I wasn't responsible for it, the people who are asking for it are not, and were not, slaves.
I do not owe them anything, nor are they owed anything but an equal chance at creating a living for themselves, period! Lump sump pay-off money does not accomplish this in the slightest.
My father-in-law came to this country without speaking a word of English and 2 young kids (at that time). He was discriminated against, but still was able to accomplish the following without any handouts---
1.)Found gameful employment even though that meant walking to and from work (he couldn't afford a car at that time).
2.)Eventually bought the business he was working for.
3.)Eventually bought the 6-family apartment house he used to be a rentor in.
4.)Eventually purchased other rental property in the same area.
5.)Put all 3 of his daughters through college and set 1 daughter up in her own business (I didn't marry that one...doh!
).
6.)Sold his business and retired early.
He did this because he wasn't going to wait for someone to hand it to him. Nor should he have expected that.
Immigrants from all nations come to this country and do very well indeed. They are discriminated against as well. They do so, because the opportunity is here and they take advantage of the opportunity, not looking in the past and blaming their ills on things that no longer apply in the force it did in the past.
The ills may still slightly linger, but look at it....who has the most vested interest in making it linger....Jackson, Farahkan, Sharpton, etc. This is THEIR money ticket. It pays for these few to keep the pot stirred. Without this, they become irrelevant, and they know it. It is in THEIR agenda to keep tension between the races, or else the gravy train will end for them.
I don't buy this hand-wringing crap. You can't seriously tell me that opportunity does not exist for the african-american. It does for the immigrant from India, Pakistan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, Europe, etc.
Cobra
**Edit--BTW, please don't let that stop anyone from voluntarily writing a personal check to this fund. In fact, please do, give this fund your live savings for all I care. I would think with all of Thrawn's hand-wringing, he will immediately setup a portion of his weekly check. That way he can really help instead of just typing self-righteous indignation crap on a BBS where it doesn't mean toejam.
Just don't expect that I will be mandated into doing this. It sucked, it shouldn't have happened, and it was wrong. Guess what.....life is wrong sometimes, and good intentions WELL AFTER the fact won't change that.
Cash pay-offs never change that. Making sure race dies as an issue will cure that. That will truly be pay-back for those who suffered long ago. What better legacy can we, or they, have then to truly make race a non-issue. Money in the form of pay-off doesn't accomplish this in the slightest.
