Please watch this unembeddable youtube video of a senator painting a settlement due to black farmers over systematic discrimination as reparations. 5mins. worth your time:
VIDEO LINK!!
here are my thoughts:
1. The usda ADMITTED to denying business-sustaining loans to black farmers SOLELY on the basis of race.
2. This farmland was given to black farmers AFTER emancipation - so this isn't about reparations
3. This is the stuff that makes me hate politics - b/c this is not only racism, it is also meant to stoke the flames of partisanship. King said an "urban" senator from chicago (the city) paved the way for this to happen - but ILLINOIS (the state! - senators rep STATES, sonnn!) is a farm state and...AND (ANNNNNND!)...KING VOTED FOR THE BILL!
4. In other clips he paints several claimants as "city drug addicts" who are the children of the farmers and not the farmers themselves.
+ that argument is lame - he is only appealing to ignorance to stoke poorly founded outrage
+ this is very reminiscent of the whole "welfare queen " label from the 80s - just b/c some people are abusing their liberty does not mean that all are.
5. did i mention that the usda ADMITTED GUILT?!?!?!? THEY ADMITTED IT!!! on some "yeah, we did it"
also - i'd like to know when this will be covered on broadcast news. I've yet to see anything.
no doubt. this is just ONE of the reasons for the huge wealth gap between Blacks and Whites. i mean, we all know that Blacks were barely allowed to accumulate wealth between the years 1619 and 1865, a centuries-long period during which Whites WERE allowed to accumulate wealth; and we also know that in spite of the huge wealth gap there are still more Whites in poverty than Blacks & the majority of Blacks are NOT poor (poverty represents a large minority of Blacks) ... but there are even more reasons for the wealth gap, including the Home Loan and GI Bill discrimination imposed on Blacks during the middle of last century when millions of formerly poor and working-class Whites were let into the middle class through home ownership and post-secondary education opportunities. there are MANY things that should be atoned for. but believers' hope isn't in this life with any expectation of fallen humanity facing up to blatant truths that directly impact current conditions ...
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