Let's put it a different way: should the descendants of Nazi Elites be allowed to keep the art, land and other assets stolen from Jews (and others) in the 1930s & 1940s when descendants of those Jews ask for them back? (Especially considering the full context of how those things were stolen.)
I'm thinking the answer is no. But it isn't because those descendants of Nazis are personally responsible, but because their ancestors were...and denying reparations of this kind just perpetuates the original crime. The passage of time doesn't make the crime diminish.
Blacks- and others- who talk of reparations (I'm not one, though I think it would be nice and moral) are doing so on the basis of something long enshrined in our legal system: the government can't make you whole, but an award of money can improve your situation, while simultaneously being a symbol of apology and recognition of a moral wrong done. It doesn't come close to being enough to balance the scales of justice, but it is a visible and tangible "Mea Culpa."
My biggest problem with the concept of reparations is that, like most government distribution programs, they're poorly implemented, and often can't be agreed upon. What is appropriate reparations by the government for african slavery? A one-time lump sum? A yearly government stipend to every family with an enslaved ancestor? To anyone whose parent is black? Grandparent? Great-grandparent? A government college fund to every black or black-descended person in the U.S.?
At what point has someone's family been disadvantaged? If they make under $20,000 per year? $50,000 dollars? under $100,000? The concept of reparations might be emotionally charged, but the specifics of the implementation is a minefield to a society as racially intermixed as the U.S., especially south of the Mason-Dixon.
I'm not saying it shouldn't be done, I'm saying that something that has noble intentions will turn to crap very quickly once the politics of the cash-grab begin. As far in debt as the U.S. Government is now, the situation will be even worse once a 720 billion dollar recurring reparations bill gets tacked on. (Lets say 20,000 a year per person who identified as black on the 2010 census)
i'm assuming 20,000 a year because that's a nice round figure that will help with college funds, mortgage expenses, etc. it won't solve the question of reparations if it's not recurring, and it needs to be for about... What? 5 years? Ten years? Lifetime? Unsure, really. How much is propelling your country on the backs of others worth? I've been reading plans calling for everything from free education and medical for 50 years to a 40 trillion dollar cash payment.
Now, let's say this is done after the 2020 census, in which case the number of people who self-identify on the census as black will increase, causing investigation of all added claims. So all told we're looking at about a trillion dollars once administrarion costs are considered.
I'm not trying to be insulting, I promise, I'm just trying to put hard numbers on something that every time I see talked about in the news it's only spoken in the most general of terms, because very few people actually want to discuss the nuts and bolts.
