Keyes--Reparations only a Right Wing Nut could love

[Inland]

Latest news is that Keyes wants reparations--in the form of immunity from federal taxes for a generation or two. But Keyes proposal has nothing to do with reparations, and everything to do with his icky right wing political agenda:


1. Exemption from fed income taxes would benefit most the rich African Americans. This means that Keyes would send the most compensaton to blacks like himself that have already managed to overcome the burdens of the past and--not coincidentally--reward blacks that are most likely to go republican. And it fits nicely with the republican theme that the rich shouldn't be paying taxes in the first place.

2. Refusal to include FICA means that the largest tax on many lower income working blacks would remain in place. So if your family was really screwed by slavery and Jim crow, well, tough. Why the amount of reparations should be greater with higher incomes beats me.

3. By making it a federal exemption, it simply makes more possible the radical notion of doing without the fed government by cutting taxes, while the true perps of slavery and jim crow in conservative southern REPUBLICAN statehouses go scot free. If anyone is to pay reparations, it shouldn't be the fed government or the fed taxpayers in states like Illinois, which actually sent people to die to free the slaves. It would be places like, oh, Maryland, where Keyes is from and which had slaves. Or the conservative south, from which Keyes is getting his financial support.

Note that Keyes---whose pretense to a higher morality is the part of himself he likes best---wrongly places moral blame in order to reach the entirely political goals of killing the fed government, getting more money to the rich, cutting taxes to republicans, avoiding blame to the southern states that truly deserve it, and getting himself elected. What a dick.

[madrchsod]

1. no one in illinois gives

a shit what he says other than a small circle of ultra conservate white people. the majority of the people in illinois republican and democrat alike, can`t stand what has happened. this man will not represent the people of illinois ,just a few very wealthy white people. we are not as dumb as they think...

[Inland]

3. It was scummy, tempting blacks with "reparations" that really fit another

agenda entirely. Typical right wing. Call it one thing, but make it another.

[chiburb]

2. Yes, he's a dick and a nutjob...

But Maryland was a Northern state...

:-)

[Inland]

4. Maryland was a slave state. And more correctly, it was a "border",

not northern state. You know I only picked it to slam Keyes living there and running in Illinois.

[chiburb]

9. And yes I know you were just slammin' Keyes...

:-)

[Gman]

5. Maryland is south of the Mason-Dixon line

which made it a Southern state.

[chiburb]

8. Ok, I was gonna let this go, but since everyone...

thinks Maryland was a "southern state" (and I called it a Northern state):

The Confederate States of America (CSA, also known as the Confederacy) was the federation formed by the southern states that seceded from the United States during the period of the American Civil War. The 11 states of the Confederacy were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. (Note that the states of Missouri and Kentucky each had two separate governments, one Union, one Confederate. As such, they were claimed by both sides as members.)

The Confederacy was formed on February 4, 1861 and Jefferson Davis was selected as its first president the next day.

For most of its duration, the Confederacy was engaged in the American Civil War against the remainder of the Union.


SO: Maryland was a "border" state, not Southern. Yes, Maryland had slaves, but Lincoln also won the popular vote in 1860... slim, but he won. Then there's this:

In 1861 the Civil War broke out, dividing North and South. Maryland remained a border state during the conflict, with citizens in support of both sides. Troops occupied Washington County for four of the five years of the war. The bloodiest single day in American history took place in Sharpsburg on September 17, 1862.

[davsand]

13. Actually, Illinois was a very divided state.

There were a large number of folks in Southern Illinois who supported the Confederate states. A lot of those families had come up thru Kentucky and still had ties to that area--including support for the idea of slavery.

There was a children's book that won either a Caldecott or a Newberry award that told the story of one of those families that were divided. Those Southern Sympathizers were called Copperheads. It is an amazing slice of Illinois history--and well worth looking at:

http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/iht319615.html

I never cease to be amazed at how much of a blood sport Illinois politics were EVEN back then!

As for Keyes, I am LMAO. Reparations are NOT gonna win him any support in downstate at all. The headline on today's paper was something like "Keyes supports Reparations and Obama supports Ethanol." TELL me which one you think is gonna play better in an area dominated by agriculture!!!


Laura

On edit: the book was Across Five Aprils, and it was a Newberry Honor book for kids about ten years old...

[Momgonepostal]

6. Do you have a link?

What exactly does a "generation or two" mean? How will they determine that?

The whole thing is a bizarro suggestion. I'm sure lower income families would like not having to pay taxes, but the dollar amount they're get wouldn't be enough to make much of a difference in their lives, I'm sure.

