• Reparations Advocates Are Making the Wrong Arguments IN favor of Their

    From Art Sackman@21:1/5 to All on Sun Jan 29 09:18:31 2023
    hypothetically speaking, if I were a progressive in favor of reparations, it is more logical to move to a different argument than Slavery Reparations.

    Slavery was horrible, and its echo causes damage to African Americans to this day. But it is long in the past and cannot be undone or in any way atoned for. The progressives talk about systemic racism as it exists today. Any plan for reparations should
    address this, the situation today, as it affects people now, not the situation of 170 years ago.

    So, reparations should be unhooked from lineal slavery. The argument is that all blacks receive lesser treatment from society. In terms of societal disadvantage, it doesn't matter if a black person was, or was not, descended from a slave. If a cop beats
    down a black man, he doesn't firs task him whether or not he is descended from slaves.

    S

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Art Sackman@21:1/5 to Art Sackman on Sun Jan 29 09:28:20 2023
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 12:18:32 PM UTC-5, Art Sackman wrote:
    hypothetically speaking, if I were a progressive in favor of reparations, it is more logical to move to a different argument than Slavery Reparations.

    Slavery was horrible, and its echo causes damage to African Americans to this day. But it is long in the past and cannot be undone or in any way atoned for. The progressives talk about systemic racism as it exists today. Any plan for reparations should
    address this, the situation today, as it affects people now, not the situation of 170 years ago.

    So, reparations should be unhooked from lineal slavery. The argument is that all blacks receive lesser treatment from society. In terms of societal disadvantage, it doesn't matter if a black person was, or was not, descended from a slave. If a cop
    beats down a black man, he doesn't firs task him whether or not he is descended from slaves.

    S


    oops! HIT THE post button too soon.

    so, reparations should be based on race, not slavery lineage, Of course that presents another problem, given all those biracial people.

    Also, a huge one time payment will not address the issue of systemic racism. It will not move the needle one inch.
    Any payments should be periodic, yearly, or even better, monthly, and of course should be much smaller and of a reasonable amount, in line with being a supplemantal to other income. Sort of like Social Security checks.
    ,
    Of course , this will bankrupt the country and is not any more feasible than any other reparations proposal, but the proponents should at least be talking about a plan that better addresses the current situation and compensates all of those who are
    affected.

    leave it to the progressives to be so ignorant and incompetent that they are unable to articulate the best case for their utopian dream world.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From mINE109@21:1/5 to Art Sackman on Sun Jan 29 12:06:38 2023
    On 1/29/23 11:28 AM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 12:18:32 PM UTC-5, Art Sackman wrote:
    hypothetically speaking, if I were a progressive in favor of
    reparations, it is more logical to move to a different argument
    than Slavery Reparations.

    Slavery was horrible, and its echo causes damage to African
    Americans to this day. But it is long in the past and cannot be
    undone or in any way atoned for. The progressives talk about
    systemic racism as it exists today. Any plan for reparations should
    address this, the situation today, as it affects people now, not
    the situation of 170 years ago.

    So, reparations should be unhooked from lineal slavery. The
    argument is that all blacks receive lesser treatment from society.
    In terms of societal disadvantage, it doesn't matter if a black
    person was, or was not, descended from a slave. If a cop beats down
    a black man, he doesn't firs task him whether or not he is
    descended from slaves.

    Looks like racism is already "unhooked from lineal slavery." Doesn't
    that hurt your argument if the problems don't depend on descent?

    oops! HIT THE post button too soon.

    so, reparations should be based on race, not slavery lineage, Of
    course that presents another problem, given all those biracial
    people.

    One drop. And you left out immigrants.

    Also, a huge one time payment will not address the issue of systemic
    racism. It will not move the needle one inch. Any payments should be periodic, yearly, or even better, monthly, and of course should be
    much smaller and of a reasonable amount, in line with being a
    supplemantal to other income. Sort of like Social Security checks. ,
    Of course , this will bankrupt the country and is not any more
    feasible than any other reparations proposal, but the proponents
    should at least be talking about a plan that better addresses the
    current situation and compensates all of those who are affected.

    Thanks for implicitly acknowledging the size of the debt owed to the
    enslaved and their descendants.

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/donald-glovers-atlanta-makes-the-case-for-reparations

    leave it to the progressives to be so ignorant and incompetent that
    they are unable to articulate the best case for their utopian dream
    world.

    Leave it to the right to construct an enormous strawman.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Art Sackman@21:1/5 to All on Sun Jan 29 12:06:33 2023
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 1:06:40 PM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/29/23 11:28 AM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 12:18:32 PM UTC-5, Art Sackman wrote:
    hypothetically speaking, if I were a progressive in favor of
    reparations, it is more logical to move to a different argument
    than Slavery Reparations.

    Slavery was horrible, and its echo causes damage to African
    Americans to this day. But it is long in the past and cannot be
    undone or in any way atoned for. The progressives talk about
    systemic racism as it exists today. Any plan for reparations should
    address this, the situation today, as it affects people now, not
    the situation of 170 years ago.

    So, reparations should be unhooked from lineal slavery. The
    argument is that all blacks receive lesser treatment from society.
    In terms of societal disadvantage, it doesn't matter if a black
    person was, or was not, descended from a slave. If a cop beats down
    a black man, he doesn't firs task him whether or not he is
    descended from slaves.
    Looks like racism is already "unhooked from lineal slavery." Doesn't
    that hurt your argument if the problems don't depend on descent?
    oops! HIT THE post button too soon.

    so, reparations should be based on race, not slavery lineage, Of
    course that presents another problem, given all those biracial
    people.
    One drop. And you left out immigrants.

    True, but it was implied. Under current proposals, black immigrants would
    miss out, though they sill bear as much of the brunt of current racism, as do the slavery descendants.
    How is that fair?


    Also, a huge one time payment will not address the issue of systemic racism. It will not move the needle one inch. Any payments should be periodic, yearly, or even better, monthly, and of course should be
    much smaller and of a reasonable amount, in line with being a
    supplemantal to other income. Sort of like Social Security checks. ,
    Of course , this will bankrupt the country and is not any more
    feasible than any other reparations proposal, but the proponents
    should at least be talking about a plan that better addresses the
    current situation and compensates all of those who are affected.


