Reparations for what?
If you mean for slavery, the idea grows out of legal actions by survivors of the Holocaust against the Swiss banks that hold money deposited by Nazis, which may have been derived from property stolen by Nazis from the Jews.
I'm against trying to imitate that for slavery. For one thing, who would pay? My ancestors never owned slaves. And it happened so long ago--how could you fairly detemine who should pay how much to whom? And finally, and most fundamentally--it won't solve any problems that the Black community now faces. We can't try to resolve all past wrongs. We have to deal with the present.
2006-12-22 03:34:46
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answer #1
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answered by AnOrdinaryGuy 5
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Reparation is basically a payment of some kind for a past offense. For instance, the U.S, government has made reparation in the form of monetary payments to some Japanese Americans who either werethemselves, or are decendants of people that were imprisoned as possible spies during WW II. Most of those imprisoned were American citizens,never tried, much less convicted of anything. They lost businesses and homes and the means to make a living while locked up. Other reparations have been made to the decendants of slaves and Native Americans, based on the forced and, in some cases, continuous taking of freedom and land.
If someone steals from you and then later returns the stolen object or wealth to you, this is a reparation.
2006-12-22 11:31:28
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answer #2
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answered by fangtaiyang 7
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The argument is that slavery involved several million men and women working for no wages. The ancestors of these people are asking for those wages.
The theory is that such an infusion of wealth into the African American community would help even the playing field by erasing a lot of poverty.
Personally, I think it would take too much money to:
A) Determine who recieves reparations
B) Determine who pays reparations
and
C) Distribute reparations
as well as the actual dollar amount of the reparations themselves. However, if it could repair the racial divide in this country, it would be well worth it.
2006-12-22 11:29:26
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answer #3
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answered by Schmorgen 6
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Some black folks who have ancestry kept as slaves in this country want reparations for the work that was done and not compenstaed for. When endentured servitude was introduced to this country, it included blacks, whites, etc...who owed debts. They traded work to pay off those debts, and wehn the debts were paid, they were emancipated. Somewhere along the lines, blacks were subjected to both longer terms of service, and harsher penalties for crimes (like trying to escape). When this happened, it no longer became a just system, and blacks were forced into labor life sentences. During this time, railroads, highways, city infrastructure, etc...were built. To this day, america benefits from these products, and perhaps the countrie's status of world leader is dierctly in relation to this 'unpaid' labor. Those in favor of repaprations believe they are owed 'back salary'. i agree, however, to do so would be a backwards move both for those involved, and the rest of america. The reservations in america have done NOTHING for the natives...however, to create awarness programs, or educational funds, or something else would be a gesture to the fact that our country was built on the backs of slaves and should never be forgotten.
2006-12-22 11:31:21
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answer #4
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answered by hichefheidi 6
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Well we gave reparations to the Japanese for the those that were put in the internment camps during WWII. This is the basis and precedent that was set and some see it as their chance of winning their own little lottery.
2006-12-22 11:28:18
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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It's the idea that blacks receive payment for their enslavement. It may vary between whether they get their reparations from the government in money, or perhaps the 40 acres and a mule they were promised.
2006-12-22 11:26:55
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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http://www.thefreedictionary.com/reparations
2006-12-22 11:29:29
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answer #7
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answered by b 4
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Whoever inflicted suffering, destroyed the infrastructure/ economy, should pay compensation for the problems they caused.
2006-12-22 11:27:30
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answer #8
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answered by Ringo G. 4
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Votes for democrats.
2006-12-22 11:26:22
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answer #9
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answered by Curt 4
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