of the biggest problems the United States has — perhaps the biggest — because of the shameful tactics of race-baiting liberals.  And common sense dictates that you don’t solve an identity problem by injecting even more identity into it, which is precisely what asset reparations would do.

  • Aside from the immorality of violating people’s human and property rights, history teaches us that it’s always a mistake to allow government to judge who should be the beneficiary of other people’s money or government-created privileges. Politicians already make too many decisions for us, particularly when it comes to how much of our own money we should be allowed to keep.
  • Is there anyone who by now does not realize that government solutions almost always create more and bigger problems? The Great Society, which has cost nearly $25 trillion to date, has consisted of government programs launched by Lyndon Johnson, mostly in the 1964-1965 era, the stated purpose of which was to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.

    A noble idea?  Maybe.  But had these programs been successful, we would not still be talking about how to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.  Of course, the Radical Left’s answer to this is that even though the Great Society did not work as well as they predicted it would, the solution is for government to redistribute even more wealth according to what politicians and bureaucrats think is fair.

  • Asset reparations is just another form of affirmative action, and affirmative action has always engendered resentment and hate. It’s the equivalent of writing a wrong with another wrong, and last I heard two wrongs do not make a right.
  • As to forcing lenders to make loans to people who would not ordinarily qualify for those loans, it sounds eerily like a rerun of the Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac disasters that nearly collapsed the entire U.S. financial system.

All this reminds me of the words of the great Frederick Douglass, one of America’s earliest black heroes, former slave, and an advisor to President Lincoln, who said:  “Everybody has asked the question … ‘What shall we do with the Negro?’  I have had but one answer from the beginning.  Do nothing with us! … All I ask is, give him a chance to stand on his own legs!  Let him alone!”

Bottom line, the best way to help blacks is for government to get out of their lives.  The first step toward a better life is to teach people how to get to a point where they can be independent.  Liberals, of course, do not want African-Americans to be independent, because they are far too valuable to them as political pawns and as a source for soothing their white-guilt psychoses.

Justice Clarence Thomas tells a great story about his childhood that explains in visual terms why racial reparations are counterproductive.  He said that when he was a young boy, he often played marbles with friends.  During one particular game, two of the boys got in an argument over the rules, which in turn resulted in a brawl that scattered all the marbles in every direction.

Thomas says that after order was finally restored, “We didn’t take the time to try to sort out which marbles belonged to which players.  We just wanted to play, so we accepted everyone’s current marble count and continued on with the game.”

The moral is that no matter how much you may agree with Steve Hilton that racial discrimination policies of the past have indirectly hurt many people living today, trying to figure out who is entitled to how much would only succeed in slowing down the considerable progress African-Americans have been making for many decades.  If institutionalized black suppression still existed in America, millions of African-Americans would not have been able to lift themselves out of poverty and into good-paying jobs and professions over the past fifty years.

Of course, some degree of racism will always be with us, because it’s a phenomenon that is endemic to the human condition.  But in 21st century America, institutionalized, or structural, racism does not exist, notwithstanding the claims of those who desperately want to keep identity politics alive.  As the great Shelby Steele, a black activist himself during his college days, puts it, grievance protests of today focus primarily on what he refers to as “microaggressions.”  In other words, the big issues are behind us.

Clearly, the best path forward for everyone, especially African-Americans, is to keep moving ahead by emphasizing behavior, character, and accomplishment, not reparations for the sins of those who are no longer with us.

Robert Ringer

Robert Ringer is an American icon whose unique insights into life have helped millions of readers worldwide. He is also the author of two New York Times #1 bestselling books, both of which have been listed by The New York Times among the 15 best-selling motivational books of all time.

95 responses to “Is It Time for Reparations?”

  1. Jay S. says:

    Follow the money…

  2. L. Kimball Romney says:

    All one needs to look at to see if a government program will benefit any race, ethnicity, or so called minor people is look at the Native American Tribes. Martin Luther King in his great speech entitled "I have a dream" stated "I have a dream is that someday my children will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their heart"
    There in lies the problem. If I go to the bank seeking a loan I am judged by my ability to repay the loan. That can be the ONLY criteria.
    My Grandparents twice lost everything they had through no fault of their own. They died wealthy people.

  3. Mike says:

    An interesting metric would be an accurate calculation of how much in reparations has already been paid exclusively to African Americans through the social programs, set asides, etc.

