Real Politik is compromise. As I said, I would oppose it on principle, but it would be smart politics. And if footing the bill is transferring the huge tracts of gov't land into the private sector, I'll foot that bill any day.
On principle, I think we should pay reparations to the extent that any Afrincan American that is demonstrably financially worse off than the average person in sub-Saharan African, they should be compensated. That is, absolutely none.
Another alternative is to offer a free plane ticket to Africa for any slave descendant that choose to renounce their citizenship.
But in real politik, this is an issue, and we have to use the best way we can. If that is to fight the income tax, or to reduce gov't ownership, I think that is a reasonable way to use the issue.
It is not an issue,blank, except to Johnnie Cochran and his ambulance-chasing jive brothers.
What's the Real Politik in this? the liberal Obama opposes reparations and looks like a statemsan; the "conservative" Keyes supports reparations and looks like a race-baiting nutcase. This will not create one net vote for Alan Keyes -- for every black who falls for this nonsense, there will be plenty of white swing voters and even Republicans who are turned off by it.