    Thanks for implicitly acknowledging the size of the debt owed to the
    enslaved and their descendants.


    PAY ATTENTION
    I did no such thing!! In fact, I did the opposite. I unhinged reparations from slavery.
    I made the point that it should not be paid as a debt, but rather as a corrective for the current situation.



    https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/donald-glovers-atlanta-makes-the-case-for-reparations
    leave it to the progressives to be so ignorant and incompetent that
    they are unable to articulate the best case for their utopian dream
    world.
    Leave it to the right to construct an enormous strawman.


    There is a reason the left won't advocate a race-based reparations approach. It is
    clearly unconstitutional. that fact undermines the whole concept of reparations.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From mINE109@21:1/5 to Art Sackman on Sun Jan 29 17:51:31 2023
    On 1/29/23 2:06 PM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 1:06:40 PM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/29/23 11:28 AM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 12:18:32 PM UTC-5, Art Sackman wrote:
    hypothetically speaking, if I were a progressive in favor of
    reparations, it is more logical to move to a different argument
    than Slavery Reparations.

    Slavery was horrible, and its echo causes damage to African
    Americans to this day. But it is long in the past and cannot be
    undone or in any way atoned for. The progressives talk about
    systemic racism as it exists today. Any plan for reparations should
    address this, the situation today, as it affects people now, not
    the situation of 170 years ago.

    So, reparations should be unhooked from lineal slavery. The
    argument is that all blacks receive lesser treatment from society.
    In terms of societal disadvantage, it doesn't matter if a black
    person was, or was not, descended from a slave. If a cop beats down
    a black man, he doesn't firs task him whether or not he is
    descended from slaves.
    Looks like racism is already "unhooked from lineal slavery." Doesn't
    that hurt your argument if the problems don't depend on descent?
    oops! HIT THE post button too soon.

    so, reparations should be based on race, not slavery lineage, Of
    course that presents another problem, given all those biracial
    people.
    One drop. And you left out immigrants.

    True, but it was implied. Under current proposals, black immigrants would miss out, though they sill bear as much of the brunt of current racism, as do the slavery descendants.
    How is that fair?

    Makes you think about those who claimed Obama wasn't "culturally Black"
    despite suffering those same disadvantages.

    I wonder also if the largely symbolic calls for reparations would abate
    if there were any amelioration of the systemic racism that caused the
    injuries.

    Also, a huge one time payment will not address the issue of systemic
    racism. It will not move the needle one inch. Any payments should be
    periodic, yearly, or even better, monthly, and of course should be
    much smaller and of a reasonable amount, in line with being a
    supplemantal to other income. Sort of like Social Security checks. ,
    Of course , this will bankrupt the country and is not any more
    feasible than any other reparations proposal, but the proponents
    should at least be talking about a plan that better addresses the
    current situation and compensates all of those who are affected.


    Thanks for implicitly acknowledging the size of the debt owed to the
    enslaved and their descendants.


    PAY ATTENTION
    I did no such thing!! In fact, I did the opposite. I unhinged reparations from slavery.
    I made the point that it should not be paid as a debt, but rather as a corrective for the current situation.

    You said, "Payments... will bankrupt the country." You did not make it
    clear you were calling for a race-based stipend when you called for
    payments in the context of reparation.

    I will take it on your word you did not mean to acknowledge the debt.
    However, I will argue that a debt does exist, as much of the US economy
    was built on the stolen labor of the enslaved.

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/donald-glovers-atlanta-makes-the-case-for-reparations
    leave it to the progressives to be so ignorant and incompetent that
    they are unable to articulate the best case for their utopian dream
    world.
    Leave it to the right to construct an enormous strawman.

    There is a reason the left won't advocate a race-based reparations approach. It is
    clearly unconstitutional. that fact undermines the whole concept of reparations.

    Yes, reparations are not Constitutional. They're also not being proposed anywhere other than political thought pieces.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Art Sackman@21:1/5 to All on Sun Jan 29 19:26:17 2023
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 6:51:34 PM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/29/23 2:06 PM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 1:06:40 PM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/29/23 11:28 AM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 12:18:32 PM UTC-5, Art Sackman wrote:
    hypothetically speaking, if I were a progressive in favor of
    reparations, it is more logical to move to a different argument
    than Slavery Reparations.

    Slavery was horrible, and its echo causes damage to African
    Americans to this day. But it is long in the past and cannot be
    undone or in any way atoned for. The progressives talk about
    systemic racism as it exists today. Any plan for reparations should
    address this, the situation today, as it affects people now, not
    the situation of 170 years ago.

    So, reparations should be unhooked from lineal slavery. The
    argument is that all blacks receive lesser treatment from society.
    In terms of societal disadvantage, it doesn't matter if a black
    person was, or was not, descended from a slave. If a cop beats down
    a black man, he doesn't firs task him whether or not he is
    descended from slaves.
    Looks like racism is already "unhooked from lineal slavery." Doesn't
    that hurt your argument if the problems don't depend on descent?
    oops! HIT THE post button too soon.

    so, reparations should be based on race, not slavery lineage, Of
    course that presents another problem, given all those biracial
    people.
    One drop. And you left out immigrants.

    True, but it was implied. Under current proposals, black immigrants would miss out, though they sill bear as much of the brunt of current racism, as do the slavery descendants.
    How is that fair?
    Makes you think about those who claimed Obama wasn't "culturally Black" despite suffering those same disadvantages.

    I wonder also if the largely symbolic calls for reparations would abate
    if there were any amelioration of the systemic racism that caused the injuries.

    In some liberal quarters, yes. Logic would have that
    In other liberal quarters, no, the greedy and power hungry would have that





    You said, "Payments... will bankrupt the country." You did not make it
    clear you were calling for a race-based stipend when you called for
    payments in the context of reparation.

    in the context of affordability, race based or lineage based doesn't matter



    I will take it on your word you did not mean to acknowledge the debt. However, I will argue that a debt does exist, as much of the US economy
    was built on the stolen labor of the enslaved.

    you can't repay a debt to a long-gone dead person. You can compensate the heirs.
    That brings up a third option, modifying the lineal approach to allocating
    an amount to each slave, and tracing each of their ancestors to allocate a percentage share.
    Thus, a black person with eight slaves in his lineage would get more than a black person with
    four slaves in his lineage. It also depends on whether the slave, and the generations of his or her
    dependents had lots of children.



