Town Passes Reparations

[Ana the Ist]

Kind of...

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?

 

[Aussie Pete]

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?

Everyone will be too stoned to care. Marijuana is not safe. They should put the money into mental institutions. They will need every cent.

 

[DennisTate]

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?

Very interesting!

This is not an entirely bad thing although all of the possible negatives that you refer to have validity and need to be addressed eventually.

This could be a significant step toward addressing the anger issues that Triggered Whoopi a few days ago when she treated Judge Jeanine Pirro in such a rude manner on The View????

This could also be a good opening gambit to the eventual addressing of even larger issues?

Did going bankrupt in 1991 prepare Donald Trump for the office of President?

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Profits from marijuana sales going to only black community, what a new idea.

 

[BigDaddy4]

What are your thoughts?

I agree with your reasons for opposing this. Furthermore, Illinois was not even a "slave state" (i.e., a state where slavery was legal) back in the day. So, they are going to tax transactions that occur in, and provide money to black residents who currently reside in, a state that never had legalized slavery.

 

[rjs330]

Why do only marijuana users have to pay reparations? I thought all whites were guilty? What if the user is black? He's paying reparations for himself? Or what if the user is of another race who never had slaves. They have to pay too?

I'm not sure 4 applies in towns like this. They carry so much white guilt that they are happy to pay.

If this town was serious about this they would just tax white people. After all we are the guilty ones. Well us and Native Americans. They owned slaves too.

 

[HannahT]

Watch their population GROW!

 

[Ana the Ist]

Why do only marijuana users have to pay reparations? I thought all whites were guilty? What if the user is black? He's paying reparations for himself? Or what if the user is of another race who never had slaves. They have to pay too?

I think it's an attempt to get around the problem of imposing a tax a particular race. That's so obviously unconstitutional that even the lady pushing this wouldn't try it.

I'm not sure 4 applies in towns like this. They carry so much white guilt that they are happy to pay.

If this town was serious about this they would just tax white people. After all we are the guilty ones. Well us and Native Americans. They owned slaves too.

I don't claim to know anything about the town...but I think #4 would apply regardless of where this is tried. There's going to be white people who are poor, or never owned slaves, who will resent having their needs ignored by their politicians. There's going to be black people who aren't "black enough" to qualify....and they'll be resentful. There's going to be 1st or second generation black immigrants who will be accused of "not paying their dues" receiving benefits. There's going to be people of all races leaving town just to buy marijuana.

Plus, I don't think you're considering that a lot of the support for reparations is just words. Notice how despite many posters claiming to support reparations....none have really defended this attempt at it? That's why it's called "virtue signaling"...some people simply want to appear "virtuous". When the problematic reality of reparations becomes apparent, suddenly they don't have anything to say.

 

[Jonaitis]

Obama doesn't qualify.