Posted by Eugene Volokh:
Alan Keyes on slavery reparations:
[1]Paul Caron (TaxProf) has more on Alan Keyes' [2]slavery reparations
plan, including Keyes' attempt to reconcile his plan with his harsh
condemnation of reparations proposals in 2002. I'm not persuaded by
Keyes' answer, which seems to distinguish the waiving of taxes from
cash grants:
Not at all. I have taken a strong position against schemes of
extortion from the fellow citizens of people here in America, based
on the idea that somehow or another that would be requital for
slavery. And I made clear over the years that I think the blood and
treasured sacrifice during the Civil War constituted that requital.
But I have also made clear every time I was asked that there was
objective damage done to black Americans by the slave system. And
there have been frequent efforts in American history not thus far
successful to address the wounds that were left by that legacy.
What I have laid on the table repeatedly is a thoroughly
Republican, thoroughly conservative approach that is actually
borrowed from ancient history in terms of what the Roman empire
used to do to respond to damaged communities. You give them tax
relief. You give them a tax break to make up for the fact, for
instance in this case, the black folks toiled for generations at
what was effectively 100 percent tax rate.
And by doing this, you unleash their enterprise. Give them an
incentive to work. Give people an incentive to own businesses
without taking pennies out of anybody else's pocket, you're able to
create an environment where people are encouraged to work and put a
strong foundation under themselves instead of putting money in a
democracy to dominate their lives that undermines the moral
foundations of their families and destroys their economic
incentives.
As a matter of fact, it's a thoroughly conservative, thoroughly
consistent Republican approach to a very serious challenge.
But if you compare (1) raising taxes on whites to pay for the lowering
of taxes on blacks and (2) raising taxes on whites and blacks to pay
for cash grants to blacks, it's hard to see how either is any more or
less "extortion from the fellow citizens of people here in America,
based on the idea that somehow or another that would be requital for
slavery" than the other.
References
1. http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2004/08/keyes_proposes_.html
2. http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2004_08_14.shtml#1092937763
_______________________________________________
Volokh mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://highsorcery.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volokh