    Yes, reparations are not Constitutional. They're also not being proposed anywhere other than political thought pieces.

    I'm so heartened to hear that you don't take the reparations idea seriously.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From mINE109@21:1/5 to Art Sackman on Mon Jan 30 10:06:15 2023
    On 1/29/23 9:26 PM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 6:51:34 PM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/29/23 2:06 PM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 1:06:40 PM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/29/23 11:28 AM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 12:18:32 PM UTC-5, Art Sackman wrote: >>>>>> hypothetically speaking, if I were a progressive in favor of
    reparations, it is more logical to move to a different argument
    than Slavery Reparations.

    Slavery was horrible, and its echo causes damage to African
    Americans to this day. But it is long in the past and cannot be
    undone or in any way atoned for. The progressives talk about
    systemic racism as it exists today. Any plan for reparations should >>>>>> address this, the situation today, as it affects people now, not
    the situation of 170 years ago.

    So, reparations should be unhooked from lineal slavery. The
    argument is that all blacks receive lesser treatment from society. >>>>>> In terms of societal disadvantage, it doesn't matter if a black
    person was, or was not, descended from a slave. If a cop beats down >>>>>> a black man, he doesn't firs task him whether or not he is
    descended from slaves.
    Looks like racism is already "unhooked from lineal slavery." Doesn't
    that hurt your argument if the problems don't depend on descent?
    oops! HIT THE post button too soon.

    so, reparations should be based on race, not slavery lineage, Of
    course that presents another problem, given all those biracial
    people.
    One drop. And you left out immigrants.

    True, but it was implied. Under current proposals, black immigrants would >>> miss out, though they sill bear as much of the brunt of current racism, as do the slavery descendants.
    How is that fair?
    Makes you think about those who claimed Obama wasn't "culturally Black"
    despite suffering those same disadvantages.

    I wonder also if the largely symbolic calls for reparations would abate
    if there were any amelioration of the systemic racism that caused the
    injuries.

    In some liberal quarters, yes. Logic would have that
    In other liberal quarters, no, the greedy and power hungry would have that

    No danger of getting anywhere near the possibility.

    You said, "Payments... will bankrupt the country." You did not make it
    clear you were calling for a race-based stipend when you called for
    payments in the context of reparation.

    in the context of affordability, race based or lineage based doesn't matter

    Since the wealth of the nation was built on their labor, you're saying
    we can't afford to return what was stolen.

    I will take it on your word you did not mean to acknowledge the debt.
    However, I will argue that a debt does exist, as much of the US economy
    was built on the stolen labor of the enslaved.

    you can't repay a debt to a long-gone dead person. You can compensate the heirs.
    That brings up a third option, modifying the lineal approach to allocating
    an amount to each slave, and tracing each of their ancestors to allocate a percentage share.
    Thus, a black person with eight slaves in his lineage would get more than a black person with
    four slaves in his lineage. It also depends on whether the slave, and the generations of his or her
    dependents had lots of children.

    Sounds complicated and prone to abuse and fraud. At the obvious level,
    that would dilute the payment to larger families whose members all
    suffered from the original slavery and the systemic racism that followed.

    Yes, reparations are not Constitutional. They're also not being proposed
    anywhere other than political thought pieces.

    I'm so heartened to hear that you don't take the reparations idea seriously.

    I take the underlying principles seriously. Rejecting reparations isn't
    the same as ignoring systemic racism.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From MINe109@21:1/5 to Art Sackman on Mon Jan 30 08:19:10 2023
    On 1/29/23 9:26 PM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 6:51:34 PM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/29/23 2:06 PM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 1:06:40 PM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:

    I wonder also if the largely symbolic calls for reparations would abate
    if there were any amelioration of the systemic racism that caused the
    injuries.

    In some liberal quarters, yes. Logic would have that
    In other liberal quarters, no, the greedy and power hungry would have that

    No danger of getting anywhere near the possibility.

    You said, "Payments... will bankrupt the country." You did not make it
    clear you were calling for a race-based stipend when you called for
    payments in the context of reparation.

    in the context of affordability, race based or lineage based doesn't matter

    Since the wealth of the nation was built on their labor, you're saying we can't afford to return what was stolen.

    I will take it on your word you did not mean to acknowledge the debt.
    However, I will argue that a debt does exist, as much of the US economy
    was built on the stolen labor of the enslaved.

    you can't repay a debt to a long-gone dead person. You can compensate the heirs.
    That brings up a third option, modifying the lineal approach to allocating
    an amount to each slave, and tracing each of their ancestors to allocate a percentage share.
    Thus, a black person with eight slaves in his lineage would get more than a black person with
    four slaves in his lineage. It also depends on whether the slave, and the generations of his or her
    dependents had lots of children.

    Sounds complicated and prone to abuse and fraud. At the obvious level, that would dilute the payment to larger families whose members all suffered from the original slavery and the systemic racism that followed.

    Yes, reparations are not Constitutional. They're also not being proposed
    anywhere other than political thought pieces.

    I'm so heartened to hear that you don't take the reparations idea seriously.

    I take the underlying principles seriously. Rejecting reparations isn't the same as ignoring systemic racism.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Art Sackman@21:1/5 to All on Mon Jan 30 12:18:24 2023
    On Monday, January 30, 2023 at 11:30:22 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:


    Since the wealth of the nation was built on their labor, you're saying
    we can't afford to return what was stolen.

    It's not like we banked it for 150+ years.
    And it was mostly built upon capital investment, entrepreneurship, and the labor
    of many other non enslaved people. The slaves were working in the fields of southern plantations, not in northern factories, and not
    in building the railroad empire.
    So, the wealth in question would be limited to southern agriculture.



    I will take it on your word you did not mean to acknowledge the debt.
    However, I will argue that a debt does exist, as much of the US economy
    was built on the stolen labor of the enslaved.

    you can't repay a debt to a long-gone dead person. You can compensate the heirs.
    That brings up a third option, modifying the lineal approach to allocating an amount to each slave, and tracing each of their ancestors to allocate a percentage share.
    Thus, a black person with eight slaves in his lineage would get more than a black person with
    four slaves in his lineage. It also depends on whether the slave, and the generations of his or her
    dependents had lots of children.

