Today the MontgomeryAdvertiser.com website reported that the Senate approved a measure to fund $1.2 billion in payments to black farmers for years of discrimination by federal agriculture officials, moving the historic legislation a step forward. I am posting this article because I have a lot of questions about this legislation. The Library of Congress website (Thomas.gov) is down for maintenance, so I am left to my own resources.
According to the article:
""This has been a very, very long process,'' said John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association. "But we made a huge step for justice tonight ... It's bigger than the black farmers. It's a big step in the right direction for race relations.''
"The measure must now go to the House, where Democratic leaders have vowed to take it up before the new Congress begins next year. The $4.6 billion measure includes money to pay American Indians as part of a class-action lawsuit."
Right off the top, I would like to say that it is horrible that the government discriminated against anyone. That is just wrong and hopefully does not happen anymore. But I am not sure that throwing $4.6 billion dollars into a pot to make up for past discrimination is the answer.
The American taxpayers who are paying this money are not the ones who discriminated. If government officials discriminated, they should be the ones held responsible. My next concern is whether or not the $4.6 billion dollars will go to the people who were discriminated against. Will it go to the people harmed by discrimination or to some already wealthy lawyers? What are the percentages? Lawyers are entitled to make money, but theoretically, they should not profit by someone else's misfortune--the majority of the money should go to the people wronged.
As I stated earlier, I have more questions about this than answers.
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