Reparations for African Americans

At the end of round 1 I asked PRO for the following:I await PROs reasoning for reparations. I specifically am hoping to see a workable system that identifies the following: a) Who committed the crime, and is responsible to pay damages? b) Who is the injured party, and should be compensated for their loss? c) What system will document the alleged damages and alleged compensations? d) What measures will keep this from being illegally racist?These questions have not been answered or documented.I add to this request the need for clear sources. I do not have time to read “The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander”, or “Numerous books by Tim Wise” or “Numerous sociology books”. Please reference books (with page numbers) or reputable web content with links.Since PRO has put forward no reasoning for reparations to Black Americans I will resond to some of PROs statements in round 2, and then explain why I feel reparatations for Black Americans are a terrible idea.+++++++++++++++++++Pro states that “The fact that some Africans were complicit in the enslavement process would not nullify the need for reparations any more than the fact that some Jews collaborated with Hitler nullifies reparations that were paid out by Germany to Israel.” - My statement about African participation in the slave trade had to do with the difficulty of answering the questions “Who is the guilty party?” and “What crime did they commit?”Before the details of reparations can be discussed, we need to know who broke the law. The case of Germany paying reparations to Israel is helpful here. The German government had as official policy, the extermination of the Jews. Here are some interesting facts. Germany lost the war. They were forced to pay by the winners. The German government agreed to this within 10 years of the end of WW2[1] The purpose was to “finance the absorption and rehabilitation of the Holocaust survivors in Israel”[1] http://en.wikipedia.org...Since there are no living former slaves or first generation descendants of slaves, the concept of reparations for slavery is untenable. The thirteenth amendment, abolishing slavery except as punishment for a crime, was passed by the Senate in April 1864, and by the House of Representatives in January 1865. [2] It has been 150 years since those great events. The idea of reparations for slavery can be dismissed as ancient history. (I’ll deal with recent events later.) Can we agree that there is no legal foundation for reparations for slavery?[2] http://en.wikipedia.org...Pro states: “More important than anything that happened to African Americans during slavery is what we has happened to them in recent history and what continues to happen to them in America today. ” This (if true and documented) has more relevance in a legal discussion than actions alleged that are well past the statute of limitations. In American law there are time limits for seeking justice that vary between Federal law and State law, and vary state by state. For example, some offenses may be prosecuted at any time (no statute of limitations) such as terrorism, child abduction, sex offenses and capital offenses.[3][3] http://fas.org... page 2 “Although the majority of federal crimes are governed by the general five year statute oflimitations, Congress has chosen longer periods for specific types of crimes – 20 years for the theft of art work; 10 years for arson, for certain crimes against financial institutions, and for immigration offenses; and eight years for the nonviolent violations of the terrorism-associated statutes which may be prosecuted at any time if committed under violent circumstances.Investigative difficulties or the seriousness of the crime seem to have provided the rationalefor enlargement of the time limit for prosecuting these offenses beyond the five year standard. ” If crimes have been committed in recent years there is no shortage of lawyers willing to take on individual or class action lawsuits. The fact that there are so few of these is an indication that there is not a mass conspiracy to commit crimes against Black Americans.PRO states “many African Americans that live in this country are descendants of people who immigrated many years after slavery” This states that many expected or found life in America to be better than the life they left behind. The melting pot ideal of American society is that people were welcomed to come here and try to make a better life for themselves than they had in the country and situation they were leaving.PRO states “Blacks deserve reparations because, as the social science tells us they are being legally discriminated against in housing, employment, and in their ability to receive welfare benefits. ” Let’s look at statistics. Blacks make up 12.6% of the American population. They use 39.8% of all welfare dollars [4] Blacks are more likely to be unemployed (12.4% unemployed compared to 6.2% overall) [5] Blacks are less likely to own their own home.(42% compared to 64%) [6] Blacks are more likely to experience poverty.(28% compared to 15%) [7][4] http://www.statisticbrain.com...[5] http://www.statisticbrain.com...[6] http://blackdemographics.com...[7] http://blackdemographics.com... It is possible that this disparity is because of some form of discrimination, but that is not the only explanation. “Poverty rates are highest for families headed by single women” [8][8] http://www.npc.umich.edu... Of all Blacks in the US, only 32% are married (51% for other races). The lack of family stability for a large percentage of Blacks is enough to challenge the idea that it is a white conspiracy to keep Blacks down. The claim that “This is due to the fact that they are being targeted at rates higher that at which they commit crime” is unsubstantiated conjecture. PRO mentions reparations for Japanese Americans. “Arguing that reparations for Black Americans would be illegally racist is as ignorant as arguing that the reparations Japanese Americans received after WW2 are racist.” The Justice Department made $20,000 payments to 82,210 Japanese Americans or their heirs who were interned in American camps during World War II. [9] This was reparation to citizens who were wrongfully locked up within the last 75 years. They had committed no crime, but were locked up because of fear and an anti Japan frenzy after the bombing of Pearl harbor. This sets a good precedent for reparations because there is one specific wrong (incarceration in camps) against citizens who had committed no crime. The people were easy to identify, as was the guilty party (Justice Department). Although race was an issue in the offense, race was not the issue in the reparations.[9] http://www.democracynow.org...PRO states “I don't understand why reparations for Black Americans after the government has overtly violated their rights for the entire history of this country is so controversial” Your lack of understanding is a part of the issue. You have not stated the things necessary for a legal case for damages. There needs to be a crime - what specifically was done. Prejudice of thought is not enough. There needs to be a defendant - who did this criminal act. There needs to be a victim of the crime. Black America is to vague a concept for legal action. There needs to be proof of damages done. It is not enough to feel that a portion of society are disadvantaged. It is not enough to show a disparity of wealth or opportunity based on race. Please state your case in favor of reparations.PRO makes yet another unsubstantiated claim . . . “The gap between Blacks and Whites in wealth, educational attainment and income can be explained by the state sanctioned discrimination against blacks pre civil rights and the ongoing discrimination against blacks post civil rights in education, housing, employment and so on” You are correct that there was segregation and discrimination in the past. I am less convinced that there is state sanctioned discrimination in the present. Not every issue between a Black American and individuals or departments in Government has to do with race.PRO states “If it was up to me I would make heavy cuts to our military” This is a terrible idea. The US military is a preferential employer of Black Americans. Blacks make up 12.6 % of the population[10], but over 20% of the military[11].[10] http://en.wikipedia.org...[11] http://www.statisticbrain.com...I applaud when those who have been wronged use the courts to get justice. I am sure there are many individual cases where a Black individual has a case against government, business or another individual. This is the normal process of civil litigation. There are also class action suits where a group of people are represented because of damages incurred by many, but where the legal case is brought on behalf of the group. The vague and poorly defined idea of reparations for Black Americans is not one of these cases.Please give a clear presentation on the legal issues of reparations for Black Americans as a group.