    Sounds complicated and prone to abuse and fraud. At the obvious level,
    that would dilute the payment to larger families whose members all
    suffered from the original slavery and the systemic racism that followed.

    i would agree with that. But it is still the most logical node of dispersal. But the other alternatives are also prone to abuse, fraud, inequity, and divisiveness.

    I take the underlying principles seriously. Rejecting reparations isn't
    the same as ignoring systemic racism.

    The underlying principal is warped, as it is tied to slavery, a system ended 150+ years ago.
    So much has occurred in our society since then, particularly generational
    waves of immigration.
    Our current day racial problems need to be addressed in the context of our current society,
    not tied to an event long passed by, that cannot be erased, and not really be atoned for.

    to tie it so slave lineage shortchanges generations of subsequent black immigrants
    who share the same challenges, but would remain uncompensated.

    I am surprised to see that progressives are so intent on looking backwards, not forward.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From mINE109@21:1/5 to Art Sackman on Mon Jan 30 16:01:16 2023
    On 1/30/23 2:18 PM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Monday, January 30, 2023 at 11:30:22 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:


    Since the wealth of the nation was built on their labor, you're saying
    we can't afford to return what was stolen.

    It's not like we banked it for 150+ years.

    It's exactly like we banked it for 150+ years. Stolen labor was invested
    in what became today's economy.

    And it was mostly built upon capital investment, entrepreneurship, and the labor
    of many other non enslaved people. The slaves were working in the fields of southern plantations, not in northern factories, and not
    in building the railroad empire.

    Not so quick on railroads:

    https://railroads.unl.edu/topics/slavery.php

    "Some of the first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation
    were built in the South beginning in the late 1820s. By 1860 the South's railroad network was one of the most extensive in the world, and nearly
    all of it had been constructed with slave labor. Moreover, railroad
    companies became some of the largest slaveholders in the South."

    So, the wealth in question would be limited to southern agriculture.

    And wherever plantation owners invested their wealth.

    I will take it on your word you did not mean to acknowledge the debt.
    However, I will argue that a debt does exist, as much of the US economy >>>> was built on the stolen labor of the enslaved.

    you can't repay a debt to a long-gone dead person. You can compensate the heirs.
    That brings up a third option, modifying the lineal approach to allocating >>> an amount to each slave, and tracing each of their ancestors to allocate a percentage share.
    Thus, a black person with eight slaves in his lineage would get more than a black person with
    four slaves in his lineage. It also depends on whether the slave, and the generations of his or her
    dependents had lots of children.

    Sounds complicated and prone to abuse and fraud. At the obvious level,
    that would dilute the payment to larger families whose members all
    suffered from the original slavery and the systemic racism that followed.

    i would agree with that. But it is still the most logical node of dispersal. But the other alternatives are also prone to abuse, fraud, inequity, and divisiveness.

    This level of detail misses the greater point of what was taken to begin
    with and how the disparities were continued through systemic means.

    Like how SNAP benefits are in the news because lawmakers want to
    micromanage food for the poor.

    I take the underlying principles seriously. Rejecting reparations isn't
    the same as ignoring systemic racism.

    The underlying principal is warped, as it is tied to slavery, a system ended 150+ years ago.
    So much has occurred in our society since then, particularly generational waves of immigration.

    Before the Civil Rights Act, the US was a defacto apartheid society, so
    the system lasted a century beyond where you wished it to have ended.

    Our current day racial problems need to be addressed in the context of our current society,
    not tied to an event long passed by, that cannot be erased, and not really be atoned for.

    Not if you don't try. If Germans can eliminate Nazism and South Africa
    can do Truth and Reconciliation, the US can do likewise.

    to tie it so slave lineage shortchanges generations of subsequent black immigrants
    who share the same challenges, but would remain uncompensated.

    I am surprised to see that progressives are so intent on looking backwards, not forward.

    They're looking forward to ending systemic racism which is still with us.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Art Sackman@21:1/5 to All on Mon Jan 30 21:17:11 2023
    On Monday, January 30, 2023 at 5:01:18 PM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/30/23 2:18 PM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Monday, January 30, 2023 at 11:30:22 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:


    Since the wealth of the nation was built on their labor, you're saying
    we can't afford to return what was stolen.

    It's not like we banked it for 150+ years.
    It's exactly like we banked it for 150+ years. Stolen labor was invested
    in what became today's economy.
    And it was mostly built upon capital investment, entrepreneurship, and the labor
    of many other non enslaved people. The slaves were working in the fields of
    southern plantations, not in northern factories, and not
    in building the railroad empire.
    Not so quick on railroads:

    https://railroads.unl.edu/topics/slavery.php

    "Some of the first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation
    were built in the South beginning in the late 1820s. By 1860 the South's railroad network was one of the most extensive in the world, and nearly
    all of it had been constructed with slave labor. Moreover, railroad companies became some of the largest slaveholders in the South."

    That is hardly the American railroad empire.



    So, the wealth in question would be limited to southern agriculture.
    And wherever plantation owners invested their wealth.

    "The average slaveowning planter in the US South was living “high” and in a pretentious manner due to social pressure which was quite expensive but most were deeply in debt and in precarious financial circumstances. Education, except for military
    education, was not valued by the planter class, and sound financial practices were not popular or followed, as financial recklessness was part of the ‘honor code.’ Washington decried the endless rounds of balls, visiting and other “just for show”
    expensive activities that made supporting the planter lifestyle financially draining. He hated the “factors” who upheld a feudal financial system that paid planters in luxury goods and plantation supplies instead of cash for their cotton and tobacco,
    and who assigned the slave values. He used his own group of plantations as a case study, trying to find ways to make running them efficient enough to wring out sufficient income to live as extravagantly as his social demands required. His documentation
    and evaluations of his ledgers note that he was still failing to make it work adequately, and would not be able to survive at all without relying on slave labor. He was trying everything to rejuvenate the spent soil, plant new kinds of crops to replace
    tobacco, reduce the number of workers required, etc."


