Posted on 08/19/2004 5:27:04 AM PDT by kattracks
His voice rising to a yell, Republican U.S. Senate nominee Alan Keyes told a bipartisan civic group Wednesday he "will not budge" from his belief that descendants of slaves should be exempted from income taxes to help heal the wounds of past discrimination and segregation.The former presidential candidate disdainfully brushed aside questions over whether his suggestion should apply to rich African Americans such as Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan or Oprah Winfrey.
"Do you know how many Oprah Winfreys there might have been running around in the 1930s or in the 1920s or in the 19-teens that got nowhere because the doors were shut in their face?" Keyes thundered. "If you think that because I wear a conservative label, I have forgotten that history and am not mindful of that injustice -- then I will tell you now that you are wrong."
Keyes delivered his blistering defense at a luncheon of the City Club of Chicago, scolding fellow conservatives who challenged his proposal and evoking the struggle of his African-American parents, saying they had talent and "hearts and spirit and strength and faith."
"Why didn't they get to a point where they could stand on this platform?" Keyes aked.
Vying against Democrat Barack Obama, Keyes drew heat from conservatives earlier this week when he proposed exempting descendants of slaves from income taxes for a generation or two, a view he insists "involves a traditionally Republican, conservative and market-oriented approach."
On Wednesday, Keyes ridiculed the fuss over his position, saying it is simply a tax break, something "Republicans and my conservative brethren" don't object to when applied to a "wealthy corporation."
Conservative activist Jack Roeser met with Keyes for what Roeser called "a long argument and an intense one" over the issue before the speech. A Barrington businessman, Roeser said he still is not sold on Keyes' reparations proposal, but still plans to support him anyway. "I will tell my friends that this is a good man, and we should support him."
How are we going to out-democrat the democrats if you keep bringing up things like logic and principles?
I guess setting up reservations and casinos is out of the question? (sarcasm)
Sowell is as wrong as anyone can be.
Sowell was referring to Keyes' candidacy. He's opposed to reparations, as far as I know, but it sounds like he is fully supporting Keyes' candidacy.
Jesse Peterson (Bond) spoke out against Keyes on this on the audio at his website. If there is a strategy, Peterson is not in on it......or he is a part of it.
I agree...its local politics. Keyes doesn't back out-right reparations...he just wants a reduction in federal income taxes for blacks for a generation or 2(20 to 40 years).
He also knows it will never fly so it is a winning position for him to develop. The Hispanics will start demanding it and so will Asians(think Chines immigrants of the 1800's who were exploited in building the rail-roads). Soon income taxes are all abolished because when you give so many exemptions away..no one pays any taxes on income!
In the early days of slavery there were American Indian slaves also. Shouldn't they get this reparation also? Also they should give white decendants of share croppers reperations also, after all the practice was endorsed by the Souther States after the Civil War and completly ignored by the Federal Government till the 30"s or so.
Keyes last name comes from Key's, meaning, his family was literally posessions of the Key family.
Abolition: we want freedom
Civil Rights: we want equality
Affirmative Action: we want jobs
Reparations: we want cash
In previous statements Keyes has stated that the blood of the northern soldiers fully atoned for the sin of slavery.
Alan's advocating this program particularly for the victims of Jim Crow laws, although the statements presented in this article seem to cloud the issue. Media reports have to be taken with a grain of salt.
Hopefully the form will not include the question, "Are you Black". Heh. Heh.
Keyes has shown his true colors (no pun intended). I will NEVER support a candidate who supports any kind of reparations. Put an "R" behind a proponent of reparations name and all of a sudden reparations is a good strategy? The word "sheep" comes to mind.
So, the Manahate Tribe will be asking for the balance of payment anytime soon on New York.
No beads and trinkets this time however.
It can't...that would be racial profiling.
What a bummer.
I was gonna vote for him, but that issue is on the other side of my line in the sand.
I was actually excited about his candadcy in IL.
Keyword in above sentence 'was'.
The only difference between Keys and a RINO is?????
In my white mind anyways. Why is it MY responsibility?
Your mileage may vary.
End of RANT.
"what purpose would it serve????"
Unfortunaltey, it appears to be pandering.
The other issue regarding this tax proposal is that tracing the direct descendants of slaves is going to be difficult...There were many freed black men of the North...do we go right back to the 1500's....or do we go back to when this country became a country in 1776 and start there. Do we sue the British and Spanish in helping with this tax reduction since it was under their watch black slavery started?(we inherited this system of slavery when we kicked out the British)
You see what what problems implementing this tax reduction will ultimately bring about?
I really like that argument. Wonder how many of us can find that we have a black former slave ancestor in our family? This would really heat up the genology hobby. I know of white people with the last name of Keyes, so I guess they had a black male slave ancestor in the past?
Sharecropping started WAY before the Civil War. My family came over here as endentured servants in the late 1700's and worked other people's land for 100 years. Instead of being out-right slaves, my ancestors worked to pay of the debts of everyday life (incurred to the landowner) that slaves got for free. The Civil War esentially freed my ancestors just as blacks were freed.
Thats the point, this could eventually end income tax's.
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