  4. Richard Lee Van Der says:

    During the early 1970s (?) I was a victim of the UNequal Rights Amendment. Applying for a position of Poet-in-Residence, I had several responses that MY CREDENTIALS, BACKGROUND, QUALITY OF WRITING, ETC. was superior BUT. It all cane down to WE MUST hire anyone BUT a WHITE/MALE! Being the superior candidate not-with-standing. So, given that, I said screw college teaching. I'm finished! I continue to believe in the old saying, LET THE BEST PERSON WIN! I went on to higher more satisfying independent work, and then began to think in terms of Spiritual Guidance and following one's "inner destiny plan"! And, I see now, given what so many colleges have become, I am HAPPY and feel BLESSED that I did not end my days as a college prof! (In spite of having to give up material security). The Path I followed, after a painful dip! I know has been far more personally evolutionary than how I was headed, before the UNequal Rights Amendment. AND, from what I read today, that which is "considered" "poetry" has DECLINED horribly! Yes, and, there is the concept of those "clouds with silver linings"! I know about them/those! I am near the end of the line in my life, and greatly value how it all went! Because of Inner/Spiritual Guidance! Oh, then there is the old Wise Saying," Watch what you ask for, you might get what you want!"

    • Rick G says:

      I'm with you, brother.

    • Jean says:

      :Your story is the story of Sears Roebuck as well. When I graduated from college, I was asked to a second interview for a management position with Sears. I was flattered – after all, I had beaten out several highly qualified males in my management classes. The giddiness stayed with me until I arrived at the interview, and realized that the ONLY people who were asked to interview were females, and most were black females, Even at 21 I realized that if I were hired for my gender and not my qualifications, I would be a token and a joke. I declined a job offer.

      Fast forward to the 1990s – Sears begins relinqueshing parts of its business so it can pay the bills. Although competing with companies such as Best Buy, HH Gregg and those new "big box" stores, they continue to offer customer no-service in their retail stores and with regard to home delivery. They ultimately purchase KMart to try and salvage their position in retail.

      Fast forward to 2018 – Sears Roebuck is bankrupt and out of business. While there were market factors that played a part in this, I believe that Sears' commitment to hiring based on race and gender rather than qualifications was a significant factor in the de-evolution of what had been the world's largest, most respected and in its early days, most innovative retailer.

      • Rick G says:

        Serves them right!

      • lee says:

        Sears Roebuck, going out of business.Has nothing to do with hiring based on race and gender.They just couldn't compete with Amazon.

      • lee says:

        Sears Roebuck going out of business.Had nothing to do with hiring based on race and gender.They couldn't compete with Amazon.

        • Jean says:

          Bullshit. Amazon didn't exist in the 1980s, which is when Sears began its downward spiral. Amazon began in 1996, went public in 1997 and wasn't a powerhouse in retailing until 2016. Sears was crumbling long before that.

    • Rick G says:

      Now you know why I say the Radic-Libs have wrecked the country!

  5. Matt says:

    I simply can't believe that a topic of this nature is worthy of discussion. Of course, its not right to give away money or benefits or jobs based on color or sex or any other criteria besides merit. Enough damage has already taken place because of Jim Crow laws and Affirmative Action quota systems that have led to all sorts of government give away programs for all types of people imaginable. The libertarian solution is the best; Government just needs to get out of the way and let market forces determine winners and losers.

    • Helen Roberts says:

      Totally agree….also, do black millionaires – Ophra, Kenya, rich rappers – help their own? Just wondering….

      • Jean says:

        Ha ha!! Every one of these people has moved to – ahem – white neighborhoods. Kanye of course married white as well. And Obama's brother still lives in a hut in Kenya.

        • lee says:

          What's wrong with everyone of this people.Moving to white neighborhoods? And Kenye marrying white? Maybe Obama's brother likes to live in a hut in Kenya.Instead of having to struggle like Rick G.to pay all those bills every month.

          • Rick G says:

            Listen, Problem Child Lee. I am doing very well financially. Thank you for your unsolicited concern.

          • lee says:

            Very concerned.Especially when you say,that. Their is a Radic-Lib element.Who now advocates killing all whites,killing white babies and even extermination of the entire white race.

          • Jean says:

            Can you read or even think? What's "wrong" is that these people never EVER "give back" to their own people in any way, shape, form or fashion but they expect Whitey to pay reparations for slavery. If you believe your own bullshit, then you should also recognize that the majority of white people in the United States had NOTHING to do with slavery as their ancestors came as IMMIGRANTS between 1850 and 1920. Why am I responsible for what some WASP southern dude did in 1840 when my grandparents came from Russia in 1915? Reparations place blame where none should exist, and it's just another total and complete bullshit way of exercising "get-evenism" for those of you who are have-nots and do-nots.

            In addition, the total hypocrisy of those black celebrities is that they will never admit that the brothas and sistas they left behind are largely moochers and drains on society. They leave the 'hood, knowing that if they stayed, they'd have every Tom Dick and DuJuan on their doorstep begging for a handout. If they refuse, then they'd likely be robbed or mugged. THAT's why they choose to live in white neighborhoods once they have money.

