Alan Keyes on Reparations (AK contextualizes his comments)

The Illinois Leader ^ | 8-17-2004 | Chicago Bureau

[unspun]

Alan Keyes on Reparations

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

By The Leader-Chicago Bureau (admin@illinoisleader.com)

CHICAGO -- Republican U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes has just released a statement clarifying what appeared to be a surprising position he took at a news conference yesterday.

"I think a cogent argument could be made for reparations in principle," Keyes is quoted as saying to reporters yesterday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Chicago Tribune expanded:

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."

The response from conservatives was immediate. "Who downstate will now vote for Keyes?" wrote IllinoisLeader.com reader Randall Mead of Springfield today. "I certainly won't."

This afternoon, Keyes released the following statement, clarifying his position:

I have consistently opposed the effort to extort monetary damages from the American people. As I have argued in the past, the great sacrifices involved in the Civil War represented the requital in blood and treasure for the terrible injustices involved in slavery. In this form the so called "reparations" movement represents an insult to the historic commitment that many Americans made to the end of slavery, which included the sacrifice of their lives.

I have also consistently maintained that the history of slavery, racial segregation and discrimination did real damage to black Americans, left real and persistent material wounds in need of healing.

In various ways through the generations since the end of slavery, America has tried to address this objective fact, but without real success. This was at least in part the rational for many elements of the Great Society programs of the sixties, and for the original and proper concept of affirmative action developed under Republican leadership during the Nixon years.

Unfortunately, the government-dominated approaches of the Great Society, which purported to heal and repair the legacy of historical damage, actually widened and deepened the wounds. They undermined the moral foundations of the black community and seriously corrupted the family structure and the incentives to work, savings, investment, and business ownership.

The idea I have often put forward to address this challenge involves a traditionally Republican, conservative and market-oriented approach: removing the tax burden from the black community for a generation or two in order to encourage business ownership, create jobs and support the development of strong economic foundations for working families.

This has the advantage of letting people help themselves, rather then pouring money into government bureaucracies that displace and discourage their own efforts. It takes no money from other citizens, while righting the historic imbalance that results from the truth that black slaves toiled for generations at a tax rate that was effectively 100 percent.

I have also made it clear that while I believe that the descendants of slaves would be helped by this period of tax relief, my firm goal and ultimate objective is to replace the income tax, and thereby free all Americans from this insidious form of tax slavery. It is well known that this is one of the key priorities of the Keyes campaign.

In response to Keyes' statement, conservative Jack Roeser of Family Taxpayers Network told IllinoisLeader.com, "I expect Keyes would say this is one of those interesting subjects to be talked about among people sharing ideas. Reparations is an impractical concept. Everybody in every category has been wronged in one or the other, and you cannot single one out."

Roeser continued, "Keyes is a man of ideas, and I expect he gets into discussions like this that are proper in their proper place, but that he would never vote for reparations. The problem with American politics is that people don't get into deep discussions."

© 2004 IllinoisLeader.com -- all rights reserved

______What are your thoughts concerning the issues raised in this story? Write a letter to the editor at letters@illinoisleader.com and include your name and town.

[sinkspur]

In real politik terms, I would seriously consider what I am willing to give up to minimize this. If that means gov't land, or a reduction in income tax for a period, I would consider it.

Not me. I don't cotton to havin' a gun to my head.

And I'm NOT going to give my money to Shaquille O'Neal just because he's black.

[Junior_G]

I believe that Keyes is relying on our knowledge of slavery as an institution that stole the property of those who earned it (slaves). His concept is not that their descendants be GIVEN money by the government, but that they be allowed to keep all they earn with their toil. They are an exception because as slaves they were never allowed to have property, even though they worked in terrible conditions, were the foundation of a thriving economy and built the South with their sweat and blood.

This does not change the fact that people who did not own slaves would be forced to carry the tax burden for people who were never enslaved. An injustice that occurred 150 years ago is somehow corrected with a new injustice with a new set of participants? Oh yes...brilliant!

[Jim Robinson]

LOL. It ain't gonna happen.

[sinkspur]

As unspun mentioned above, consider our relationship to the American indians. We, as a society, have consigned them to lives of misery by our de facto policy of segregation. A debate regarding our government's treatment of the American indians is worth having.

