It's (finally) time for reparations. It's time for the US to pay its debt.
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Anonymous
You think that the average black kid born in the US today will have the same opportunities and resources as the average white kid? Wealth gap & systemic racism say nope. |
Anonymous
Yes, I don't support those extreme proposals. Residents in those communities are directly impacted by the devaluation caused by redlining (not to mention continued discrimination for employment and mortgage lenders): "Homeowners in redlined neighborhoods have earned 52% less in home equity than those in greenlined areas over the last 40 years," according to researchers at Redfin. The average homeowner in a neighborhood that was redlined has gained about $212,000 less in property value over that time. https://www.salon.com/2020/06/20/redlining-still-affecting-home-values-50-years-after-racist-practice-banned-study/ |
Anonymous
This has nothing to do with my point. |
Anonymous
Thank you. |
Anonymous
Quantitatively, they work out to be trillions "owed". I posted my suggested reparations ($300b x 20 years). What do you think would be an appropriate scale? |
Anonymous
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DP. I wouldn't think of it in terms of a number -- $300b a year or some other number.
I'd think of it in terms of, what's good policy. And what can we afford without saddling ALL out kids (black and white) with paying off debt for generations to come. So. 1. Increase home mortgage interest tax breaks for people with low AGIs. Pay for it by reducing mortgage interest tax breaks for houses over $500K (or something) and/or higher AGIs. 2. All-out effort to make public schools better, especially in low-income areas. I'm not an educator, but I know Betsy DeVos' vouchers are NOT the way to go. 3. Universal healthcare, funded by a more progressive tax system. 4. Lower the estate tax thresholds to the inflation-adjusted equivalent of what they were before W Bush raised them to $10 million or whatever. This would impact my kids, but it makes sense. Better, replace the estate tax with an inheritance tax. And so on. |
Anonymous
Yep. Same opportunities. Some even believe that POC are afforded more opportunities today than the average white person. There is not systemic racism. And the "wealth gap" isn't a thing. Sure, you can find a chart compiled by an activist organization to try to prove your point, but the chart doesn't compare apples to apples and it doesn't take into account the value some families place on saving money. |
Anonymous
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I have an easy solution.
Let's nationalize the wealth of all limo liberals and distribute it equally among everyone else. |
Anonymous
It is easier for black kids to get into college, get scholarships, get into grad school, get hired at top companies and law firms, and get promoted. What else do you want? Taking advantage of these opportunities is up to the individual. |
Anonymous
1. Last time we tried to reduce lending requirements for sub-prime borrowers, it did not end well. Minorities gained nothing from that experience except more excuses why they are discriminated against. 2. In a diverse county like Fairfax and Montgomery county, schools attended by predominantly minorities do not get any less funding than those attended by majority whites/asians, yet the performance difference is significant. You can't, therefore, blame poor academic performance of certain schools on funding alone. The most depressing thing faced by many black parents is the lack of school choice, to take their children out of the failing school environment they are otherwise forced to endure. School vouchers give them this choice. 3. Up to a point, I support this. Basic level care, screenings, common procedures, with additional coverage available through private insurance. 4. Why should a person's death be a taxable event? Taxes have already been paid on that money. Get rid of the step-up in basis, also get rid of the estate tax. People do all kinds of financially inefficient things to minimize estate tax. It's a waste of time and resources. Just tax income at an overall higher rate. |
Anonymous
This post comes straight out of the depths of white privilege. I’ll give the PP the benefit of the doubt and assume she/he has no idea how offensive this language can be to black people and other people of color. First, one’s human dignity should be a universal standard, not something earned. Second, you’re right. Respect is “earned” based on personal achievement and good behavior. However, that’s only if your personal achievements and good behavior is judged acceptable by white standards. Growing up my father drilled the notion into my head that you have to “act white” in this country in to succeed. I didn’t understand as a boy, but I certainly came to understand as a man. I yearn for a day when achievements and behavior are no longer judged good solely by the white man. |
Anonymous
1. I wasn't talking about subprime borrowing, where people can buy property they can't afford at high interest rates, and nobody thinks that was a good idea. I was talking about the tax breaks you get for paying mortgage interest, which has been a huge subsidy to the middle class. So a low-income person is in a better position to buy a house in a good school district, because we're subsidizing the mortgage (more than we already subsidize it for the middle class)--not because we gave them a ridiculous loan at a high interest rate. If your AGI is lower, you get more of a tax break. If your AGI is higher, you get less of a tax break. (We've got the alternative minimum tax, and I pay it, but it's a pretty blunt instrument.) 2. I'm talking about throwing more at the schools in lower-income areas, not the same amount. You and I can tutor our kids in algebra and English grammar, but low-income and immigrant families can't, so provide extra support. A voucher for $10K, plus $20K in FA, isn't going to get a low-income kid to a top 3 private school, that's ridiculous. But you're right, failing schools should be held accountable. For that reason I support competition in the form of charter schools. 3. I'd go further than you here, but we're closer. 4. If you're getting rid of the basis step-up and the estate tax, you also need to tax LT capital gains at the recipient's income tax rate. Otherwise you have very unequal taxation of different sources of income. Thus, the inheritance tax. |