            And I seriously doubt that living in a hut with no running water is the preferred lifestyle for Obama's brother, especially when he could live in adequate circumstances on as little as a $20.00 monthly stipend from his bro. Charity begins at home, bubba. When Obama steps up to the plate and begins doing for his family, then I might put some stock into his Marxist ideology that I don't deserve to keep my own money b/c there are others who need it more than I do.

          • lee says:

            Tony L. Keep waiting.

        • lee says:

          What's wrong with everyone of this people.Moving to white neighborhoods.And Kanye marrying white? Maybe Obama's brother likes to live in a hut in Kenya.Instead of struggling to pay bills.Every month like Rick G.

      • lee says:

        Black celebrities who give back to the black community.Are,Denzel Washington,Blair Underwood,Magic Johnson,Russel Simmons,Oprah Winfrey,Ludacris,Lou Gossett and Barack Obama, and Janet Jackson.

        • Jean says:

          How do they "give back"? Do they educate other blacks on how to get out of their circumstances? Or do they continue the race baiting that demands that everyone else is responsible for the choices that they and their children make, and the results they get from making those choices?

          And if you actually follow the news rather than the brainwashing, you would know that Magic Johnson has pulled all of his businesses out of the 'hood. They failed, largely because the workforce would rather steal the products they were selling. Shrinkage, no profits and a labor force that couldn't make it to work more than 3 days out of five killed his efforts.

          And Oprah "gave back" to Africa, not her adopted home of Chicago, for essentially the same reason. When she asked the Chicago school kids what they needed most, their answers were "iPhones and Air Jordan shoes." She was appalled at the sense of entitlement (brought to you by the Great Society) they had. Funny how that works, isn't it?

    • Pancho says:

      Well stated. But "letting market forces determine…" is exactly (and solely) what the leftists are so very strongly against. You could allow them to have all of their silly social/cultural agenda ideas implemented—it wouldn't matter a bit. Why? Because if market forces were allowed to operate, everything else would sort itself out.

    • lee says:

      That is the proverbial myth.Let the government get out of the way.And let the market forces determine winners and losers.That has never worked and it will never work.Their will always be discrimination.

  6. Jon says:

    Reminds me of the old saw: "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." Seldom mentioned is that the typical black family was far more stable during the 1930s and 1940s. Then, the do-gooders stepped in and tried to fix what wasn't broken. In the process, their welfare programs literally broke-up the solid family status and forced out the man in order to pander to the woman. Hence, the out-of-wedlock birth rate went from approximately 20% to 70%. Thanks for NOTHING, LBJ.

    • lee says:

      In the 1930s and 1940s.The black families were controlled by the whites.Especially in the south.In the 1960s.Even though it was illegal they were still being discriminated.They moved to the west and east.to look for jobs.And their was discrimination there also.with the distribution of illegal drugs by the government.into their neighborhoods in the 1970s and 1980s.the families started to break apart.

  7. FedUp says:

    There is no institutional discrimination at this point (if you overlook the bias against white males). To continue beating a dead horse may help dishonest politicians stir up hatred and drive voter turnout, but at what cost ? At this point, we all need to move on with great appreciation for the blessings of liberty.

  8. Scott says:

    I think what's happening in South Africa will come to the US/Europe/Canada soon, western civilization is under attack!

  9. larajf says:

    I think the whole reparations discussion would be moot if they had listened to Fredrick Douglas and let the blacks learn the same lessons (both good and bad) that other children learned. The fact that there are some very successful black people indicates that it's possible to be successful even under these current circumstances brought about by Democrat intervention.

  10. Rick G says:

    Here is my position. NO REPARATIONS PERIOD! What is done is done! One cannot make right by commiting another wrong. That is, making present day whites pay for any "wrongs", things that they did not themselves personally do to blacks or any other group who are no longer around, is unjust, immoral, and plain irrational. No amount of reparation will undue the past. No amount! The past is over, gone forever. Besides, who would decide what kind of "reparation" is needed, and how much in "reparations" is necessary, etc. There will never be an agreement, and as usual, there will always be those who will be unhappy or dissatisfied with it no matter the quality or quantity. Then, why stop there? What about other social groups, the American Indian, who are referred to by the PC term, Native American? Actually, there are not technically "native" because all of them migrated to this country from Asia and other countries. They endured way far more discrimination, abuse, and hatred than what was ever done to blacks. We even rounded them up and put them in concentration camps, called reservations. After all, no one would qualify more for any reparation or compensation for "social injustice" than they, Native Americans. Native Americans were treated many times over by far the worst than any other racial minority. And yet, you don't see them whining and crying about their "rights", their past, and engaging in urban riots, and protesting liike blacks do. And the shameful injustice continues today. Derogatory terms like "Indian giver" and "Indian summer" continue to this day. How about other groups, the Irish, the Italians, Jews, Catholics, Mormons, and on and on? They do have suffered injustices. Where would it stop? Nowhere and never. There would be no end to it.

