Guilt, Reparations, And Stimulus: Democrats Paying For Past

January 30th, 2009 | By Sonnie Johnson

Let’s get down to business. Check out Now, It’s Our Turn to fully understand my feelings about reparations.

But was I wrong?

Of course, I’m going to continue to believe we have to live up the rich history left to us, but the more I found out about our past, the more I believe reparations are in order.

For far to long, our rights have been abused. We were turned away from the polls. We were not allowed to own property. Hell, we were slaves. It’s definitely time for some payback. But who should we look to for these reparations or are they already being handed to us?

We can all agree, there has to be two sides to a fight. Each side has an objective and a desire to stop the other side from succeeding. Basic, right?

In the Civil War, who’s side were you on?

The south? Do you understand their need to keep their working population? Does it not bother you they used whips and chains to keep their fellow men subservient? Do you believe the country would’ve been better off if we had broken into two separate nations?

The North? Are you glad your nation was willing to tear itself apart to do what was right? Are you forever grateful Abraham Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation? Do I have to even ask any more questions here?

I could do my typical thing and say, “Ah Hah, got you. You were a Republican in the Civil War up to The Civil Right’s Act, even if you are a Democrat now.” And it would be true, funny, and ironic all wrapped up into a little smile you can’t see through the Internet.

But that would get us no closer to an absolute truth. To do that, it’s always better to look at human behavior.

Scenerio

You are hanging out with two of your friends. Your money comes up missing but you don’t know which one took it. You wait a couple weeks and bring the subject back up. Now, there are two different reactions in your friends.

Both deny, but one can’t help put tip his hand. It’s not in just his words, it comes in his actions as well. See the friend who didn’t steal the money, forgets about the accusation and moves on.

The guilty usually has one of two reactions. The Jesse Jackson/Al Sharpton approach; they turn the spotlight else where or complain about how bad a time they are having. Or the Democrat approach; they begin to be nice and accomadating to try to relieve themselves of guilt.

It’s no mistake I used the examples above. Just a beautiful transition to my next point.

The validity of some Liberal arguments can’t be denied but their reactions to those arguments have to be examined as well.

It’s often said the Republicans ignore problems in the black community. I think they have a clean conscience in race affairs. Like I said, you were rooting for the Republicans from the Civil War until a bullet killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They waged war so we could vote and run for office and they won.

So who’s fault is it we elect corrupt or ineffective politicians? I’m not going to get off subject.

Now, look at the Liberal Two Prong Approach. On one hand, you have Jesse Jackson/Al Sharpton. Never mind what we’re doing with the opportunities presented to us, let’s just look at what’s been done to us. Backwards thinking prolonging our romantic embrace with racism.

On the other hand, you have the rest of the Democrats. Oh, let us take care of you. Your life has been so hard. Now, I’m the type to question motives. So, my first reaction is why do you feel it’s your job to take care of me. A guilty conscience?

Maybe Democrats feel bad they took the wrong side in the Civil War all the way up to Dr. King’s march on Washington. Maybe the hypocrisy of the first black President coming from the party that fought tooth and nail to prevent such a thing from happening is lost on them. Or maybe we like the attention, no matter why it’s being rendered.

Either way, Democrats have a lot of making up to do. How do they start? Time for reparations.

Here comes the slippery slope. They can’t call it reparations. Why? They would have to admit their faults. They would have to explain why a former Grand Master of the Klu Klux Klan is still occupying a Democratic Senate Seat or why they were not surprised John Murtha called residents of his own district racist. They would have to explain why History Books leave out the fact Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican.

So, a guilty conscience devises a Trillion Dollar spend fest in the name of Stimulus to start the reparations process. We robbed you of rights in the past, let us make it up to you by fixing the schools we once burned down. We’ll repave the roads marked by your steps and blood. We were right about you not being able to take care of yourselves, we just dealt with it wrong.

You remain ignorant and unskilled and we will take care of you. Blame diverted. And since you love us, our conscience is soothed. That’s just the first step. Barack Obama isn’t finished paying for his party’s past sins. The future will hold judges that legislate from the bench due to circumstance or public sentiment instead of the Law. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Right now, I must question the true value of our history. Is this a grass is always greener moment? While we are rushing to solve monumental problems quickly, are we leaving behind more than we are gaining? Is it more important we have a black President or we have proud black patriarchs to past down family tradition and values?

Why do you have to choose? It would be nice if you didn’t, but some where there is a father trying to teach his son to be responsible. The son, who looks up to Obama, sees him writing a check he knows we can’t afford, with no hesitation.

I’m one to encourage business. So if that son wants to take a chance and invest in himself, I’m all for it. As long as it’s done responsibly. He can’t say, I’m going to buy a fly car, some fly clothes, hang out at the club and become a rapper. Like this stimulus package, that is a rushed plan doomed to fail.

The best idea would be to save and plan for success, even if it means you have to stay in your parents basement a little while longer.

How much are we willing to give to this quick fix? We know black communities didn’t change when Obama took office and I can promise most won’t find a high paying secure job the day after this stimulus is signed. Are we going to let Democrats alleviate their guilt of the past by mortgaging our children’s hope of the future?

I always end up with more questions than answers.