Why Not Pay Reparations to Everybody? ⋆ Politicrossing
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Why Not Pay Reparations to Everybody?

We cannot go back and redress every incident, in every locale, for all time, nor should we

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Many ethnic and racial groups at various times throughout our history made significant contributions, which, across the broad swath of today’s population, remain virtually unknown. For all the blather about reparations, and who owes what to whom, one ought to step back and consider who among those who reside in the United States have been aggrieved, how recently, for how long, what was the impact at the time, what are the ramifications today, and what is the overall assessment?

Focusing on the Chinese

The Central Pacific Railroad in California (that hotbed of reparations proposals) in the 1800s, for example, employed as many as 12,000 Chinese as young as age 12. The pool of these workers represented America’s largest industrial workforce. Nine out of 10 people employed by the Central Pacific Railroad were first generation Chinese in America — not merely of Chinese ancestry.

Curiously, little has been recorded or even noted about this vital workforce. Some 50 years ago, one historian was surprised to learn of such scant information about these Chinese, while European and American workers of the same era had been described and characterized at length.

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In 2012, the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America project assembled a massive collection of oral accounts, documents, photos, and other paraphernalia on this area of American history. This Chinese railroad workforce, it has since been determined, provided the lion’s share of the most labor-intensive tasks: cutting or even blasting through granite, and effectively laying track across the far western States.

Productive and Unknown

How were they able to be so productive? As it turns out, many of these workers had been blacksmiths, tin smiths, carpenters, woodworkers, and even architects before their arrival in the U.S. In other words, they represented a highly skilled and, in some cases, educated group. Yet, they have been largely ignored by history, and when anything is written about them, it is often in the collective sense.

Whereas we know the names of pioneers in the Black Freedom Movement, such as Frederick Douglass, Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, Sojourner Truth, and numerous others, the names of Chinese leaders during this era are virtually unknown. And we tend to view this workforce as monolithic with no individual personalities, aspirations, or objectives.

Among these Chinese workers, one has to wonder. Were they underpaid? Likely so. Was the rate of mortality on the job significantly high? Undoubtedly so. How about the rate of injury and illness? How about the ability of the individual worker to rise in the ranks? Own property? Aspire to U.S. citizenship?

The Folly of Redressing All of History

Should descendants of these Chinese be given reparations? Should descendants of all others throughout our history that did not get a fair shake be given reparations? This notion, of course, is folly. We cannot go back and redress every incident, in every locale, for all time, nor should we.

The history of the U.S., as with the history of EVERY other country on Earth, is replete with unfairness and injustice. Leftists, apparently, are the only group that does not know this, and would not listen if this historical reality fell in their laps.

What’s more, if we consider Caucasian males, today’s scourge among Leftists, their sacrifices have been extraordinary. At least 360,000 Union troops died in the Civil War with far more than a million gravely injured. Caucasian abolitionists represented one quarter of all lynchings (primarily male victims) in the U.S. Finally, the death toll of Caucasian males in WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and other conflicts is staggering.

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Jeff Davidson is the world's only holder of the title "The Work-Life Balance Expert®" as awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is the premier thought leader on work-life balance, integration, and harmony. Jeff speaks to organizations that seek to enhance their overall productivity by improving the effectiveness of their people. He is the author of Breathing Space, Simpler Living, Dial it Down, and Everyday Project Management. Visit www.BreathingSpace.com for more information on Jeff's keynote speeches and seminars, including: Managing the Pace with Grace® * Achieving Work-Life Balance™ * Managing Information and Communication Overload®



 
 
 

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Business

This Three Pronged Plan to Overthrow America is Nearly Complete

And there are just two things that will stop it…

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Want to leave a lasting impact on the world around you? Want your life to really count? Click here!

The left has long worked to overthrow America and all that it stands for. They have been working at it since early in the 1900’s and it took up more speed in the late 60’s and early 70’s with the rise of the radical left. PolitiCrossing founder Chris Widener explains the three-pronged attack and how it is almost complete, as well as the only things we can do to save ourselves and this country we love.

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economy

World’s Greatest Shakedown: California Reparations

The very notion of reparations is a ludicrous attempt to re-direct and correct every part of history

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California, the go-to state for many in the 20th century is now the must leave state in the 21st century, replete with crumbling cities, high crime, over-taxation, brownouts, stifling regulations, and a pending shakedown for the ages.