    And nowadays, it is fashionable for people, particularly nonwhites and even white Radic-Libs to be openly racist against whites. And it is racism. In our upside down anything-goes society and culture, if hatred is directed against nonwhites, it is racism. If it is directed by nonwhites against whites, it is not. Why? Someone tell me why? It is the Radic-Lib element who now advocate killing all whites, killing white babies, and even extermination of the entire white race. Where is the outrage over this? Where is the outrage?

    Affirmative action is immoral and evil. All it amounts to discrimination against whites in order to make up for the "injustices" of the past. That too is legitimatized racism and should be outlawed and stopped. Punishing people for things they did not do to others is just flat out wrong, wrong, wrong!!!

  11. Darrel says:

    All descendants of African Americans brought to America as slaves should be compensated by offering scholarships to either a community college, a trade school, or an apprenticeship program, of choice, all expenses paid. The only requirement would be successful completion of high school. This would go a long way to solve a lot of problems faced by African Americans and our country as a whole.

    • JLAz19 says:

      I spent most of my life as an educator. If you want to help black people make sure they know how to read and write. Schools – dominated for well over a generations by liberals and progressives – have cruelly held blacks back by pushing them through schools without making sure they are competent.
      If you really wants to see blacks suffering discrimination – go to Africa. Blacks holding back other blacks.

    • Jean says:

      You're still getting into the deep weeds with regard to the question, "how black do you have to be in order to qualify for these programs." Your "all descendants" may well include someone who's great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother was black, but all other relatives are white and who has always identified as Caucasian on any EEO forms! And when you start percentaging out "blackness" it becomes eerily reminiscent of the Jim Crow democrats attempts to quantify "blackness" or the Nazi's quantification of "Jewishness" for the purpose of rights restrictions.

    • Rick G says:

      Typical Radic-Lib noise!

    • Richard Lee Van Der says:

      Ya ya. I've been lily white all my life and NO WAY I'd've been able to go to college UNTIL the Korean GI Bill for Education came up. After I heard, me an' a buddy hiked on down and joined up, then left 8 days after graduation from high school. Two years in the Army was a great education in itself! Not only did I "get to go" to college, I graduated, continued work, then went on to TEACH COLLEGE. I feel sorry for those who are INTELLIGENT but cannot afford higher education! (Maybe if you is a goot foo'ball player, then maybe.)

  12. JIMBO says:

    All hands should take a strain and re-read Frederick Douglass' words above.

  13. JLAz19 says:

    Bad, bad idea. Who pays for this? Those people who have a different color skin will pay. How is taking money from me and giving it to another person under the pretense that somehow one group of people have "suffered" more than another a moral act?
    My family is Slavic (Slav is the source of the term "slave"). Should I get reparations from the Romans and others who enslaved my descendants? How is it legitimate to get reparations from person who never caused an injury to my family?
    Of course we have already paid out too much money for reparations – LBJ"s Great Society. How did that work out?

    • Rick G says:

      Barry Goldwater, how I long for you to return and do it all again, but this time differently.

    • Richard Lee Van Der says:

      For a couple of semesters when I was between regular teaching jobs I taught Freshman English to Black Ladies at Baltimore Community College on the LBJ Program. They were really nice ladies, certain ones especially, BUT, academically, they were NOWHERE! I GAVE them passing grades. Were THEY helped in any way? I was only a teacher, not a miracle worker.

    • Phil says:

      Of course, many black tribes in Africa sold American slaves into their servitude…perhaps they should have to pay up as well?

      If this were ever to become policy, my remaining fidelity to what passes as a constitutional republic these days would be pretty much completely extinguished and then some.

  14. Scott theczech says:

    What about my reparations? I've been paying income taxes, i.e. wages and earnings tax, against my will, and under duress my entire working life! It is immoral and akin to slavery for the government to tax my earnings – the sweat of my brow, the work of my hands and the skill of my intellect. It is involuntary servitude to be sure; I demand reparations for this great wrong perpetrated upon my family and me.

    • Rick G says:

      You have hit the nail right dead smack on the head. Your words are my words exactly!

    • Scott theczech says:

      Hey Lee – I need you to pay closer attention please; I said taxes on wages and earnings, not "taxes." There are legitimate taxes and illegitimate taxes. Those of us who cherish maximum possible individual liberty understand this truth and agree that certain taxes are necessary. I'll stipulate that government has a reasonable claim to levy taxes on such as dividends, interest, capital gains, property (although I despise this tax as well), tolls, certain fees, sales, fuels, life insurance premiums, hunting/fishing licenses, stamps, permits, etc. etc. Further, you have no idea how much tax, including income tax Donald Trump has paid over the years. I suspect that it is "his fair share" though.