    I will take it on your word you did not mean to acknowledge the debt. >>>> However, I will argue that a debt does exist, as much of the US economy >>>> was built on the stolen labor of the enslaved.

    you can't repay a debt to a long-gone dead person. You can compensate the heirs.
    That brings up a third option, modifying the lineal approach to allocating
    an amount to each slave, and tracing each of their ancestors to allocate a percentage share.
    Thus, a black person with eight slaves in his lineage would get more than a black person with
    four slaves in his lineage. It also depends on whether the slave, and the generations of his or her
    dependents had lots of children.

    Sounds complicated and prone to abuse and fraud. At the obvious level,
    that would dilute the payment to larger families whose members all
    suffered from the original slavery and the systemic racism that followed.

    i would agree with that. But it is still the most logical node of dispersal.
    But the other alternatives are also prone to abuse, fraud, inequity, and divisiveness.
    This level of detail misses the greater point of what was taken to begin with and how the disparities were continued through systemic means.




    I am surprised to see that progressives are so intent on looking backwards, not forward.

    They're looking forward to ending systemic racism which is still with us.


    That's the point. Focus on today.
    Your obsession with atoning for 170 year old slavery is a gigantic obstacle. Paying reparations for slavery does NOT address systemic racism found today.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From mINE109@21:1/5 to Art Sackman on Tue Jan 31 10:48:43 2023
    On 1/30/23 11:17 PM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Monday, January 30, 2023 at 5:01:18 PM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/30/23 2:18 PM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Monday, January 30, 2023 at 11:30:22 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:


    Since the wealth of the nation was built on their labor, you're
    saying we can't afford to return what was stolen.

    It's not like we banked it for 150+ years.
    It's exactly like we banked it for 150+ years. Stolen labor was
    invested in what became today's economy.
    And it was mostly built upon capital investment,
    entrepreneurship, and the labor of many other non enslaved
    people. The slaves were working in the fields of southern
    plantations, not in northern factories, and not in building the
    railroad empire.
    Not so quick on railroads:

    https://railroads.unl.edu/topics/slavery.php

    "Some of the first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the
    nation were built in the South beginning in the late 1820s. By 1860
    the South's railroad network was one of the most extensive in the
    world, and nearly all of it had been constructed with slave labor.
    Moreover, railroad companies became some of the largest
    slaveholders in the South."

    That is hardly the American railroad empire.

    Just the "first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation." If
    your quibble is that the South was only part of the eventual total,
    well, too bad.

    So, the wealth in question would be limited to southern
    agriculture.
    And wherever plantation owners invested their wealth.

    "The average slaveowning planter in the US South was living “high”
    and in a pretentious manner due to social pressure which was quite
    expensive but most were deeply in debt and in precarious financial circumstances. Education, except for military education, was not
    valued by the planter class, and sound financial practices were not
    popular or followed, as financial recklessness was part of the ‘honor code.’ Washington decried the endless rounds of balls, visiting and
    other “just for show” expensive activities that made supporting the planter lifestyle financially draining. He hated the “factors” who
    upheld a feudal financial system that paid planters in luxury goods
    and plantation supplies instead of cash for their cotton and tobacco,
    and who assigned the slave values. He used his own group of
    plantations as a case study, trying to find ways to make running them efficient enough to wring out sufficient income to live as
    extravagantly as his social demands required. His documentation and evaluations of his ledgers note that he was still failing to make it
    work adequately, and would not be able to survive at all without
    relying on slave labor. He was trying everything to rejuvenate the
    spent soil, plant new kinds of crops to replace tobacco, reduce the
    number of workers required, etc."

    My heart bleeds for the unfortunate slave owners. You refer, of course,
    to the pre-cotton gin era, assuming the Washington you cite is George.

    I am surprised to see that progressives are so intent on looking
    backwards, not forward.

    They're looking forward to ending systemic racism which is still
    with us.


    That's the point. Focus on today. Your obsession with atoning for 170
    year old slavery is a gigantic obstacle. Paying reparations for
    slavery does NOT address systemic racism found today.

    What obsession? I haven't called for reparations, but I understand the reasoning behind it. You, on the other hand, have resisted even
    acknowledging the existence of systemic racism.

    I see the last major argument in favor of reparations was nearly a
    decade ago:

    https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/

    https://www.theinsightspark.org/post/understanding-ta-nehisi-coates-argument-for-reparations

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Art Sackman@21:1/5 to All on Tue Jan 31 11:39:38 2023

    That is hardly the American railroad empire.
    Just the "first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation." If your quibble is that the South was only part of the eventual total,
    well, too bad.

    You are being ridiculous It was only a part of the network, and not a major part

    The southern economy was agrarian and laggard.
    You don't know much about American history


    So, the wealth in question would be limited to southern
    agriculture.
    And wherever plantation owners invested their wealth.

    "The average slaveowning planter in the US South was living “high”
    and in a pretentious manner due to social pressure which was quite expensive but most were deeply in debt and in precarious financial circumstances. Education, except for military education, was not
    valued by the planter class, and sound financial practices were not popular or followed, as financial recklessness was part of the ‘honor code.’ Washington decried the endless rounds of balls, visiting and other “just for show” expensive activities that made supporting the planter lifestyle financially draining. He hated the “factors” who upheld a feudal financial system that paid planters in luxury goods
    and plantation supplies instead of cash for their cotton and tobacco,
    and who assigned the slave values. He used his own group of
    plantations as a case study, trying to find ways to make running them efficient enough to wring out sufficient income to live as
    extravagantly as his social demands required. His documentation and evaluations of his ledgers note that he was still failing to make it
    work adequately, and would not be able to survive at all without
    relying on slave labor. He was trying everything to rejuvenate the
    spent soil, plant new kinds of crops to replace tobacco, reduce the
    number of workers required, etc."

    My heart bleeds for the unfortunate slave owners. You refer, of course,
    to the pre-cotton gin era, assuming the Washington you cite is George.

    They are long since dead, as well as their slaves. Nothing changes that

    I am surprised to see that progressives are so intent on looking
    backwards, not forward.

    They're looking forward to ending systemic racism which is still
    with us.

