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 ...
No. Strategery is an added benefit.
No - everyone has human rights, and as as a moral people, we would act accordingly. However, it just goes along with my long-held belief that the Constitution of the Unitee States does not guarantee any rights to people who are not citizens of our country... See, unlike Alan "John Kerry" Keyes, I don't flip-flop... ;0)
But his flip-flop on that is no greater than Bush's on the importance of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
More wisdom from the Chicago Sun Times. No spin there.
Not only is it wrong, it will tear this country apart; to see you countenance such a move is absolutely unbelieveable.
And is is NOT a conservative value.
You're too damn funny at just the right time...that one caugh me totally off guard...UnPC ROFLOL!
I think we should call them what they are race based or socio-economic based or whatever tax cuts. Unless I am missing something he is not proposing giving anyone any cash a la the Japanese. Correct?
We're up to flip-flops (plural).
Yes, and I wonder if the new and burgeoning black middle class isn't already voting for him???
Simply unbelievable.
I agree. That is what they should be called. Makes it easier to ask people if such a thing would be, or ever could be, constitutional, too...
I think it's brilliant strategy. Get the liberals screaming about income tax, get everyone thinking about the injustice in all income tax. The income tax is completely wrong --- and chipping away at it, getting people to actually take a look at it is completely right.
You mean go back to the original intent of the Constitution? You spout the liberal line very well. Must be why you back all of W's liberal moves without question.
Reparations in the form of letting people keep their own money is certainly different than the reparations the so-called black leaders intended --- what they wanted was to confiscate others' money to give to those who didn't work for it --- this puts it in a whole different light --- you know full well the liberals will be frothing at the mouth over the whole idea of it --- but it could get everyone looking at taxes.
What if Keyes also said some give-away programs would have to be cut so that a tax relief could be given?
It's great for debate.
Bump for later. (This should be interesting.) :-)
You'll have to be more specific. Bush or Keyes? Feel free to search the Sun-Times for more Bush/Keyes flip-flops.
It was about states' rights.
"Simply unbelievable."
Yeah, that'll work. Then if they give Obama the seat you'll get to see and feel the unbelievable.
That debt has long been settled, not with cash, but by those who gave their last full measure of devotion as payment.
And you really believe that liberals would allow reparations in the form of tax relief? It would get the liberals to have to admit some things --- for one that some blacks are very wealthy, some blacks have done very well --- the liberals will be the first to damn them over tax relief and demand that reparations instead be given to those living on welfare.
To me this is one of the best things I've heard lately. What really needs to be done is throw out the income tax for everyone --- what better way to get the issue up to the top.
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