      • Scott Theczech says:

        You are correct – I don’t know for sure…and neither do you. So, when neither of us know the facts as they pertain to DJT’s income tax returns, we should remain silent. However, companies, trusts and he individually, own lots of real estate which is taxed. He also spends a lot of money at the retail level, much of which is in a high-sales tax jurisdiction, therefore lots of tax. I shan’t go on but you you get the idea…fair share more likely than not.

        Now, back to the subject of RJR’s article: I posit that slavery is more a matter of culture than race. History has shown that sugjucated cultures are often enslaved irrespective of race. So, when a dominant culture begins to self-reflect and repent (means to change one’s mind or to turn around and go the other direction) should it pay reparations to the progeny of the dominated culture? That would make Mr. Ringer’s concern about measuring race as a qualifier for reparations moot. One would only have to demonstrate that his ancestors were enslaved to be eligible for compensated damages.

    • lee says:

      You should tell Donald Trump.to tell you how not to pay taxes.You say you suspect he pays his fair share.You suspect because you don't know.Because he won't show his tax files.I seriously doubt he pays his fair share.He wants everyone else to pay taxes except himself.

    • lee says:

      You suspect because you don't know.Because he won't show his tax files.I seriously doubt it's his fair share.He wants everyone else to pay taxes except him.

    • lee says:

      You should tell Donald Trump to teach you.How not to pay taxes.You say you suspect he pays his fair share.You suspect but you don't know.You don't know.Because he won't show his tax files.I seriously doubt he pays his fair share.He wants everyone else to pay taxes except himself.

      • Steven Lidkea says:

        Bad enough we have to listen to your nonsensical crap at all, let alone three times. Having trouble figuring out the process for posting a comment?

      • Jean says:

        The only people who don't pay their fair share in taxes are drug dealers, strippers, illegals and everyone else who games the system Their business is all cash, and they pay nothing to support schools, hospitals or the welfare system that raised them.

        • lee says:

          Drug dealers pay, when their assets are confiscated by the government.Strippers pay when their wages and tips are taken when they file their taxes.Ilegals pay when money is taken.From their pay checks, And they don't file for their refunds.You tell me,why Donald Trump does not want to show his tax files. And don't give me that lame excuse that they are being audited.

          • Jean says:

            Lee – strippers don't get W-2 or 1099'ed, so THEY DON'T PAY TAXES. In addition, strippers are likely to have at least one child out of wedlock, so they TAKE benefits from the government.

            Illegals also don't pay taxes, because THEY WORK FOR CASH UNDER THE TABLE. Technically, without a valid social security number, they can't work for wages. So employers game the system and pay them from a slush fund.

            There are many reasons any private citizen wouldn't want to show their taxes. For one, ignorant people like yourself would have no clue as to how to read the forms – do you even have a clue what a "capital gain" is? Individual and corporate taxes are complicated even for seasoned IRS agents, let alone people like you who rely on short form filing and only have wages. You wouldn't have the capacity to comprehend any of the technicalities. So what would be the point? In addition, most high earners file amended returns, because it is often well after the initial filing date that their corporate financials are finalized. And for a private corporation (which Trump enterprises is), those financials are NOT public domain, nor are they required to be. So you are actually asking Trump to violate the law and the privilege of every private corporation to keep financials confidential.

            I'll make a deal – Trump can publish his tax returns when AOC, Bernie Sanders, John F Kerry, Al Gore and Hillary Clinton do.

          • lee says:

            The IRS, Investigates complicated tax returns from individuals and corporations.All the time.Iam sure they would be able to explain them to so called ignorant people like myself.Where we would understand them.The point being to know how much money he got.And is getting from putin.And other entities.A man came from mexico.In the 1920s legally.To the United states.He worked in the fields for white land owners.Who had come over from Europe.The landowners would tell him. The problem with you Mexicans is that when you get here.You just work in the fields.When we get here,we learn the language.Than go to the court house .To learn the laws.The laws allow you to steal legally.When trump would say,their are stupid laws and loop holes written in the tax code.So i take advantage of them.Because I have to support myself and my family.Every time he would say that.It reminded me of that man.If that is the case,and he has nothing to hide.I would think he would show his tax returns.

          • Jean says:

            I"ll believe that you could understand a fraction of the corporate tax code when you can explain in your own words what FICA is.

            As for Putin's influence, perhaps that's true. During the Obama years when O was raising taxes across the board, Putin was LOWERING them across the board for the Russian people. They have a 15% flat tax – everybody pays the SAME RATE, so everyone has a stake in the game. In addition, Putin has openly embraced orthodox Christianity. Ya' think that might influence policy with regard to, say, same-sex "marriage" or abortion? The values he embraces fly in the face of all Radic-leftist ideology, so are death to you and yours.

