Bill would probe fiscal legacy of slavery in Mass. - Page 3 - New England Patriots Forums

***tanked_as_usual*** · 10-06-2009, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdaniels7114

I'm prepared to drop this, considering the state of the economy, on the condition that the righties admit that their argument, that nobody who either benefited from or was hurt by slavery still exists, therefore reparations are dumb, was in fact typical Republican crap. Incorporated businesses are people of a sort in the eyes of the law and there's lots of them who sure as hell benefited from slavery still around.

There's no doubt in my mind that if John Hancok Insurance benefited from slavery they owe someone.

this notion gets blown out of the water

slavery was LEGAL then, so according to law, nobody did anything legally wrong so there is no justification to demand anything from them. when the law changed, companies did, too. if there are companies that did not, then they should be held accountable

are we also going to back to the beginning of time and demand reparations for anyone who worked for less than minimum wage before the minimum wage law was enacted?

people are stupid

sdaniels7114 · 10-06-2009, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanked_as_usual

this notion gets blown out of the water

slavery was LEGAL then, so according to law, nobody did anything legally wrong so there is no justification to demand anything from them. when the law changed, companies did, too. if there are companies that did not, then they should be held accountable

are we also going to back to the beginning of time and demand reparations for anyone who worked for less than minimum wage before the minimum wage law was enacted?

people are stupid

Silicone breast implants were perfectly legal and approved by the FDA before doctors inserted even one of them into the first patient. How far do you think Dow would have got if its only response to the lawsuits was that they were legal?

***Patters*** · 10-06-2009, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanked_as_usual

this notion gets blown out of the water

slavery was LEGAL then, so according to law, nobody did anything legally wrong so there is no justification to demand anything from them. when the law changed, companies did, too. if there are companies that did not, then they should be held accountable

are we also going to back to the beginning of time and demand reparations for anyone who worked for less than minimum wage before the minimum wage law was enacted?

people are stupid

You do realize your same argument was the one that Nazi Germany used. The soldiers and officers acted under the law, but the Nuremburg trials said there comes a time when we have to act in good conscience regardless of the what the law says. Also, most people see the enslavement of human beings as much worse than paying low wages.

I think it's fair to look at post-Civil War gains in terms of reparations. Slavery was very profitable for many families and companies whose legacy is thanks to slavery. I don't see why the shareholders of these companies should have special rights for illgotten gains. Do you oppose returning paintings that were stolen from Jewish families during WWII? That happens quite a bit, where a museum is forced to give back a painting after the Jewish family was able to prove the Nazis stole it from them. Is that wrong, too?

lostjumper · 10-06-2009, 12:31 PM

sdaniels, you know you're out on a whacko limb when even presscoverage says this should be dropped. This is so dumb on so many levels it's really not worth discussing. Leave it up to liberal Mass. to come up with this idea.

But I'll surprise you. I think we should figure out the reparations. Get down to the penny. After that, I think all the Union states should get together, and decide how much they spent freeing the slaves. I think the descendants of those that risked their lives to run the freedom trail should be paid. I think the families who lost brothers, sons, and fathers fighting to free slaves should be repaid. I think the business that closed or changed production so their employees could support the fight for freedom should get paid. Get the picture? It goes both way. Shut the heck up about things that happened 150 years ago and lets talk about something relevant...

Synovia · 10-06-2009, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BelichickFan

If they want racism to contine - and prosper - reparations is a great way to go.

I agree.

There isn't a single black person alive today who was a slave, and there are probably only a small handful who had parents that were. Paying reparations just allows more people to say that they've failed because of racism instead of admitting their own failures.

lostjumper · 10-06-2009, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Synovia

I agree.

There isn't a single black person alive today who was a slave, and there are probably only a small handful who had parents that were. Paying reparations just allows more people to say that they've failed because of racism instead of admitting their own failures.

Well said. People need to take responsibility for their actions, not blame them on things that happened 150-200 years in the past.

sdaniels7114 · 10-06-2009, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostjumper

sdaniels, you know you're out on a whacko limb when even presscoverage says this should be dropped. This is so dumb on so many levels it's really not worth discussing. Leave it up to liberal Mass. to come up with this idea.

Actually Massachusetts is the 4th state to implement something like this, but don't let the facts get in the way of a perfectly good prejudice.

As to the part of your post that I snipped out, lets just say you suk at sarcasm and leave it at that.

sdaniels7114 · 10-06-2009, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostjumper

Well said. People need to take responsibility for their actions...

Unless its taking responsibility for profiting from slavery though, that responsibility doesn't count.

PatriotsReign · 10-06-2009, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Synovia

I agree.

There isn't a single black person alive today who was a slave, and there are probably only a small handful who had parents that were. Paying reparations just allows more people to say that they've failed because of racism instead of admitting their own failures.

Just imagine the COST if we had to prove who was a descendent of slaves and who wasn't. Damn if I'll have my tax dollars fund such a thing!

We'd probably spend less if we just give a check to anyone who says they're a descendent of slaves.

***Harry Boy*** · 10-07-2009, 05:44 AM

People behind this crap just do it to keep racism alive, things have greatly improved for the Black Community in America now the real loons want to get the fire going again.