Could be another famous slip-of-the-Obama tongue to add to the collection. Or maybe it explains what he was talking about in a recent foreign policy speech, in which he highlighted the lawless frontier, not the Civil War in this passage:
Throughout our history, America has confronted constantly evolving danger. From the oppression of an empire to the lawlessness of the frontier; from the bombs that fell on Pearl Harbor to the threat of nuclear annihilation - Americans have adapted to the threats posed by an ever-changing world.
But looking back at a course syllabus from his law-teaching days, recently unearthed by the New York Times, we can see that the topic was on his mind. Probably a natural phase for a young black man (though he's not a descendent of slaves,) to reflect on in his early adult years. Here's a suggested group presentation topic from his 1994 course syllabus at Chicago (he was in his early 30s at the time):
10) Reparations -- Given the perceived failures of the traditional civil rights agenda in bringing out racial equality in the U.S., a number of black commentators argue that a program of reparations is the only legitimate means of making up for three hundred-plus years of slavery. More recently, some white commentators have also supported a variant of the reparations concept -- for example, the government financing a Community Reinvestment funds that would be controlled by the black community and render affirmative action obsolete. Do such proposals have any realistic chance of working their way through the political system? Would there be any legal impediments to such a broadly-concieved reparations policy?
I have a few questions for any readers who are more informed on this topic:
"Given the perceived failures of the traditional civil rights agenda in bringing out racial equality in the U.S."
Q. Is it odd he assumes the civil rights agenda as a failed, not merely a flawed one? Is it odd he acknowledges no progress made from this historic movement?
"...a number of black commentators argue that a program of reparations is the only legitimate means of making up for three hundred-plus years of slavery."
Q. He says reparations will make up for three hundred-plus years of slavery, but our country is only 200 years old. Are reparations proponents in favor of paying for the sins of our founders and their ancestors? What about descendents of John Adams, who never owned slaves?
"More recently, some white commentators have also supported a variant of the reparations concept -- for example, the government financing a Community Reinvestment funds that would be controlled by the black community and render affirmative action obsolete."
Q. Does anyone know of any Community Reinvestment fund?
Q. How would the government discern who "the black community" is, and how would the government funnel these funds to said community without leaving out any slave descendents, say, in the suburbs, in rural homes?
"Do such proposals have any realistic chance of working their way through the political system? Would there be any legal impediments to such a broadly-concieved reparations policy?"
Q. Is it odd that the other suggested topics were followed by questions asking students to debate the merits of the idea, but he did not ask students to debate the merits of reparations? That he merely skipped right to how one could successfully nudge such a proposal into law?
Should debate moderators broach the topic of reparations this fall? Would that be seen as racist? Would it be racist, given Obama's statements at the UNITY '08 journalist conference? I'd like to know if, given that my ancestors arrived after the Civil War, would I be taxed to pay reparations to somebody like Obama, whose father also arrived in this country after the Civil War. (Or: if we find that his mother's ancestors owned slaves, would he be taxed to pay reparations to slave descendants?)
Obviously, this is an uncomfortable topic for moderators to broach in a national debate. But it could implicate tax policy under a new administration.
I was under the impression that reparations were a fringe idea. |