            Both measures have improved the lot of the Russians greatly – and if that's the sordid influence that frightens you, then you deserve to live in terror for the duration.

            Your little story also misses one large point – the immigrant who stated that when he got here, he learned the language also means that he became infinitely more marketable to the larger society. You talk about how you have to support yourself and your family (like that makes you special???) Why don't you take some initiative to make yourself more marketable, like the wiser immigrant? You had the advantage of being born here – but I'll bet a dollar to a donut you've never 1) visited a library or a museum, both of which provide FREE educational tools to those who choose to avail themselves, 2) taken a course online to improve your skill set (why spend for a college degree when most of the practical education is available for around $100.00 a course?), 3) tried to learn from those more successful than you how to do anything better?

            I'm guessing that you stopped learning anything around 8th grade, and have the grasp of the world that the average 14 year old does. Is it any wonder to anyone why you would love a communist government that provides a literal instruction manual for how you will live your life? But how in hell does that make you equal to anyone else who lives as a thinking adult?

          • lee says:

            Putin and Trump are making deals.To enrich themselves at the expense of the United states of America. The man in my story, Said the Europeans, would tell him. When they arrived here, in the United states of America.First they would learn the language.Second, they would go to the court house.To learn the laws.Because the laws would allow them to steal legally. Donald Trump, during his campaign.Would say that their are stupid and loopholes.Written in the tax laws.And he Donald Trump, would take advantage of them.Because he Donald Trump. Had to support himself and his family.

          • lee says:

            Social Security and medicare.Are some of the programs, that are very popular with the people of the United states of America.They are paid, with their taxes.That benefit the middle class and the working poor.That's why they don't mind paying higher taxes.To implement more programs such as this.That benefit them.

          • Jean says:

            One small problem with social security and medicare – neither are solvent nor are they sustainable, even for the few who are receiving transfer payments under these programs. http://reason.com/blog/2019/02/22/medicare-for-al

            No one under the age of 40 is paying enough into the system now to pay for the people who are receiving the funds. So you aren't paying anywhere close to your fair share, and should be happy with an increase from 15.2 percent of your wages going toward SS and medicare to close to 40 percent of your wages going to support those programs. Since 50 percent of payroll taxes are shouldered by employers, this will incentivize employers to hire people as 1099 workers rather than employees, so the entire tax burden will be on your shoulders. And frankly, that would be karma for any communist goof who believes that a big-government wealth transfer program "benefits" the working poor or the middle class. They destroy the middle class, which really is the ultimate goal of leftist ideology.

          • lee says:

            We will all pay higher taxes.To keep social security and medicare solvent and sustainable.That is good karma.

          • Jean says:

            That will happen when you actually get a job. Millennials spend their time working part time if they work at all, living in mom's basement and cheating on their taxes. They don't contribute much if anything. So your dream of having the productive members of society paying more in taxes is ridiculous because there are too few of them. And we certainly don't OWE you lazy jackoffs anything.

          • lee says:

            When I say we, I am also including the super rich. 50% of republicans support that the super rich be taxed at a higher rate.

          • Jean says:

            50% of Republicans don't represent the majority of conservative voters, so that statistic is moot. And define "super rich." Here's a little history lesson for you – when the income tax was enacted, the provision then was only to tax the "super rich." But the definition of "super rich" kept changing, so that now, anyone earning over $16000 a year is subject to federal income tax. So you can take your assertion that the "super rich" need to pay more and shove it. They already ARE – they are responsible for over 70% of income tax revenues collected. The bottom tier of earners not only pay nothing, they receive "earned income tax credits" – or refunds of taxes they never paid in the first place. So the bottom wage earners have been stealing from the middle class for over 40 years.

            You want karma? How about this – those who don't work, don't eat. Those who can't afford children shouldn't have them. Those who don't have the qualifications to enter college shouldn't be admitted. Seems both just and fair to me.

          • lee says:

            your idea of just and fair.Is not reality,that is why the social programs that exist and the ones that will be implemented.Will continue.

          • Jean says:

            It's not reality in our society, but it IS definitely reality. You should try to read The Communist Manifesto. It is the handbook for all leftists, and that is one of the main tenets. The state assigns work to everyone, because everyone belongs to the state and is required to work for the government. If someone chooses not to, or doesn't like the job to which they're assigned, too damned bad for them. They are sent to "reeducation camps" (prison camps), or "labor camps" (prison camps) in order to get their mind right.

            Charity exists to take care of those who are unable to work. But there should be zero – NO – provisions for those who are unwilling to work, or for those who choose welfare as a lifestyle. These people are the biggest grifters and thieves in our society.