In 2020, a nine-member reparations taskforce was established by Governor Gavin Newsom. Since then, heated debates on reparations for black Californians have transpired. Initially the taskforce suggested $220,000 per person. Then, they decided that $350,000 was more appropriate.

Five days ago, the taskforce recommended $1.2 million per person. Days later, activists demanded $200 million for every African-American, the current value of 40 acres and mule! Never mind that since 1860, few U.S. families have ever amassed and maintained such sums.

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The Granddaddy of Racial Shakedowns

Based on U.S. Census Bureau estimates, 2.3 million people identify solely as African American or black, not the 1.8 million that everyone seems to be quoting. If each of 2.3 million people receives $1.2 million, the California reparation bill would equal $2,760,000,000,000 ($2.76 trillion). The state’s entire annual budget is merely $320 billion. So the ‘reparations debt’ would be nearly nine times the annual budget.

If California could somehow could raise an additional $1,000,000 an hour, 24 hours a day, non-stop, it only would take 315 years to reach $2.76 trillion. At $200 million per black person, if the state could somehow raise $10,000,000 per hour, 24 hours a day, non-stop, it would take more than 5,000 years to pay for the ‘reparations debt.’

Even at the lower figure, of $1.2 million per person, count on a mass migration to California. And it would be game on for every race faker in existence. Oh, and does it matter that since 1965, the Federal Government has spent more than $21 trillion on programs for affirmative action and equal opportunity?

Why fret about such trivial monetary details?

Slavery, No; Discrimination, Yes

Beyond the insane sums, other insolvable issues linger: California was not a slave state. Okay, maybe former slaves moved there.

During the time of slavery, free blacks in the U.S. owned black slaves. So… now what? Document that your ancestors were slaves, owned by white people, to cash in? If they were owned by black people, however, you receive nothing?

Regarding discrimination, it is undeniable. Darker-skinned and yellow-skinned citizens who have emigrated within the last generation do well, however, according to the American Community Survey, part of the U.S. Census Bureau. How is reparation accounting affected as Pakistani, Indian, Malaysian, Sri Lankan, and Filipino Americans residing in California and all over the country have higher median family income than whites? Are whites being discriminated against?

Counting Everyone?

Other groups besides blacks faced, and face, discrimination in major ways. The Chinese, in San Francisco and statewide, suffered decades of discrimination, as did Mexicans, Latin Americans, and American Indians. In some respects, such discrimination continues. People with disabilities and woman faced, and face, discrimination.

For generations women were discriminated against, certainly in terms of businesses they may have operated or tried to launch, in property rights, and even in family rights.

As to the question “Who is black” should California resort to the racist doctrine about “one single drop of blood?” Thus, if you have any black ancestors, you’re considered black? Or, do you have to pass a contemporary standard? It’s a conundrum that can’t be solved.

Boiled down, a wokester’s favorite target remains: white males. Apparently white males never endured hardship and caused everyone else to suffer. These males, however, have had historically higher suicide rates than women, shorter lifespans, higher incarceration rates, and a greater incidence of mental illness.

Okay, Settle It

The notion of reparations, beyond being the all-time shakedown, that makes BLM look like amateurs, is a ludicrous attempt to redirect and correct every part of history, apparently a key Leftist agenda item. It cannot be done: Tall people have higher lifetime earnings than short people. Active people fare better than inactive people. Educated people, obviously, have the odds stacked in their favor, and so forth.

Do you want to emulate Kurt Vonnegut’s plot in his short story Harrison Bergeron? In it, equality reigns supreme: No one is permitted to be stronger, better looking, or smarter than anybody else. If you’re strong, you must proceed in life with one hand literally tied behind your back. If you’re attractive, you need to wear a mask, and so on.

Here’s a thought that I once felt I’d never have: If there were some fair and effective way to distribute a reasonable, affordable sum to verifiably black people, whose descendants have long been discriminated against, okay. Put this grievance to bed for all time.

Recipients can invest the money, pay for their children’s education, or do whatever they want with it. Once the money is dispensed, no more talk about reparations.

Ever.

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