[Inland]

7. You have to register for Chicago Tribune at this link:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/elections/chi-0408170208aug17,1,5276200.story?coll=chi-news-hed

[mopinko]

12. while you are there, read zorn today

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ericzorn/chi-zornlog,1,704173.story?coll=chi-news-hed

[barb162]

10. a poster from the IL Leader today (LOL)

"I have been shocked by Keyes comments over the last couple of days. He supports reparations?! Not even most bleeding heart liberals support reparations. He supports affirmative action (for black people only; why it should apply to blacks and not Native Americans is beyond me)?! And his comparison of women who have abortions to the 9/11 terrorists doesn't help him or us.

This is going disastrously wrong. The state central committee should
pick again."


------
lollollollol. Yep, Even some of the GOP reactionaries are getting fed up. Would that be a riot if the IL GOP SCC picked again? Who the heck would they pick next?

[Inland]

11. Yeah, a conservative repulbican comes out for reparations..

It would be incredible even as a shameless pander. When you realize all he wants is to lower federal taxes, its a shameless pander wrapped in a fraud.

[Norquist Nemesis]

14. Keyes outright LIED today

on CNN (Crossfire) when he stated affirmative action was a Republican platform first. He claimed Nixon was the first to put it in. He should be called out on that strongly, IMO.

Here's a good history of AA: http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/aahist.html

And of course, the first words out of his mouth were "abortion". :rolleyes: It's always inserted into the first and last sentence he speaks.

[barb162]

15. I'm glad you sent the link

because I couldn't for the life of me remember when it really came in. Or even when the phrase "affirmative action" really took hold in the nation's consciousness. It was there solidly in the 80s but how far back before that?

Yes, how often do Republicans in the 20th century put forth or sponsor civil rights type legislation. I knew that Keyes statement seemed extremely wrong just on the face of it...like when was Nixon ever really concerned about civil rights (other than his own).

Keyes sort of just BLABS and he does it all the time. He somehow doesn't seem to let facts get in the way of anything he says.

[Inland]

18. for Keyes, all principle and morality begins and ends with abortion

except when he takes time out to criticize gay marriage.

[barb162]

16. "pretense to a higher morality is the part of himself he likes best"

he reminds me of that George Jefferson character on that TV show name??? can't recall)where he was married to this very sweet woman named Louise. Keyesis a real blowhard.

[jakefrep]

23. You're thinking of "The Jeffersons"

...and to compare Alan Keyes to George Jefferson would be an insult to George Jefferson.

[barb162]

24. Thanks

I couldn't think of the name of that show for anything. And you are right about the show's character. Yes it is an insult to the George character.

[barb162]

17. because the reparations made such a big stink with the right wingers

the Leader published a "clarification" today on its front page. Some of those posters were near riot on that website over this and were throwing their support to the Libertarian guy rather than even consider reparations or Keyes. They tried softening up the position for the fiscal conservatives but it was still the same concept.

[Inland]

19. Do you have a link to "clarification"? n/t

[barb162]

20. here it is

http://illinoisleader.com/news/newsview.asp?c=18684


Please take a look at the discussion forums too (click over on the the right side of the page) I check them every day...it is really something and if you ever have a one second doubt why you are a democrat, read these discussion groups for 2 minutes and your doubts will disappear. There is some stuff there where they quote Keyes, how he is so anti-affirmative action then a few days ago he came out for it. He is driving the right wingers CRAZY with his flipflops! It is fascinating watching how they are going through very convoluted arguments and reasonings to support Keyes, or get Bjorling in or vote Libertarian.... I would say they are almost going thru a more self-destructive phase now than when Lyin' Ryan was having the sex club stuff aired.

If you can't get in with the link above I will send the article whole. It's only a few paragraphs. They are now trying to say he is tying the reparations stuff (just an "idea" as he is a "man of ideas" )with the position of having no federal income tax. Trying to soften the whole thing with a GOP anti tax stance. They are really going through contortions there. I LOVE IT.

[Inland]

21. Keyes problem: He loves to hear himself talk

and congratulates himself on having ideas--only to find out that his ideas suck. I mean, even his reparations idea sucks, having no appeal to pricinpled people on either side of the issue.

[barb162]

22. reparations as an issue is so darn complex too

Where do you start, begin, how much $$$, etc. How do you define black? DO you get half a reparation if one parent is white. 3/4 of a reparation if one grandparent is white. Do you somehow have to prove your lineage back to the Civil War. And of course that one old black drop of blood rule (one drop of black ancestor blood 10 generations back means you are still black).

[Inland]

25. It IS complex, which is why it is so amazing

that Keyes managed to put forward an idea that has no merit on any level.