Last week, the editorial board asked readers what they thought about whether or not the state of California should pay reparations for slavery.
We published the first round of responses on Tuesday, as we normally do, but as a result of the volume and quality of letters submitted, we are presenting additional letters from across Southern California.
As always, feel free to weigh in on the issues of the day by emailing us at opinion@scng.com
“The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”
The teaching of the Bible has conflicting positions on taking from today’s Californians and giving to the descendants of those who suffered the abomination of slavery 200 years ago.
Not only has the statute of limitations been exceeded, the administration and funding of such a reparations program is impossible.
The best thing we can do today is to provide equal opportunity for all our citizens. The rest is up to the individual.
Now, let’s focus on getting compensation for the Jewish people who were enslaved by the Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Persians.
Do not forget California’s indigenous people who were enslaved by the Spanish and John Sutter pre-statehood.
— Stephen Smith, Eagle Rock
California wasn’t a slave state in the first place
Slavery was never legal in California, and ended in the rest of the U.S. over 150 years ago. My ancestors came here after that time, except for one relative who got off the boat, and joined the Union army to fight against slavery. What claim can be legally or morally made against me and mine? Fair-minded people don’t blame the innocent for problems they had no part in creating.
Let the anxious make voluntary contributions if they feel it will make a difference. Otherwise, keep your hands off my tax dollars. They are needed to address real problems. Reparations will become a future bullet train, with mind-boggling numbers. Do we stop at a cost of billions, or add on trillions? Of course new state departments will be created. All with bloated bureaucracies and no time limits. Because new populations of “deserving” individuals will be discovered.
— Kenneth Usher, West Covina
Reparations talk is just political theater in state
Cash reparations?
Sorry, but no.
Those aren’t my words; that’s a paraphrase of Gavin Newsom declining to endorse the recommendations of his own reparations task force to pay up to $1.2 million to Californians harmed by slavery and other alleged misdeeds of the past.
Maybe he feels he’s scored enough political points by merely introducing cash reparations into the public discourse in his quest for the presidency.
After all, he says, dealing with past wrongs “is about much more than cash payments.”
Perhaps he realizes California simply can’t afford it, especially in light of a looming $32 billion budget deficit.
— Brian Thiebaux, Moreno Valley
Why reopen old wounds?
America in general has not had a sterling record when it comes to “liberty and justice for all.” Name any minority or ethnic group — Chinese, Japanese, Irish, Italians, Germans, Mexicans, LGBTQ, whatever — and, at some point, they have been the objects of hatred, injustice and discrimination.
That being the case, how would reparations to one minority address historical wrongs against so many others?
Conversely, it might just open new wounds. Cash payments would be silly; how do you put a price on institutional wrongs?
Favoring one group would be just another instance of discrimination.
Instead, let’s institutionalize treating all citizens the same from this day forward, and work diligently to make us truly a blended society with no barriers, favorites or tiers.
— William Densmore, Riverside
Let Democrats pay for reparations if they want
America has addressed the sin of slavery in numerous policies and laws, such as affirmative action, trillions in transfer payments and subsidized housing.
However if Democrats, who were instrumental in the slave trade, wish to make further reparations including cash payments, they are free to write checks from their personal accounts.
— James Sisco, Westminster
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