Why, Aquinas! You've become a liberal Democrat!

There's no group presenting a grievance that you're not willing to open your wallet for.

Do it as charity. Please. Don't propose it as government policy.

[deport]

"Principled"? Alan Keyes is NOT a principled man at all!

---

Disagree..... I think Keyes is a very principled person.... now we may have to do a Clinton and define 'is' one more time...

Give him credit. If he's stirring up the debate and emotions in IL like he's got the 'conniptions' going here on FR then he's accomplishing something that no one else could do in the IL Senate race.....

Now the real question is: Which type conniptions are these?
Pitching, throwing, or having

[blanknoone]

Who Cares?

I do. They vote. The way they vote affects me.

Blacks vote for Democrats with or without reparations.

You need a dose of Reagan optimism. I am not willing to concede a perpetual D lock on a big segment of our voters. Lets get the D's on record as opposing a Republican reparations plan and find out if they still vote D. My bet is that a significant chunk of the productive blacks who pay taxes rethink their party affiliation.

I've said I oppose this on principle many times. I'm not going to keep saying it. But the fact that I am a man of principle is why I will never be a (successful) politician. Politics is compromise. We can stand on principle and have all the influence of the Libertarian party, or we can play politics.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Some Freeper thoughts on reparations B.K. (Before Keyes):

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1177647/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/654085/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/725670/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/665707/posts

[sinkspur]

In real politik terms,

You've worn this term out. Completely.

You owe me $10 the next time you use it.

[sinkspur]

But the fact that I am a man of principle is why I will never be a (successful) politician.

Keyes says he's a man of principle too.

Is this reparations foolishness principle, or is it politics?

[NYCVirago]

I oppose race based tax relief, but imo Alan isn't race-baiting, if he is he's not very good at it. I read this as an academic commentary, not a policy proposal. He does need to understand he's out of academia, and talk radio.

Proposing reparations is the essence of race-baiting.

[MSSC6644]

This does not change the fact that people who did not own slaves would be forced to carry the tax burden for people who were never enslaved.

How is this a fact?

[Catspaw]

Give him credit. If he's stirring up the debate and emotions in IL like he's got the 'conniptions' going here on FR then he's accomplishing something that no one else could do in the IL Senate race.....

The strategy seems to be to stay in the Chicago area, stir up a considerable amount of controversy so he gets press attention from the Sun Times and Trib & other Chicago media--thus some name recognition. My guess is his next step is to head to downstate and try to win over those voters.

[cyborg]

Black people should look no further than many indian reservations to see what a 'handout' and 'tax free' would get you.

[NYCVirago]

In real politik terms, Keyes absolutely has to crack into the 90% D vote among blacks to make this race competitive. That is what he is trying to do. That is the real politik.

So, he's pandering for votes. And that's a good thing?

[Jim Robinson]

It's a debate opener. Hopefully, the ensuing debate will successfully quash the idea of reparations while introducing a lot of people to the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. I think a whole lot of people are woefully ignorant of same.

[NYCVirago]

How are you going to determine that? Will the IRS have to do a geneology study on everyone claiming this tax exemption? What if they're of mixed race--say, only 1/4 or 1/8 descended from slaves-- do they get only a partial exemption?

What about blacks who are from the Caribbean? Or real African-Americans (those who were born in Africa?) Do they get money as well? And what about whites whose immigrant ancestors weren't even here until after slavery?

[MSSC6644]

Proposing reparations is the essence of race-baiting.

Please, transcribe the words that Alan Keyes used to propose reparations.

[NYCVirago]

Please, transcribe the words that Alan Keyes used to propose reparations.

Why don't you read the article posted -- they're in there. He wants people to get out of paying taxes solely on the basis of their skin color. It's reparations.

[John Lenin]

Well, it's one way to get blacks to like tax cuts ...

[sinkspur]

Jim, reparations is a divisive binary issue. You're for, or against.

If Keyes wants to propose tax breaks for black people, let him come out and do that, instead of hiding behind this phony "reparations" nonsense.

I would propose, however, that tax breaks based on one's skin color is just about the worst thing he could possibly propose.