    Exactly how is that?
    If it is so entwined in the American exizsence, as the woke claim it to be, how can it be so easily eradicated?



    That's the point. Focus on today. Your obsession with atoning for 170
    year old slavery is a gigantic obstacle. Paying reparations for
    slavery does NOT address systemic racism found today.
    What obsession? I haven't called for reparations, but I understand the reasoning behind it. You, on the other hand, have resisted even acknowledging the existence of systemic racism.


    You don't understand the reasoning Slavery isn't it. The current
    situation would be it. Many people NOT descended from slaves are affected.

    I see the last major argument in favor of reparations was nearly a
    decade ago:

    https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/

    https://www.theinsightspark.org/post/understanding-ta-nehisi-coates-argument-for-reparations

    You are obsessed by slavery.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From mINE109@21:1/5 to Art Sackman on Wed Feb 1 09:51:18 2023
    On 1/31/23 1:39 PM, Art Sackman wrote:

    That is hardly the American railroad empire.
    Just the "first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation." If
    your quibble is that the South was only part of the eventual total,
    well, too bad.

    You are being ridiculous It was only a part of the network, and not a major part

    That's what I said you'd do, quibble about what part it was.

    The southern economy was agrarian and laggard.

    Sure, before the cotton gin.

    You don't know much about American history

    https://railroads.unl.edu/views/item/slavery_rr

    "By 1860 the South was the third leading railroad nation in the world,
    trailing only the northern United States and the United Kingdom in total
    miles constructed. It contained 33 percent of the nation's railroad
    mileage and 40 percent of its population, and southern states were
    aggressively promoting railroad development throughout the 1850s.
    Indeed, southern railroads built and maintained their roads with
    enslaved labor, orchestrating contracts for hire on a scale of
    complexity and cost that seemed logical and consistent with their
    purposes but far in excess of any other institutions. Railroads began
    buying hundreds of male slaves between the ages of 16 and 35 as early as
    1841, and in the 1850s were either renting or buying "hands" in groups
    of hundreds."

    So, the wealth in question would be limited to southern
    agriculture.
    And wherever plantation owners invested their wealth.

    "The average slaveowning planter in the US South was living “high”
    and in a pretentious manner due to social pressure which was quite
    expensive but most were deeply in debt and in precarious financial
    circumstances. Education, except for military education, was not
    valued by the planter class, and sound financial practices were not
    popular or followed, as financial recklessness was part of the ‘honor
    code.’ Washington decried the endless rounds of balls, visiting and
    other “just for show” expensive activities that made supporting the
    planter lifestyle financially draining. He hated the “factors” who
    upheld a feudal financial system that paid planters in luxury goods
    and plantation supplies instead of cash for their cotton and tobacco,
    and who assigned the slave values. He used his own group of
    plantations as a case study, trying to find ways to make running them
    efficient enough to wring out sufficient income to live as
    extravagantly as his social demands required. His documentation and
    evaluations of his ledgers note that he was still failing to make it
    work adequately, and would not be able to survive at all without
    relying on slave labor. He was trying everything to rejuvenate the
    spent soil, plant new kinds of crops to replace tobacco, reduce the
    number of workers required, etc."

    My heart bleeds for the unfortunate slave owners. You refer, of course,
    to the pre-cotton gin era, assuming the Washington you cite is George.

    They are long since dead, as well as their slaves. Nothing changes that

    That doesn't change you citing the wrong era to excuse slaveholders. One
    of the excuses given for not confronting slavery in the Constitution was
    that it was already on the decline due to economic problems. That all
    changed with the cotton gin.

    I am surprised to see that progressives are so intent on looking
    backwards, not forward.

    They're looking forward to ending systemic racism which is still
    with us.

    Exactly how is that?
    If it is so entwined in the American exizsence, as the woke claim it to be, how can it be so easily eradicated?

    Where'd "easily" come from? Is that the whiff of moving goalposts? And
    "woke" is self-disqualifying in this discussion.

    That's the point. Focus on today. Your obsession with atoning for 170
    year old slavery is a gigantic obstacle. Paying reparations for
    slavery does NOT address systemic racism found today.
    What obsession? I haven't called for reparations, but I understand the
    reasoning behind it. You, on the other hand, have resisted even
    acknowledging the existence of systemic racism.


    You don't understand the reasoning Slavery isn't it. The current
    situation would be it. Many people NOT descended from slaves are affected.

    That's how societies work. Everyone is affected by the common history
    and the current situation. Even if slavery is off the table, that leaves
    nearly a century of Jim Crow.

    I see the last major argument in favor of reparations was nearly a
    decade ago:

    https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/

    https://www.theinsightspark.org/post/understanding-ta-nehisi-coates-argument-for-reparations

    You are obsessed by slavery.

    So much so I spend my time trying to parse reparation methods for
    strawman arguments? What's next, "hate"?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Art Sackman@21:1/5 to All on Wed Feb 1 23:49:25 2023
    On Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 10:51:21 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/31/23 1:39 PM, Art Sackman wrote:

    That is hardly the American railroad empire.
    Just the "first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation." If >> your quibble is that the South was only part of the eventual total,
    well, too bad.

    You are being ridiculous It was only a part of the network, and not a major part
    That's what I said you'd do, quibble about what part it was.
    The southern economy was agrarian and laggard.
    Sure, before the cotton gin.
    You don't know much about American history
    https://railroads.unl.edu/views/item/slavery_rr

    "By 1860 the South was the third leading railroad nation in the world, trailing only the northern United States and the United Kingdom in total miles constructed. It contained 33 percent of the nation's railroad
    mileage and 40 percent of its population, and southern states were aggressively promoting railroad development throughout the 1850s.
    Indeed, southern railroads built and maintained their roads with
    enslaved labor, orchestrating contracts for hire on a scale of
    complexity and cost that seemed logical and consistent with their
    purposes but far in excess of any other institutions. Railroads began
    buying hundreds of male slaves between the ages of 16 and 35 as early as 1841, and in the 1850s were either renting or buying "hands" in groups
    of hundreds."


    You are sooooo wrong.


