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That's pretty similar to the arguments of why you should not have to pay part of your taxes because you don't agree with part of how it's spent. It might not ha

That's pretty similar to the arguments of why you should not have to pay part of your taxes because you don't agree with part of how it's spent. It might not have been "your" fault, but we all live in a society that bears the fault.

TedDoesntTalk 6y ago
Do you accept fault for the atrocities committed to Native Americans? Why aren’t you paying them reparations, too? And while we are at it, what about the descendants of the Japanese Americans who were imprisoned during World War 2 in Colorado and other states? What about the children who worked in sweat shops and coal mines during the 19th and early 20th centuries, many of whom died young? Their relatives should be compensated. What about the descendants of the Tuskeegee Syphilis experiment? What about people affected by lead in drinking water pipes? Lead solder for drinking water wasn’t banned until 1986, so there are generations of people and their descendants who have suffered. I can go on and on and our country will be bankrupt before we’re done. But hey, at least you’ve taken responsibility for the actions of others.
- tunesmith 6y ago
  There's this old scene in the Simpsons where Grampa Simpson stands up and says, "Sure, we COULD fix up main street," and everyone in the town hall meeting cheers, and he says, "shut up! I'm just saying we COULD blow all our money on a stupid little street," and the townspeople cheer again and lift him on their shoulders. Anyway, your comment reminded me of that. I'm less familiar with lead in water. If that was just lack of science knowledge, that's different than, say, deliberately putting lead in water to make it easier to profit off the people drinking it.
  - TedDoesntTalk 6y ago
    Thanks for the funny reply. Good to laugh. Lead pipes and lead-based solder is just one example and if you don’t like that example because it happened due to “lack of science”, I can come up with others. My point is that there are countless atrocities in America’s past, recent and not so recent. How can we compensate everyone who deserves it and how can we prioritize one group (e.g. descendants of slaves) over another (e.g. descendants of Native American civilians who were slaughtered at one of the many massacres)? We can’t and shouldn’t.
    - chordalkeyboard 6y ago
      > How can we compensate everyone who deserves it and how can we prioritize one group (e.g. descendants of slaves) over another (e.g. descendants of Native American civilians who were slaughtered at one of the many massacres)? you're looking at this backwards. They both have claims pending. We can pay both of them if we choose to.
      - TedDoesntTalk 6y ago
        As soon as those claims are paid, the floodgates will open and you can’t say “no” to others when you’ve said “yes” to the first because... racism.
        chordalkeyboard 6y ago
        > As soon as those claims are paid, the floodgates will open and you can’t say “no” to others when you’ve said “yes” to the first "yes we can" -US President Barack Obama
        TedDoesntTalk 6y ago
        Yes, YOU can. Give your funds to such causes. Not me and not my government.
        chordalkeyboard 6y ago
        I'm not responsible for slavery, the US (and other) governments are.
- chordalkeyboard 6y ago
  > I can go on and on and our country will be bankrupt before we’re done. Isn't that a shame, well at least we could then hold our heads high. > But hey, at least you’ve taken responsibility for the actions of others. The title is encumbered. For the same reason that laundering money doesn't make the original theft disappear, its not ethical or moral to benefit financially from atrocities then launder the money and pretend that nothing can be done. Are you really so sure that once the ill-gotten gains are subtracted from this country's wealth there would be nothing left? In that case how could you ignore such widespread and lucrative immoral heritage?
  - TedDoesntTalk 6y ago
    > Isn't that a shame, well at least we could then hold our heads high. I already do.
    - chordalkeyboard 6y ago
      The case for reparations is not based on ancestral guilt, but on historical crimes that were sanctioned by governments that are still in power.
- UncleMeat 6y ago
  > I can go on and on and our country will be bankrupt before we’re done. But hey, at least you’ve taken responsibility for the actions of others. Spoken by Abraham Lincoln and inscribed on his memorial: "Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

TedDoesntTalk 6y ago

Do you accept fault for the atrocities committed to Native Americans? Why aren’t you paying them reparations, too? And while we are at it, what about the descendants of the Japanese Americans who were imprisoned during World War 2 in Colorado and other states? What about the children who worked in sweat shops and coal mines during the 19th and early 20th centuries, many of whom died young? Their relatives should be compensated. What about the descendants of the Tuskeegee Syphilis experiment? What about people affected by lead in drinking water pipes? Lead solder for drinking water wasn’t banned until 1986, so there are generations of people and their descendants who have suffered. I can go on and on and our country will be bankrupt before we’re done. But hey, at least you’ve taken responsibility for the actions of others.

tunesmith 6y ago
There's this old scene in the Simpsons where Grampa Simpson stands up and says, "Sure, we COULD fix up main street," and everyone in the town hall meeting cheers, and he says, "shut up! I'm just saying we COULD blow all our money on a stupid little street," and the townspeople cheer again and lift him on their shoulders. Anyway, your comment reminded me of that. I'm less familiar with lead in water. If that was just lack of science knowledge, that's different than, say, deliberately putting lead in water to make it easier to profit off the people drinking it.
- TedDoesntTalk 6y ago
  Thanks for the funny reply. Good to laugh. Lead pipes and lead-based solder is just one example and if you don’t like that example because it happened due to “lack of science”, I can come up with others. My point is that there are countless atrocities in America’s past, recent and not so recent. How can we compensate everyone who deserves it and how can we prioritize one group (e.g. descendants of slaves) over another (e.g. descendants of Native American civilians who were slaughtered at one of the many massacres)? We can’t and shouldn’t.
  - chordalkeyboard 6y ago
    > How can we compensate everyone who deserves it and how can we prioritize one group (e.g. descendants of slaves) over another (e.g. descendants of Native American civilians who were slaughtered at one of the many massacres)? you're looking at this backwards. They both have claims pending. We can pay both of them if we choose to.
    - TedDoesntTalk 6y ago
      As soon as those claims are paid, the floodgates will open and you can’t say “no” to others when you’ve said “yes” to the first because... racism.
      - chordalkeyboard 6y ago
        > As soon as those claims are paid, the floodgates will open and you can’t say “no” to others when you’ve said “yes” to the first "yes we can" -US President Barack Obama
        TedDoesntTalk 6y ago
        Yes, YOU can. Give your funds to such causes. Not me and not my government.
        chordalkeyboard 6y ago
        I'm not responsible for slavery, the US (and other) governments are.
chordalkeyboard 6y ago
> I can go on and on and our country will be bankrupt before we’re done. Isn't that a shame, well at least we could then hold our heads high. > But hey, at least you’ve taken responsibility for the actions of others. The title is encumbered. For the same reason that laundering money doesn't make the original theft disappear, its not ethical or moral to benefit financially from atrocities then launder the money and pretend that nothing can be done. Are you really so sure that once the ill-gotten gains are subtracted from this country's wealth there would be nothing left? In that case how could you ignore such widespread and lucrative immoral heritage?
- TedDoesntTalk 6y ago
  > Isn't that a shame, well at least we could then hold our heads high. I already do.
  - chordalkeyboard 6y ago
    The case for reparations is not based on ancestral guilt, but on historical crimes that were sanctioned by governments that are still in power.
UncleMeat 6y ago
> I can go on and on and our country will be bankrupt before we’re done. But hey, at least you’ve taken responsibility for the actions of others. Spoken by Abraham Lincoln and inscribed on his memorial: "Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."