Posted on 08/17/2004 5:58:48 AM PDT by Aquinasfan
One day after their first meeting, U.S. Senate hopefuls Barack Obama and Alan Keyes were back on the campaign trail again Monday.
Speaking at a news conference at the Hotel InterContinental in Chicago, Republican Keyes added to his now familiar talking points his stance on slavery reparations.
Prompted by a reporter's question, Keyes gave a brief tutorial on Roman history and said that in regard to reparations for slavery, the U.S. should do what the Romans did: "When a city had been devastated [in the Roman empire], for a certain length of time--a generation or two--they exempted the damaged city from taxation."
Keyes proposed that for a generation or two, African-Americans of slave heritage should be exempted from federal taxes--federal because slavery "was an egregious failure on the part of the federal establishment." In calling for the tax relief, Keyes appeared to be reaching out to capture the black vote, something that may prove difficult to do, particularly after his unwelcome reception at the Bud Billiken Day Parade Saturday...
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
In my area, we have a group of people who choose to live in tents because they "don't want to pay rent" (direct quote from one of them from a public meeting I attended). They live off of food donations brought to the camp by well-meaning neighbors to feed "the homeless". A nearby city recently gave them a site that was purchased for park land that was valued at $400,000; the city is developing the site with showers and other costly perks for this group of people.
Inside, you will meet people from out-of-state who gravitate here because of the weather, and because our local politicians allow this sort of thing. You will find felons, hiding from warrants. You will find people sitting in their tents, smoking meth. You will find sex offenders, domestic abusers, and drunks.
And we are paying for it with taxpayer dollars.
Not only must I pay hefty property tax - I must also pay for this sort of "But I don't WANT to work!" population to come into my neighbhorhood and make it unsafe.
Like what you witnessed, it's a travesty - and we have liberals to thank.
Oh but remember this was suppose to have ended under the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, but Democrats with the help of liberal Republicans have been chipping away at it. Hillary promised a crowd of black pastors in New York in 2000 that if Gore was elected the first thing she would do as a Senator was put forth a bill to end the 1996 Act which has remained very unpoplar with far leftwing Democrats.
I agree with you, if you agree it was about states' rights.....LOL.
Apparently.
You want to tell me that what they suffered can actually be repaired with money? You're going to do the same thing those slaveholders did, put a money price on something that can't possibly be quanitified in that way.
It's frustrating as all get out - the gaming and scamming of the system just ticks me off.
We made it without handouts - I just don't understand why others can't or won't.
They'd have to apply to the former Communist gov'ts.
Do you reject reparations in principle? How do you feel about reparations for the Jews?
Er.. I still don't see any statistics that support your assertion that: "The majority of blacks pay no income taxes anyway."
but i digress...
I note that what happened extended into the time period I live in. It was long dead anscestors that were screwed it was the living. It was live folks of a particular skin color that were singled out and excluded. What's on the table isn't really reparations, it's a corrective measure and with it comes an education on personal responsibility.
What's on the table is part of a liberation plan from the rat power hold. Keyes analogy was that the ancient Roman's waived tax levies on disaster areas. IMO that's exactly what these rat entrenched areas are.
The choice is between Keyes getting the seat, or the commie. It's clear to me the commie will cost a hell of a lot more and spread the devastation.
The Democrat Party turned the underclass into a political class in the 1970-80's which kept them in power for the longest time and Democrats need more of them to return to power.
You pretty much nailed the devotees of Dr. Alan "Rev. Jim Jones" Keyes dead on...
OOOOOOOOOK. So anyone who happens to land on our soil can be exploited for whatever purposes we wish?
They were held in bondage here because of an immoral government policy.
Worthy of Olympic Gold Metals!
Medals.........that is.
Well, get it from Alan Keyes' funds; the rest of us aren't going to pay this blackmail so Alan Keyes can get elected.
So you think reparations are wrong in principle? Can I get a straightforward answer?
How about removing our ability to select our own senators?
Yes, we do. One has to wonder why we're being asked to suspend reality.
I would have responded faster but I fell out of my chair...and couldn't get up...lol
Um, those generations are dead Alan.
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