            My idea of "just" and "fair" is much more "reality" than anything the left has designed. It links behavior and consequences, which is as real as life gets. You pretend that all choices are equal and all outcomes should be. That is called magical thinking, and is a symptom of mental illness. Which is why Michael Savage states (correctly) that "liberalism is a mental disorder."

          • lee says:

            You say It's not reality in our society,but it is definitely reality.I once heard Michael Savage on his radio show.Lamant and cry all night long, playing 1950s music and crying about what had happened to his beautiful America.And you say he says that liberalisim is a mental disorder.Our society is the society we live in.

          • Jean says:

            And so, you admit that you're deranged. Look at what YOU have created – those "social programs" that you tout, including social security – are bankrupt. As a matter of fact, SS will be depleted in 2034 and the LAW (that Dems in congress passed without question) states that BENEFITS WILL BE CUT BY 25%. Great for the working poor, eh? And Los Angeles has had a typhus outbreak, thanks to LEFTIST regulations and policies that created a homeless population that now defecates in the streets, pollutes the drinking water system and spreads third-world diseases. Good job, Lee. THIS IS YOUR WORLD – the one that YOU and YOUR POLICIES CREATED – and you can take it. The rest of us – those of us who are adults – will try to preserve what is left of western civilization and leave you feral primates to your own little corner of hell. And no, don't come crying that you need more money. You need more maturity and better judgment, and money doesn't fix stupid.

          • lee says:

            The rest of you, that are so called adults.Hoe will you preserve what is left of western civilization.

          • Jean says:

            By strategically eliminating leftist culture, ideology and ideologues from our country. You're welcome to leave now and move to Cuba or Venezuela if they'll have you. But total annihilation of the left is needed. And there are more than a few of us willing to do it. The easiest course would be to eliminate ALL social programs or drastically curtail them, so that the slacker class will have to figure out how to survive on its own. Then, when you layabouts choose to rob and steal, you make yourselves targets. And anyone defending themselves, their family or their personal property will be 100% justified in doing what logic and self-preservation dictates.

            No politician will save you. They'll be too busy taking their gains and leaving, also for self-preservation. You'd best get used to the idea that you and your kind are the enemies of civilization. There are enough people who are becoming "woke" to that reality that you will find yourself in the minority and on the wrong side of history. So go ahead – support unsustainable spending, ridiculous regulations, infanticide as health care….. you'll look more foolish than you already do, and you may even get everything that you are wishing for. Then you'll want the grown ups in the room to clean up your mess, as you always do.

      • Richard Lee Van Der says:

        ANOTHER anti-Trump critic (in the negative sense) person! PRESIDENT TRUMP has worked near-miracles, but would PEOPLE SUCH AS YOU understand and give him credit. Try the Assassin-Woman for President, the one he BEAT, and see what we would (would have etc.) get! Anti-Trump people cannot damn think, in my opinion (which is the correct one)!

  15. KenK says:

    If we take from the rich and give to the black, what do we do with black billionaires like Oprah Winfrey? Does she have to give up her money because she is rich, or does she get money because she is black?

    • Jean says:

      The other kink in this is that there would need to be a "Louisiana Exclusion." The territory of Louisiana was settled by free blacks from Haiti, many of whom became quite wealthy trading slaves. New Orleans was one of the biggest slave markets on the coast, and there were several wealthy black families that participated in it. In addition, Louisiana blacks who became wealthy in fishing, shipping and other businesses often OWNED slaves. So here you're looking at descendants of blacks who were responsible for slavery getting a pass, while whites whose ancestors came here from Ireland or eastern Europe after the Civil War are supposed to pay the freight.

  16. Tony L says:

    Racism will be eradicated 100% when stupidity is as well.

    I'm still waiting…..

    • lee says:

      You have that right.

    • Jean says:

      You'll be waiting a long time. The Great Society has encouraged those least capable of producing thinking adults to have child after child. These children continue the trend, having multiple kids who are paid for by the taxpaying public from womb to tomb, and who have learned from their single parent to become dependent. They have no incentive to learn, to think, or to become self-reliant. The permanent underclass is the communist's dream, as they are void of the capacity for thought or for independence. As long as they can eat, screw and smoke dope, they'll vote for anything that perpetuates their chosen lifestyle.

    • Richard Lee Van Der says:

      Excellent comment! Witty!

  17. Chris says:

    The case of New Zealand displays every element in Robert Ringer's analysis of the situation of reparations for real or imagined historical wrong-doings.