    The northeast had 75% of US trackage in 1860, So the south and midwest COMBINED had considerably less than 33%
    The total number of slaves working on laying track was only about 500
    that was out of about 4 million slaves in the south
    And India had had a lot of trackage. 4,000 miles . The south had about 2,900 miles
    (30,000 miles US, of which 21,800 was the northeast. the remaining 8,200 miles was split about 65/35
    between the Midwest and south, so approximately only 2,870 miles)

    France had a large system, mileage unknown

    https://www.themaparchive.com/product/1860-us-railroads/

    https://usafacts.org/articles/the-1860-census-counted-4-million-enslaved-people-it-counted-zero-in-1870/

    https://www.bing.com/search?q=india+railroads+1860&form=ANNTH1&refig=6387d4eb2ce14918b263cc3ee05f9cb4

    https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Growth-of-the-French-Rail-System-1850-1920_fig1_254925557

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From mINE109@21:1/5 to Art Sackman on Thu Feb 2 10:44:50 2023
    On 2/2/23 1:49 AM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 10:51:21 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/31/23 1:39 PM, Art Sackman wrote:

    That is hardly the American railroad empire.
    Just the "first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation." If >>>> your quibble is that the South was only part of the eventual total,
    well, too bad.

    You are being ridiculous It was only a part of the network, and not a major part
    That's what I said you'd do, quibble about what part it was.
    The southern economy was agrarian and laggard.
    Sure, before the cotton gin.
    You don't know much about American history
    https://railroads.unl.edu/views/item/slavery_rr

    "By 1860 the South was the third leading railroad nation in the world,
    trailing only the northern United States and the United Kingdom in total
    miles constructed. It contained 33 percent of the nation's railroad
    mileage and 40 percent of its population, and southern states were
    aggressively promoting railroad development throughout the 1850s.
    Indeed, southern railroads built and maintained their roads with
    enslaved labor, orchestrating contracts for hire on a scale of
    complexity and cost that seemed logical and consistent with their
    purposes but far in excess of any other institutions. Railroads began
    buying hundreds of male slaves between the ages of 16 and 35 as early as
    1841, and in the 1850s were either renting or buying "hands" in groups
    of hundreds."

    You are sooooo wrong.

    The northeast had 75% of US trackage in 1860, So the south and midwest COMBINED had considerably less than 33%

    Yes, you're arguing percentages of track laid when the point was the contributions of the enslaved to railroad construction.

    https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/railroads-confederacy

    "The 1850s had seen enormous growth in the railroad industry so that by
    1861, 22,000 miles of track had been laid in the Northern states and
    9,500 miles in the South. The great rail centers in the South were
    Chattanooga, Atlanta, and most important, Richmond. Very little track
    had yet been laid west of the Mississippi."

    The total number of slaves working on laying track was only about 500
    that was out of about 4 million slaves in the south

    Working for the railroad: the organization of work in the nineteenth
    century by Walter Licht:

    The southern railroads, however, faced strong competition for slave
    labor from the agricultural sector. As a result, southern rail companies
    were forced in many cases to purchase slaves directly and provide for
    their upkeep...

    Increased pressure from agriculture and rising hiring prices during the
    1850s forced the southern railroads to resort more and more to slave purchasing...

    During the Civil War... [i]n Virginia the price of both hired and
    purchased slave labor loomed so dear that the directors of the Virginia
    Central sought a third solution by petitioning the state assembly for legislation empowering the governor to impress slaves for use on the road.

    End quote.

    And India had had a lot of trackage. 4,000 miles . The south had about 2,900 miles
    (30,000 miles US, of which 21,800 was the northeast. the remaining 8,200 miles was split about 65/35
    between the Midwest and south, so approximately only 2,870 miles)

    Your unnamed cite also says the Southern portion was mostly built in the
    1850s, hence by slave labor.

    https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010519/miles-of-railroad-in-us-prior-to-civil-war-1861/

    Union: 20,000 miles
    Confederacy: 9,000 miles

    Add 1,200 miles for Border States and that's a total of 30,200.

    So, the South had more than twice that of India. My source said 33% of
    the total which is in the ballpark especially if you exclude Border States.

    France had a large system, mileage unknown

    https://www.themaparchive.com/product/1860-us-railroads/

    https://usafacts.org/articles/the-1860-census-counted-4-million-enslaved-people-it-counted-zero-in-1870/

    I don't see the point of this. Southern railroads owned and rented
    slaves. There are receipts.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Art Sackman@21:1/5 to All on Thu Feb 2 21:07:13 2023
    On Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 11:44:54 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 2/2/23 1:49 AM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 10:51:21 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/31/23 1:39 PM, Art Sackman wrote:

    That is hardly the American railroad empire.
    Just the "first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation." If >>>> your quibble is that the South was only part of the eventual total,
    well, too bad.

    You are being ridiculous It was only a part of the network, and not a major part
    That's what I said you'd do, quibble about what part it was.
    The southern economy was agrarian and laggard.
    Sure, before the cotton gin.
    You don't know much about American history
    https://railroads.unl.edu/views/item/slavery_rr

    "By 1860 the South was the third leading railroad nation in the world,
    trailing only the northern United States and the United Kingdom in total >> miles constructed. It contained 33 percent of the nation's railroad
    mileage and 40 percent of its population, and southern states were
    aggressively promoting railroad development throughout the 1850s.
    Indeed, southern railroads built and maintained their roads with
    enslaved labor, orchestrating contracts for hire on a scale of
    complexity and cost that seemed logical and consistent with their
    purposes but far in excess of any other institutions. Railroads began
    buying hundreds of male slaves between the ages of 16 and 35 as early as >> 1841, and in the 1850s were either renting or buying "hands" in groups
    of hundreds."

    You are sooooo wrong.

    The northeast had 75% of US trackage in 1860, So the south and midwest COMBINED had considerably less than 33%
    Yes, you're arguing percentages of track laid when the point was the contributions of the enslaved to railroad construction.

    https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/railroads-confederacy

    "The 1850s had seen enormous growth in the railroad industry so that by
    1861, 22,000 miles of track had been laid in the Northern states and
    9,500 miles in the South. The great rail centers in the South were Chattanooga, Atlanta, and most important, Richmond. Very little track
    had yet been laid west of the Mississippi."
    The total number of slaves working on laying track was only about 500
    that was out of about 4 million slaves in the south
    Working for the railroad: the organization of work in the nineteenth
    century by Walter Licht:

    The southern railroads, however, faced strong competition for slave
    labor from the agricultural sector. As a result, southern rail companies
    were forced in many cases to purchase slaves directly and provide for
    their upkeep...

