New York’s City Council voted Thursday to launch a reparations task force, which could lead to calls for billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded payouts to compensate for the impact of slavery and past injustices.
Gotham joins dozens of municipalities, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Evanston, Illinois, as well as three states — California, Illinois and most recently New York state — in considering race-based reparations.
The Democratic Party is pushing the idea. At one time, so did Vice President Kamala Harris.
As a candidate in the Democratic primary for president in 2019, she endorsed “some form of reparations,” cosponsored a federal bill to study race-based reparations, and promised Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network that as president she would sign a reparations study bill into law.
That was then. Now Harris’ campaign declines to say where she stands.
Does she want us to be “unburdened by what has been”?
Americans agree that slavery and Jim Crow were abhorrent parts of our nation’s past.
But this steamrolling movement for race-based reparations locally, statewide and nationally is bad news.
Instead of healing racial tensions, it threatens to raise false expectations of big payouts and provoke resentments.
Reparations for actual victims is good. President Ronald Reagan established $20,000 payments for the Japanese Americans who were incarcerated by our government during World War II — but only for those imprisoned, not their descendants.
Similarly, the German government still pays reparations to Holocaust survivors but not to their descendants.
In contrast, U.S. race reparations force people who had no part in slavery to hand over money to people who were not themselves enslaved.
As New York City Council member David Carr, who voted against a reparations task force, explained on X, “No one currently living in our city had anything to do with the evils of slavery & the vast majority of New Yorkers are descendants of immigrants who came after it was abolished.”
Reparations is divisive — and likely to cause real anger among those forced to pay. In America, we don’t punish people for the crimes of their ancestors.
Pew Research found that 80% of white Americans are opposed to the concept, while 77% of Black Americans support it.
“I’ll move before I’ll pay,” said City Council Minority Leader Joseph Borelli.
Race reparations also violate the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal treatment of citizens regardless of race.
Evanston, Illinois, has paid out $5 million to 203 Black residents, supposedly to make up for historic housing discrimination. Anyone who is Black and resided in Evanston between 1919 and 1969, or had ancestors who did, is eligible — without having to prove they were actually wronged.
Judicial Watch, a constitutional advocacy group, is suing on behalf of six non-Black Evanston residents. Tom Fitton, the group’s president, calls the race-based payments “nothing more than a ploy to redistribute tax dollars to individuals based on race.”
That’s right. The goal isn’t to compensate actual victims of slavery and prejudice.
It’s social engineering — equity on steroids.
Reparations advocates Linda Bilmes and Cornell William Brooks of Harvard’s Kennedy School argue payments are needed to close the wealth gap between whites and Blacks.
Tulsa reparations advocates urge cash payments, because household income there is 75% higher for white residents.
Instead of a confiscatory reparations scheme, how about a jobs program?
In New York, New School professor Darrick Hamilton seemed to have the racial wealth gap in mind at the first meeting of the state’s Community Commission on Reparations.
“The gross inequities that exist today are not the result of inadequate people,” Hamilton declared.
In other words, New Yorkers, hold on to your wallets.
Closing the racial wealth gap by taking from some to give to others is not a legitimate role of government.
Moreover, there isn’t enough money in state and local coffers.
San Francisco’s reparations task force proposed a whopping one-time $5 million payment to each black resident, expressly to erase wealth disparities. Mayor London Breed shut down the preposterous $100 billion effort.
Duke economist William Darity argues that because states and cities can’t afford the $12 trillion he estimates it would take to close the racial wealth gap nationally, Congress should do it.
The Democratic National Committee platform, adopted Aug. 16, calls on Congress to enact a bill that would study federal reparations.
Would a President Harris sign a reparations bill into law? We need to know.
Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York and chairman of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. Follow her on Twitter @Betsy_McCaughey. To find out more about Betsy McCaughey and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website.
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The nation paid for the sins of slavery in blood. You can visit the Civil War cemeteries. If Democrats, who caused this mess, along with the Indian Removal Act and Jim Crow and the KKK want to make reparations for their disgusting behavior, have at it, but the nations debt was paid in full. Ask Abraham Lincoln!
Ridiculous. America got approximately 500,000 african slaves through slave trade (as researched by black historian Henry Louis Gates Jr!). The rest went elsewhere. Has anyone ever heard of South America paying reparations to the 18 million slaves who went there? Nope. The 2 million that went to Caribbean? Nope. There were almost 500,000 free blacks up north when the Civil War started. No one alive today had anything to do with slavery.
Everyone who is black did NOT come here as a slave and is NOT related to the original gene pool of 500,000. But most blacks think they’ll be paid just because they are black now. Someone really needs to explain actual history. Too bad for the ones who find out their ancestors were owned by black plantation owners? Or related to them. Do they pay IN to the system? How about the ones related to the black village chiefs that became slavers and captured and sold their black neighbors to black slavers?