    The so-called "Maori", a race which no longer exists in fact, but only in mind, is used by an "elite" group of carpetbaggers to exploit advantage. They use Political Correctness, moral blackmail and Fabian Socialism to hold the Government to ransom over a minor Treaty negotiated with the British Crown in 1840. This group of legalists have discovered ways to squeeze weak politicians to hand over money, land and resources as reparations. The result feathers their elitist nests. In the name of the "underprivleged Maori", mixed-race descendants of the tribal people of 200 years ago, who of course receive a few breadcrumbs.

    These elites rip off the rest of us. The Marxist angle is their essential tool. They use racial separatism as a wedge to divide the society and to advance their duplicitous socialist agenda deeper into the government. This situation has become a total mess and cause of resentment. Since the mid 1970's when these rascals figured out ho to mine this seam of socialistic opportunity they have expanded their operations through clever use of lawyers and bureaucratic means.

    Rebert's analysis is borne out by the facts of the New Zealand example of so-called reparations for "colonialist" exploitation. In fact the pre-colonial Maori tribalism was so brutal, unjust and exploitative, the chiefs of that time welcomed the British who provided them with the means to terminate their endless tribal wars of attack, revenge and payback which had so destroyed their society, Once certain warlords got their hands on European muskets in the 1820's they turned on each other's tribes in a bloodbath which lasted nearly 20 years and halved their population. Cannibalism was an essential ingredient of their war games.
    .
    Of course these facts of history are denied by the carpetbaggers who have used their ill-gotten funds to buy lawyers, academics and politicians to advance their agenda and hide the historic facts.

    Meanwhile the country in these times is being colonised by the Communist Chinese who are buying up land, farms and assets to make the place an outpost of Beijing.. So the carpetbaggers are now hopping into bed with the Communist Chinese, often literally, because Chinese women are pairing up with the carpetbaggers to take further advantage of the disorder sown in the NZ government and society.

    Some of us have figured this process out and we are working on a solution….. Watch this space.

  18. Eric Scott says:

    I take it RJR, that you and all the other anti-reparations folk feel the same way about reparations paid by the German Government to Jewish Holocaust survivors?

  19. Eric Scott says:

    The only reason reparations won’t work today, is that unlike the German Government, the US Government didn’t pay reparations immediately/soon after slavery was abolished. 150 years later is a little too late to be talking about it.

    The other arguments made in the article are bogus. For example: You would state publicly that the German Government was mistaken by taking money from German citizens to pay reparations to Holocaust survivors? It created more problems? It was affirmative action? The German Government should have just said to Holocaust survivors: “Look, we know you lost a lot of marbles as a result of the Holocaust, but just get over it and play the game with whatever marbles you’ve got left.”?

    Yeah, right.

    • Jean says:

      You forget that most of the Jews in Germany owned land and property that was seized by the German government. So, the government wasn't paying "reparations" so much as repaying what they had stolen in the first place.

      • Eric Scott says:

        Hilarious. I forget nothing. That is exactly the point of reparations: to compensate for economic loss. The slaves were not compensated for their labor. Reparations would address that. It’s no different.

        • lee says:

          Hilarious indeed.Tony L. See what i mean.

        • Jean says:

          You also forget that the freed slaves were offered transport back to Africa, and the country of Liberia was founded specifically as a homeland for them. Many took the offer and went back home – those who chose to stay were given a stipend at the time. If you have any concept of regional history, you'll find towns north of the Ohio River that were settled by freed blacks who purchased land, farmed it, and raised families there. Other freed blacks went west to the territories and invested their stipend in land and livestock. So reparations have been paid.

          And when you factor in all of the federal monies that have gone to urban areas over the past 70 years, then you have to say that reparations have been paid in multiples! Too bad the recipients pissed it away and left behind Newark, Cleveland, Detroit……..

    • Richard Lee Van Der says:

      Blacks are fortunate to be born in America, and NOT Africa. (My father was extremely prejudiced against Black people. He said that "only the stupid ones allowed themselves to get caught! etc. " So I've had a life-long war within because of early life conditioning vs later thinking on my own. Now I "try to" take each person on an individual basis, but, it ain't always easy!

    • Phil says:

      Hundreds of thousands of Civil War dead and many more maimed pretty much paid all the reparations necessary to be paid, though we could add all of the trillions paid for a "Great Society" as well as the uncountable acts of charity of whites towards blacks and others.

  20. Charles N. Steele says:

    Thomas Sowell points out that he was made much better off by virtue of the fact that his ancestors were exported from Africa to be slaves. Should he pay reparations to descendants of those who enslaved his ancestors?

    Of course, those who enslaved his ancestors were Africans, who sold them to white people. If descendants of the enslavers are to pay reparations, third world countries in Africa should start sending funds to the U.S.

    "Reparations" is a vile, stupid, post-modernist doctrine, designed to destroy society.

  21. Jason says:

    What criteria would be used to determine who is legitimately “black.” What if a person is only one-half black, like our esteemed former president?
    192.168.0.1