Kind of...
US city to pay reparations to African-American community with tax on marijuana sales
The short version is the state passed a law allowing recreational marijuana (which I agree with) and this town has decided to tax it for reparations to black residents (which I disagree with).
Now, it hasn't quite figured out how to distribute the reparations...so it's still debatable how this will play out. I think it's worth noting that one idea is....
Direct payments to black residents...as proposed by the black alderman who proposed the reparations in the first place.
As I already stated, I'm against this....for several reasons.
1. It goes against equality under the law and is in my opinion, systemic racism. If a white politician suggested taxing anything and distributing the funds to only whites....the uproar would result in his resignation.
2. There's no connection to slavery. You can literally have moved to this town from Nigeria 5 years ago....and you would qualify for free money.
3. What qualifies someone as "black"? At some point, this will need to be addressed as it's one of the two main qualifications for reparations. That means there's potentially descendants of slavery who "aren't black enough" to receive reparations. Indeed, it seems there will need to be a skin tone that one has to be darker than to receive the free money. That's an extraordinary step backwards towards a time when rules and laws were written up for people based on nothing more than skin color.
4. I think it's going to cause more racial tension, animus, and division...not just between blacks and non-blacks, but also within the community.
What are your thoughts?
US city to pay reparations to African-American community with tax on marijuana sales
A city in Illinois has announced it will create a reparations fund for its African American community through a new tax on marijuana sales.
Recreational use of the drug will become legal in the state from January and officials in Evanston, which is 12 miles north of Chicago, have voted to approve a 3 per cent tax on the sales to fund a local reparations programme.
The short version is the state passed a law allowing recreational marijuana (which I agree with) and this town has decided to tax it for reparations to black residents (which I disagree with).
Now, it hasn't quite figured out how to distribute the reparations...so it's still debatable how this will play out. I think it's worth noting that one idea is....
Ms Simmons said she wants the reparations to be distributed as direct payments to black residents, rather than “another diversity policy”.
Direct payments to black residents...as proposed by the black alderman who proposed the reparations in the first place.
As I already stated, I'm against this....for several reasons.
1. It goes against equality under the law and is in my opinion, systemic racism. If a white politician suggested taxing anything and distributing the funds to only whites....the uproar would result in his resignation.
2. There's no connection to slavery. You can literally have moved to this town from Nigeria 5 years ago....and you would qualify for free money.
3. What qualifies someone as "black"? At some point, this will need to be addressed as it's one of the two main qualifications for reparations. That means there's potentially descendants of slavery who "aren't black enough" to receive reparations. Indeed, it seems there will need to be a skin tone that one has to be darker than to receive the free money. That's an extraordinary step backwards towards a time when rules and laws were written up for people based on nothing more than skin color.
4. I think it's going to cause more racial tension, animus, and division...not just between blacks and non-blacks, but also within the community.
What are your thoughts?