Do you understand the reparations debate? I call it a debate when it is really a form of extortion.

LA just is considering passing a law to require companies doing business with the city to disclose whether they ever earned profits from slavery 150 years ago. This will give reparations supportors targets to extort money from in the future. Chicago has passed a similar law (not one company has reported that they have earned profits from slavery so far). According to reparations activists this will not be the last city to consider this legislation.

The issue, according to the reparations activists, is that black people are behind in every economic and social category and reparations will help bridge that gap. They contend that slavery is responsible for the gap that they believe exists. The reparations discussion has hurt race relations. Reparation demands have angered many people. People contend that the fact that many thousands of whites died in the civil war that freed the slaves, the passage of legislation establishing affirmative action, and recognizing civil rights of black citizens helped black citizens considerably. Others say that they are not descendents of slave owners or of those who directly profited from slavery and therefore should not have to pay money to our current black citizens. Others say that it would be difficult if not impossible to determine which blacks were descendents of slaves and therefore eligible for reparations if they were ever forthcoming.

Of course, as in any conversation about race, those that oppose anything that favors blacks politically or economically are labeled as racists. Starting the debate with an ad hominem attack right out of the gate is totally counter-productive and hardens the battle lines between the pro-reparations and the anti-reparations people. People resort to ad hominem attacks when their argument has little or no support.

Myself, if our congress passes a reparations bill, I am moving to Canada.