Topic : News, Politics and Current Events

Hey Prof....or anyone that can answer my Q...

Does one have to *register* under a particular party in the US?

Just curious is all...

<3

Fredi

True,

whoever it is has one hell of a pile of clean up on their hands tho....

It will be daunting,

I feel that this Presidential election is perhaps the MOST important one we will ever see.

<3

Fredi

Depends on the state. In FL, one can register as Democrat, Republican, or Independent (meaning "no party affiliation"). I think in one of my earlier posts, I talked about "open" vs. "closed" primaries.

Glad you found the board, Fredi!

Now I need to tend to *my* housework!

Prof

This is a statement from another person. I am curious to find out what others think of it.

"Another thing the U.S. paid reparations to Jews that were but in concentraton camps by Germany and not them, but we have a problem with payng reparations for slavery"

Are you sure you have that quote correct? The first part of the statement doesn't seem to make any sense. I do remember hearing about reparations paid to the Japanese-Americans (& families) who were interned by the US Government during WWII, which brought on the query about slavery reparations.

Source, please? Newspaper article, network news story, the like?

Prof

I've never heard of the U.S. paying reparations to Jews that were in concentration camps.  Are you talking about the apology that the Japanese wanted...quite a few years back, for the bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki?   However, I don't think they asked for money.

I don't think that it would be possible for the U.S. to pay people now, this many years later for something that happened that long ago.  First it would have to be deemed that the folks who are direct decedents of slavery...living today....are somehow suffering from the slavery of their ancestors. 

Then one would have to factor in where this money is going to come from.  Is it going to come from white tax payers only?  Would it come from black tax payers who were not direct descendants? 

I think the whole thing would be rather impossible to figure all out.....plus in order to get a "check"  you will always have those (even whites) who all of a sudden have black ancestry and are now suffering as a direct result.

Then there might come women that will rise up and say they are suffering from women's suffrage of yore.  Other groups may stake a claim as well......LOL...it could never end.

Just had another thought.  I think that this will never happen...however, if it did.....what a wonderful way to divide the country and increase racial tension further. 

The last thing this country needs is to dole out tax dollars to a specific group....just because of their skin color in an effort to "right" slavery.  IMO there isn't enough money in the world to make slavery right, nothing can erase what happened and it's more important that we learn from it and stop oppressing other groups today.  Many groups in this country suffered as a result of prejudice, our goal should be to live together equally and in unison and focus on the issues at hand.  There are just too many things that need to be straightened out that effects EVERYBODY today.

I would much rather see that same money going into the public school system to educate ALL of our children properly to assure a secure future for America.  I would much rather see any young American man or woman (who wishes) to be able to go to college.

Just to dole out money senselessly so somebody can buy a new wardrobe or a car....because of the actions of Americans 200 years ago would be irresponsible.  Clothes get old and cars ware out.....however a sound education is resounds through the generations.

I posted this statement because I was not sure what to think of it myself. I like others have never heard of it.

My hubs said that we did help them but it would not have been called reparation. He said that we made Germany pay them.

As for the slavery thing. Well that is why we have welfare, just kidding bad joke.

As for the slavery thing. Well that is why we have welfare, just kidding bad joke.

There are more whites on "welfare" then any other race in America. 

I know you said you were "just kidding".......but I found your "joke" appalling and is the kind of thing that keeps racism alive and well in America.

The repercussions of slavery and then many years of oppression is felt throughout our society today and for many years to come.  When "whites" finally realized that to stop oppressing the black race (as well as other minorities including women) is actually a service to society as a whole is when the change "began".  However, change is slow......oppression took place for hundreds of years and the devastating effects it had on our society financially and in other ways cannot be changed over night.

If you feel you posted a "bad joke"...simply removed it before posting.

A very bad joke and not at all amusing in my opinion.

As to WWII reparations, Israel and W. Germany reached an agreement which called for payment to Israel as they handled the relocation of 1/2 million European Jewish people.  Helped pay for infrastructure in the new Jewish state.   In the 1990s some settlements were also reached with those who had property stolen by Nazis.  Not sure that there is enough money on this planet to repay what was done during WWII.

The problem that I see with slave reparations is the amount of time that has past and who should pay.  Should my family be exempt because I am a descendant of a soldier who fought and died fighting for the North?  Should Southerners pay more?  As someone else mentioned where does it end?  Should the South pay me because my ancestor was a POW who died in a Southern prison?  That does not make sense to me but it might to someone else. 

Slavery was a disgusting, horrible part of our nations past.  We have many things in our closet that we should be ashamed of such as the Japanese interment camps during WWII, the American Indian Removal (Trail of Tears).  What we really should do is learn from our mistakes and also not make petty jokes about slavery and welfare.