Anonymous
I don't think it is possible to calculate what is owed based on what happened in the past. Rather we need to look at the present and future. Example: Black children do not do as well in school as white children. There are many reasons for this. We need to look at those reasons and fix it. One reason is that poor black children don't go to preschool. So they came up with Head Start. It worked, but only covered a small number of children. So let's have Head Start for all poor children. I don't know what this costs. The improvement in school and job performance down the road is big social economic benefit, so we don't need any other justification. |
Anonymous
I began my career teaching very, very poor Black children along with a handful of whites who were also very poor. I would not say that the Black kids did not do as well as the white children I taught at that time. Economics was the driver more than the color of the skin. Now, for the reasons that these kids did so poorly: Home environment. When kids are poor, and it is systemic, there are lots of issues in the home. I am absolutely convinced that this has nothing to do with lack of love--but lack of knowing how to raise them. This is the systemic issue--not systemic racism. The following are generalizations, but indications of the problems. And, again, this is true for Black and white, but in this case, my classes for these years were primarily Black with a handful of white kids. 1. Lack of books and reading material in the home. 2. Lack of respect for the value of education. If the parents had a bad school experience, this is also systemic. They frequently do not show up for conferences or school events. Sometimes it is because of work, but sometimes, it is just the lack of interest. 3. Drugs and alcohol. If mom is passed out on the couch, the kids are not getting lots of attention. (This can also be a factor in affluent homes, but it is pretty common in poor families.) 4. Yelling at kids rather than talking to them--poor parenting skills. Poor discipline in the home. 5. Behavior of kids--I broke up fights every day, and these were first graders. I taught one little girl whose 19 year old brother was charged with a vicious and violent rape of a stranger. I felt very bad for the mom because she was a parent who did try very hard to do the right thing. I taught another child whose dad was killed in a knife fight in a bar. She had frequently talked about her dad affectionately. This same child passed a tapeworm in the restroom one day at school. Kind of explained her stomachaches. One boy didn't come to school because he had no shoes. Our social worker took him to get shoes. This child was extremely bright and had been to Head Start. No question that Head Start is helpful to these kids. Do you think it is easy for kids to learn in these circumstances? But, just handing out money won't fix it---again, drugs and alcohol. I don't have the answers. Schools with poor kids get lots more federal money than the more affluent ones. The problem is that the money does not get to the classroom or kids--it is siphoned off at every level of the bureaucracy. We did have a teacher write up a grant for extra teachers that succeeded. Too long to go into detail here, but we had a very successful, simple program that was quite effective for math. But, it was a grassroots program that was developed by an extremely talented and creative teacher (not me, but I was proud to be a part of the program.) The problem with the money is that people try to make complicated programs that end up spending money on materials and programs rather than teachers who work directly with kids. Our program was simple. It had a basic premise: take the kids where they are and push and pull them as far as you can. Money in education is frequently wasted. Just check out the contracts for technology and textbooks. Follow the money. Suggestions: Parenting classes starting at birth--in the hospital. Head Start is helpful. Get all the poor kids into it. Smaller classes Simple, basic academic programs--expand as kids get older. Afterschool tutoring and activities in the school Access to technology--but not total reliance on it, nor too much of it Community schools--make it convenient for the parents to get there, and try to offer parenting classes or interest classes of some kind. Encourage parents to volunteer, What does not work Busing--I taught in a bused school. The more affluent left (white flight). When kids are bused in, it makes it harder to get parental support. Later, I taught in schools that were a cross section of American demographics--without the extreme poverty. But, the skin color was the cross section. There was absolutely no difference in the achievement of Black, white, or Hispanic. So, it is not race. The difference? All kids had at least one parent with a decent job. Definitely not affluent, but working. |
Anonymous
You think there is no difference in opportunities and resources between black kids vs white kids? % with parents who attended college % with parents with a high paying job % with parents with a job % with parents working regular hours (9-5) % with parents who own a home % living in home without lead paint % living in home with safe drinking water % with safe neighborhood % with healthy food in the home % with regular healthcare % with books in the home % with daily reading % in Great Schools 7+ school % who get private testing for learning disorders % who participate in enrichment activity % who get SAT tutoring % who go on college tours % with peers going to college % with easy access to birth control % with family connections for internships etc It is NOT easier for many. |