This whole idea needs to be let go.
No one alive today has ever been a slave or owned slaves. Harris probably will sign this legislation if (God forbid) Congress passes it and it reaches the president’s desk. In this country we do NOT punish people for actions taken over 100 years ago that they had nothing to do with or condone.
The Marxists in DC clearly are doing everything in their power to attract forever voters. No one alive today owned slaves. No one in this country today is a slave. So the generations ago of possible slave owners are suppose to give money to non-slaves who may have had a relative generations ago that may have been a slave?? How does anyone even dream up such a scenario? Only the Marxists who want total control of all black voters. We have seen what duping black voters into only voting for Democrats has produced…black families torn apart, more poor blacks than other races, lower standards of education in schools, etc. I wonder why the blacks have not opened their eyes to the fact that they have been duped for nearly 150 years!!
Why very seldom do you read about Africans selling their own brothers into slavery. ??? Kyle L.
what about us who’s families didn’t come here until mid 1900’s?
Sorry Kamala, but the last legitimate former slave probably passed away by 1965 so there is no one today due any reparation payment.
she’s stupid. oprah or obama need reparations?
If all the descendants find out where their the ancestors hail from and who were those who sold them to the buyers who resold them then have at her.I wish them luck.
No one is alive today that had anything to do with slavery. My parents were the first Americans in my family. So, my ancestors never had anything to do with slavery. Why should I have to pay reparations? I am sure I am not the only one. These people don’t even respect the supreme court, because they struck reparations down. These people should not get away with doing this.
cloward piven
just what the government giveth, the government can also take away. which will be the case with harris and her socialism agenda. so how do you plan to survive without an welfare, food stamps, medical help, shelter? without those you are pretty much assured of a long painful death. and do not forget your kids. they too face the same fate as you. do you love your kids? if so you better vote for trump and continued welfare and aid for you and yours
How about providing equal education to all Americans? And the politicians speaking out about education provides wealth and freedom?
Everything that Harris says reinforces her (and the “Democrats'”) approach to politics… which is to promise financial compensation in return for being elected. That really does say it all, and it astounds me that she is still seen by some as a viable candidate, after incessantly offering to bribe our electorate for their votes.
“Bob” is my slave name after I identify as a descendant of African-born slaves… PAY ME!
Kamala and dishonest Comrades are abetting human trafficking to increase and entice victims to become their illiterate followers, in quest to destroy and control. They do the same tactic interfering in the SCOTUS and harassing judge Clarence Thomas for years!!! These evil people desire to obliterate all obstacles, especially anyone who has the knoĺwledge and intellelligence to avoid their evil aggressive behaviors
Blacks have gotten their reparations 100-fold from years of stealing from people that have worked for what they have, getting welfare, food stamps, government housing, etc. The government have taken care of them for many years and it’s still happening.
This kammy entity has no love for the people,black,brown or white AMERICANS that worked their tails off to make this country great.To this fake entity it’s about votes and only votes.
I keep asking, if the demorats are wanting to destroy the working class people, who’s going to be paying for all their free money, food, housing and what ever else the demorats keep promising pay for their votes
My thought to who should be paying this bill of restitution is the DEMOCRAT THEY’RE THE SLAVE OWNERS, THEY’RE THE ONE’S WHO DIDN’T WANT SLAVERY TO END!! Thats how the Civil War STARTED!! They’re wanting to pay them with our money, we didn’t own SLAVES!! DEMOCRATS DID!!
Again, just my thoughts
trump has demanded reparations for himself because he’s mad about getting charged for offenses he committed
Take a long look at this…!
If anyone needs reparations, it’s our very own school children so below expected reading levels due to Covid lockdowns. Michigan quit doing the 3rd grade testing our students are so far behind. I’d rather see any “extra” money spent on tutors to get them up to speed for easier future learning and better job prospects for a good life ahead.
Just more of using taxpayer money to buy Democrat votes.
100% Harris would sign this. She will dodge and lie about it now to get elected. But there should be no doubt she would sign it. She dodges and lies about her positions now so why would this be any different?
Watch out!! A boy can ‘transgender’ into a girl to play in sports. Can a White ‘transrace’ into a black to receive reparations?
She does not speak of any set policy but she has endorsed the notion of a national reparation group.
Where are the Reparations for all the White people that were slaves hundreds of years before black people ever came to the United States which was not formed until 1776?
Whatever happened to statute of limitations on “crime”. Folks who would enjoy these free funds never gave a crap about their family tree and probably never read any history books explaining just how it all happened. Let’s get into our current century and fix real problems like nuclear warfare, starving Americans and American pets.