Slavery reparations

[Sava]

Originally posted by Guynemer


With all due respect (HA!), if you truly believe that "in America today, honesty and hard work will get you success," then you're the one who needs to go out in the real world and see how things work.

Actually I know how things work. My family came to the US in 1958 not speaking a word of English.

My Grandfather ran a successful shoe repair business in Chicago for 40 years and is now worth about half a million dollars.

My Grandmother went to college and became a registered nurse and worked for 20 years.

My father had a stroke in 1986 and lost all use of his right side, yet he struggled and despite his disability, is the Supervisor for the Illinois department of Public Aide and Human Services.

While supporting our family while my dad recovered from his stroke, my mom went back to college and got her MBA (Masters in Business Administration). She became the VP of Telesales for wwGranger (an Industrial Supplier).

My sister has a crippling immune disease called Lupus, she has managed to get accepted to DePaul University in Illinois where she is finishing a degree in psychology.

I am currently finishing a degree in Computer Science at DePaul University and then I plan on starting my own Software company where I will design computer games.

So yes, honesty and hard work will get you success. TALK TO ANYONE IN THE REAL WORLD WHO HAS HAD SUCCESS!!!!! MICHAEL JORDAN, BILL GATES, GEORGE W. BUSH!!! NONE OF THESE PEOPLE HAD THEIR SUCCESS HANDED TO THEM ON A SILVER PLATTER. THEY WORKED FOR IT.

And people who demand reparations for slavery are sick, twisted individuals who don't want to put forth the hard work to succeed.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Sava

GEORGE W. BUSH!!! NONE OF THESE PEOPLE HAD THEIR SUCCESS HANDED TO THEM ON A SILVER PLATTER. THEY WORKED FOR IT.

I agree with everything you have said except this. Dubya comes from a very wealthy family.

[Sikander]

The legal case against the insurance company is crap. They did not use slave labor (which in any event was legal at the time), all they did was provide services to all sorts of people, some of whom were slave owners. I imagine that almost any company still around from that time period could be sued under such a broad sweep.

The case against CSX (the railroad) may also go immediately into the toilet if they used subcontractors to do the work that is alleged to have been done by slaves. Otherwise any business that bought American cotton before the civil war could be sued in the same manner, ie for buying a product from someone who used slaves to create that product.

All this assumes that this case stands up against a number of motions to have it discarded out of hand for a number of reasons, some of which have been mentioned here.

If the plaintiffs manage to prevail there will be a very difficult and expensive attempt to prove who owes and how much, and an even more difficult attempt to decide who gets money and how much. This would be difficult in a suit of equal complexity dealing with torts which happened recently. With the passage of 150 years and the decay of records, combined with the exponential growth of descendants through the years it is going to be a nightmare.

Amusingly the people who are going to pay in such a case are going to include some smug Europeans who are happy to see Americans beating each other up as well as a fairly sizable slice of the plaintiffs (those who own mutual funds) who will still probably net some cash. The biggest winners by far will be the lawyers. The biggest loser will probably be race relations, if a look at some of the racist spoutings on this thread is any indicator.

[Sava]

Originally posted by Caligastia


I agree with everything you have said except this. Dubya comes from a very wealthy family.

You are correct. But politicians work very hard to get elected, even the rich ones who seem to have it made. Newly elected Chicago Congressman, Rahm Emanuel, is a friend of my family. I've talked to him a lot about what the life of politics is like. He was also on Clinton's staff.

During the election, politicians have to put on that nice face and parade around the country. They average about 2-4 hours of sleep a day, usually on a plane or bus when traveling somewhere.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Sava


You are correct. But politicians work very hard to get elected, even the rich ones who seem to have it made. Newly elected Chicago Congressman, Rahm Emanuel, is a friend of my family. I've talked to him a lot about what the life of politics is like. He was also on Clinton's staff.

During the election, politicians have to put on that nice face and parade around the country. They average about 2-4 hours of sleep a day, usually on a plane or bus when traveling somewhere.

Still, Dubya didnt have to rise up from anywhere near the bottom. The other 2 examples you gave are better. They started life in a much lower position than Dubya.

[Sava]

Originally posted by Caligastia


Still, Dubya didnt have to rise up from anywhere near the bottom. The other 2 examples you gave are better. They started life in a much lower position than Dubya.

All right... how about Bill Clinton? I kinda like the "pot smoking college student" turned president story.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Sava


All right... how about Bill Clinton? I kinda like the "pot smoking college student" turned president story.

I dont really know enough about his history to comment.

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by Sava
So yes, honesty and hard work will get you success. TALK TO ANYONE IN THE REAL WORLD WHO HAS HAD SUCCESS!!!!! MICHAEL JORDAN, BILL GATES, GEORGE W. BUSH!!! NONE OF THESE PEOPLE HAD THEIR SUCCESS HANDED TO THEM ON A SILVER PLATTER. THEY WORKED FOR IT.

And people who demand reparations for slavery are sick, twisted individuals who don't want to put forth the hard work to succeed.

This country is full of honest, hardworking people who can barely afford to put food on the table.

I'm glad things worked out so well for your family. That, however, is far, far, FAR from a universal experience.

And your constant assertions that anyone who approves of reparations are lazy, or sick and twisted, do not reflect well on your character.

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by orange


The honeymoon was over when you and Ribannah lost the Iroquois debate

Goodness. Not only do you have something wrong with your eyes, you're also clearly delusional. Time for you to go see a doctor, Orange.

[DarkCloud]

Guy-

The blacks deserve NOTHING.
If they deserved ANYTHING then one could argue that anyone who is adescendant of the factory workers who were exploited by the early industrialists.

There is such a thing as frivolous demands.

-
They should work for their own money.
They are not poor because they are in america and theri ancestors were 'persecuted'

they can grow through the ladder of success as many ahve done before to at least middle class.

I know many people who have done such things.

They are merely lazy and idiotic.

[Guynemer]

And you are merely hate-filled and pathetic.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by DarkCloud
Guy-

The blacks deserve NOTHING.
If they deserved ANYTHING then one could argue that anyone who is adescendant of the factory workers who were exploited by the early industrialists.

There is such a thing as frivolous demands.

-
They should work for their own money.
They are not poor because they are in america and theri ancestors were 'persecuted'

they can grow through the ladder of success as many ahve done before to at least middle class.

I know many people who have done such things.

They are merely lazy and idiotic.

That is all bulls**t that you posted there.

Blacks have had a different history in the United States than poor whites or working class whites. If you have read your history, you would realize that.

Blacks were enslaved -- the closest thing for that for whites was indentured servitude during colonial times. But even indentured servitude was voluntary for the most part.

Blacks were disfranchised -- poor whites had the right to vote ever since the Jacksonian era until literacy laws were put back into place after Reconstruction for voting.

Blacks were suppressed under the Jim Crow laws after Reconstruction -- there were no suppressive codes for whites.

Blacks were segregated into inferior facilities such as schools -- poor whites suffered similiar effects but as the result of other factors, not because of segregation and maybe to a lesser extreme than that of blacks.