American Vet

Quite a rant. Be sure to wipe the foam off the keyboard.

Radiance3

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All waiting for free stuff. They all want free stuff, while the rest of the people who tax taxes suffer. B*M's received at least $90 million. The B*M LEADERS bought one or two mansions worth several millions of dollars each. Hired their families to get paid out of that $90 million.

Corrupt B*M Leaders stole millions out of the donations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIZ-ZoojpR8

B*M leader bought $6 million house out of corruption.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/04/black-l***s-m****r-6-million-dollar-house.html

B*M $90 millions unaccounted for bought several assets and used to pay her families ALL TAX FREE,

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/b*ms-millions-go-unaccounted-for-after-leaders-quietly-jump-ship

Al Sharpton owes $4.5 million in taxes.
https://www.ajc.com/blog/news-to-me/report-sharpton-owes-million-taxes/8CeZabAN4et2VUkMXF2dhM/

Al Sharpton with unpaid $1.5 million back taxes.
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24545747

He owns rental apartments and homes in South America, don't pay taxes for the income hidden.

Al Sharpton owes tens of millions in taxes.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/sharpton-inc-owes-millions-in-taxes

WinkyTink Loc: Hill Country, TX

I know I'll be blasted for it, but just pay them. Pay them all. In every state. In exchange, our hands are washed forever, and we shall never hear or see this race card again. All is repaired....... right?

Peaver Bogart Loc: Montana

Wrong, they will always use the race card!

robertv3

You say "draw the line". I now say, "attenuate":

Let's suppose _hypothetically_ that each person born of a black s***e in the U.S. were to get a million dollars compensation (or twice that if born of a father and mother who were _both_ black s***es in the U.S. And further suppose that for each generation removed from the s***e ancestor, the compensation amount would be halved. I'm not trying to argue (yet) that this would be practical; that's why I say "hypothetically". The compensation amount would be "attenuated" or "reduced" according to some such factor or factors as elapsed time or diminishing amount of harm that was done to the individual.

I like that "attenuation" idea better than the "draw the line" idea. In reality a situation is not all one thing and not all the opposite thing. It's usually somewhere in between. Most things (including many "justice" situations) are best modeled as continua (continuums) rather than as discrete choices between only two alternatives. (But if _all_ you want were simplicity, then the discrete choice between only two alternatives might serve well.)

I see you care more about "meritocracy". Meritocracy has some merit but it's not the whole story. _Justice_ is not only about meritocracy but also about having been wronged (or not wronged) (and to what degree).

The ability to "merit" in a meritocracy depends partly on one's circumstances, _including_ whether one was born into a r****t society and/or born into a disadvantaged family. (In other words, it's not a level playing field. In some ways it's level, but in other ways it isn't.)

straightUp Loc: California

I see your point about attenuation... I'll have to think about that. As for meritocracy, I may not have been all that clear. It's not meritocracy itself that I'm drawing my line on, but as I was saying... my perspectives as a believer in meritocracy... Perhaps it would have been more clear if I simply said "direct experience" so as to encompass not just the positive rewards directly earned but also the negative disadvantage directly imposed.

You do bring up a very good point about the persistence of disadvantage that can transcend generations though. I know it's a real effect but a policy based on attenuation would also require a lot more overhead, possibly requiring a judgement of conditions that can be quite complicated.

Right off the bat, I would say an attenuating policy would be the the most thoughtful and perhaps the most just but also the most expensive and as you probably know, governments at both the state and federal level suffer from the cheapest citizens in the world who don't EVER want to pay any taxes, so it's rare that ANY government in America can afford anything but the cheapest options. (At least where public interest is concerned.)

As I like to say, "you get what you pay for" and American government is no exception.

Oh and BTW - thanks for giving me something above the 3rd grade level to respond too. It's a nice change. ;)

American Vet

Straight and Robert....