Reparations

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Reparations
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Reparations for Slavery

• Should the U.S. pay reparations to
  African-American descendants of slaves?
• Do we have an obligation to compensate people for
  wrongs that have occurred? If we benefit
  economically from human rights abuses, should we
  be able to retain ill-obtained benefits?
• Public opinion is against reps. (should this
  matter?)
• Do social services and race-neutral policies
  count? (Bell)
• Too expensive? (is this a legitimate objection?)
• National unity would be a benefit
• Does it matter that slavery was legal?

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Current Dimensions

• Conyers bill introduced six times since 1989 in
  House
• Local government resolutions in US
• World Conference in Durban-African nations
• Reparations paid to Jews for holocaust, Japanese
  Americans for Internment, Native American land
  claims compensation

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Reparations for Holocaust

• Compensate and recover stolen property
• Money in Swiss bank accounts
• Settlements against European insurance companies,
  German and American companies, art galleries etc
• Are such efforts justified? Should they go
  further? Should they stop?

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Other questions

• Does Putting a Price Tag on Suffering Demean that
  Suffering?
• What about reparations for Comfort Women?
• Reparations for discrimination