WurfWhile

ArchPundit is “at a loss for words” over Illinois Republican U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes’ reparations proposal for African-Americans of slave heritage. I think the proposal is fascinating. It is one thing to talk about giving federal tax-free status for “a generation or two” to slave ancestors as a form of reparation, it is quite another to talk about extending that benefit to the businesses that employ them. But what’s fascinating is that either way it’s another example of the “starve the beast” mentality towards government - a process that is designed to consolidate wealth for the wealthy and make the middle class and poor poorer. In that respect, and this doesn’t reflect either way on the merits of slave reparations, Keyes’ proposal is no different than the Bush tax cuts and their effect.

While I suspect treating Keyes seriously is a fundamental mistake, let’s look at what the proposal would mean.

- Businesses get a substantial tax break on hiring African-Americans of slave heritage (even if they were already doing it). They are not required to hire more people of this class, nor pay or promote them more. They are, however, free to pocket the benefits.

- Wealthy African-Americans of slave heritage get a substantial tax break because they won’t pay taxes and are, by definition, liable for more tax dollars than those of more modest means in normal times. [Side Note: Give brief thought to implications for African-American owned businesses and non-African American investors in those businesses].

- African-Americans of slave heritage who are of modest means, and less, get fewer dollars (in some cases, among the poor, perhaps no dollars).

- No additional educational resources of any kind for African-Americans of slave heritage means they are no more competitive in the job marketplace based on skills than they currently are - in fact the reduction in the federal coffers may actually cost those of modest means more in the meager income-based federal aid for education and jobs that currently exists (depending on where the budget ax falls).

- The federal social and educational programs that African-Americans of slave heritage who have modest means benefit from are the ones that traditionally get axed first due to budget cuts - and Keyes’ program will reduce tax revenue.

In sum, the sliding scale, designed in the George W. Bush and Alan Keyes conservative tradition, means the poorer you are the less help you get - but (in Keyes case) McDonalds will do a lot better! It all makes perfect sense - Keyes is doing to middle and lower-class African-Americans of slave heritage what Bush is doing to middle and lower-class Americans of all backgrounds. Of course in Keyes’ case he makes it one better, insulting African-Americans of slave heritage by suggesting that this is “reparations” and just. Whatever you want to call it, don’t call it reparations, or justice.