Reparations: What's the Game?

keep 'em voting Democrat

If you have been wondering about, e.g., the crazy cakes commissions in California that have been tasked to investigate the question of reparations for blacks, I have an idea.

First of all, to get it out of the way, reparations is part of the left’s Great Reaction, its lurch back to the primitive. Reparations — or if you are a German, Wergeld — is how you deal with a wrong committed in the pre-state era.

And, I think that such primitive thinking is common in ethnic groups recently arrived in the city that have not yet assimilated to the city and its market culture.

And now we have Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) calling for $14 trillion (!) in reparations.

Missouri Democratic Rep. Cori Bush has introduced new legislation calling for $14 trillion in reparations for Black Americans, in an effort to see the federal government atone for the practice of chattel slavery and hundreds of years of racist policies that followed.

OK. I get it. Reparations is now a Thing in black US politics.

But what on Earth do chaps like Gavin Newsom think they are doing with this issue?

I think that our white Democratic friends would see two upsides to the Reparations issue, and don’t forget that half of politics is shoveling free stuff at your supporters.

The first advantage is to show to blacks that you care about them. Yeah! We’ll appoint commissions to investigate whether we should shovel more stuff at our black supporters. After all, ,if we are not dangling goodies in front of their eyes they may wander off and start voting Republican.

The second advantage is that, when the Reparations issue comes up for a vote, guess who will be voting against it, the racists. So Joe Biden and the BLMs and Uncle Tom Cobbley can spend the rest of time accusing Republicans of being racist because they voted against reparations.

Of course, the majority of Americans are opposed to reparations payments.

About three-quarters or more of white adults oppose reparations, and so do a majority of Latinos and Asian Americans.

Black Americans overwhelmingly support the proposal, and young people in general are more likely to support cash payments to the descendants of enslaved people than their older counterparts.

But wait! Whatabout Russian Americans! They were enslaved for 70 years under Vlad Lenin and Joey Stalin. And Whatabout Chinese Americans! They were enslaved for 30 years under Mao! Where do they get their reparations?

Hey, I know. Why don’t Republicans vote for reparations, all $14 trillions. We could issue $13 trillion in US Treasury 30-year bonds to the 37 million Black Americans, with the interest payable monthly and replacing all other gubmint benefits, and the principal payable after 30 years. Let’s see, at the current 3.88 percent for 30-year Treasuries, the annual cost would be $543 billion in interest, or about $14,600 per year per Black American, with a $280,000 payout to each of, say, 50 million descendants in 30 years. What’s not to like?

Yes, I know. In 30 years, $280,000 will get you a night out on the town, and not much more. And that would be racist, of course. Just ask Joe Biden.

But meanwhile, the reparations issue will keep Black Americans voting Democrat in 2024. And that’s the point.