    Increased pressure from agriculture and rising hiring prices during the
    1850s forced the southern railroads to resort more and more to slave purchasing...

    During the Civil War... [i]n Virginia the price of both hired and
    purchased slave labor loomed so dear that the directors of the Virginia Central sought a third solution by petitioning the state assembly for legislation empowering the governor to impress slaves for use on the road.

    End quote.
    And India had had a lot of trackage. 4,000 miles . The south had about 2,900 miles
    (30,000 miles US, of which 21,800 was the northeast. the remaining 8,200 miles was split about 65/35
    between the Midwest and south, so approximately only 2,870 miles)
    Your unnamed cite also says the Southern portion was mostly built in the 1850s, hence by slave labor.

    https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010519/miles-of-railroad-in-us-prior-to-civil-war-1861/

    Union: 20,000 miles
    Confederacy: 9,000 miles

    Add 1,200 miles for Border States and that's a total of 30,200.

    So, the South had more than twice that of India. My source said 33% of
    the total which is in the ballpark especially if you exclude Border States.
    France had a large system, mileage unknown

    https://www.themaparchive.com/product/1860-us-railroads/

    https://usafacts.org/articles/the-1860-census-counted-4-million-enslaved-people-it-counted-zero-in-1870/
    I don't see the point of this. Southern railroads owned and rented
    slaves. There are receipts.


    500 southern slaves out of 4 million slaves. Big fucking deal.
    You are trying to pretend that the slave labor of 500 people created
    immense wealth. and that this wealth needs to be distributed among
    40 million black Americans. The value of contributed by those 500 slave laborers
    wouldn't amount to more than $1 each,
    per currently existing black person.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Art Sackman@21:1/5 to All on Thu Feb 2 21:08:39 2023
    On Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 11:44:54 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 2/2/23 1:49 AM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 10:51:21 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/31/23 1:39 PM, Art Sackman wrote:

    That is hardly the American railroad empire.
    Just the "first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation." If >>>> your quibble is that the South was only part of the eventual total,
    well, too bad.

    You are being ridiculous It was only a part of the network, and not a major part
    That's what I said you'd do, quibble about what part it was.
    The southern economy was agrarian and laggard.
    Sure, before the cotton gin.
    You don't know much about American history
    https://railroads.unl.edu/views/item/slavery_rr

    "By 1860 the South was the third leading railroad nation in the world,
    trailing only the northern United States and the United Kingdom in total >> miles constructed. It contained 33 percent of the nation's railroad
    mileage and 40 percent of its population, and southern states were
    aggressively promoting railroad development throughout the 1850s.
    Indeed, southern railroads built and maintained their roads with
    enslaved labor, orchestrating contracts for hire on a scale of
    complexity and cost that seemed logical and consistent with their
    purposes but far in excess of any other institutions. Railroads began
    buying hundreds of male slaves between the ages of 16 and 35 as early as >> 1841, and in the 1850s were either renting or buying "hands" in groups
    of hundreds."

    You are sooooo wrong.

    The northeast had 75% of US trackage in 1860, So the south and midwest COMBINED had considerably less than 33%
    Yes, you're arguing percentages of track laid when the point was the contributions of the enslaved to railroad construction.

    https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/railroads-confederacy

    "The 1850s had seen enormous growth in the railroad industry so that by
    1861, 22,000 miles of track had been laid in the Northern states and
    9,500 miles in the South. The great rail centers in the South were Chattanooga, Atlanta, and most important, Richmond. Very little track
    had yet been laid west of the Mississippi."
    The total number of slaves working on laying track was only about 500
    that was out of about 4 million slaves in the south
    Working for the railroad: the organization of work in the nineteenth
    century by Walter Licht:

    The southern railroads, however, faced strong competition for slave
    labor from the agricultural sector. As a result, southern rail companies
    were forced in many cases to purchase slaves directly and provide for
    their upkeep...

    Increased pressure from agriculture and rising hiring prices during the
    1850s forced the southern railroads to resort more and more to slave purchasing...

    During the Civil War... [i]n Virginia the price of both hired and
    purchased slave labor loomed so dear that the directors of the Virginia Central sought a third solution by petitioning the state assembly for legislation empowering the governor to impress slaves for use on the road.

    End quote.
    And India had had a lot of trackage. 4,000 miles . The south had about 2,900 miles
    (30,000 miles US, of which 21,800 was the northeast. the remaining 8,200 miles was split about 65/35
    between the Midwest and south, so approximately only 2,870 miles)
    Your unnamed cite also says the Southern portion was mostly built in the 1850s, hence by slave labor.

    https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010519/miles-of-railroad-in-us-prior-to-civil-war-1861/

    Union: 20,000 miles
    Confederacy: 9,000 miles

    Add 1,200 miles for Border States and that's a total of 30,200.

    So, the South had more than twice that of India. My source said 33% of
    the total which is in the ballpark especially if you exclude Border States.
    France had a large system, mileage unknown

    https://www.themaparchive.com/product/1860-us-railroads/

    https://usafacts.org/articles/the-1860-census-counted-4-million-enslaved-people-it-counted-zero-in-1870/
    I don't see the point of this. Southern railroads owned and rented
    slaves. There are receipts.

    The point is, is that I have proven you to be a liar.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Art Sackman@21:1/5 to All on Thu Feb 2 21:12:54 2023
    On Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 11:44:54 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 2/2/23 1:49 AM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 10:51:21 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/31/23 1:39 PM, Art Sackman wrote:

    That is hardly the American railroad empire.
    Just the "first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation." If >>>> your quibble is that the South was only part of the eventual total,
    well, too bad.

    You are being ridiculous It was only a part of the network, and not a major part
    That's what I said you'd do, quibble about what part it was.
    The southern economy was agrarian and laggard.
    Sure, before the cotton gin.
    You don't know much about American history
    https://railroads.unl.edu/views/item/slavery_rr

    "By 1860 the South was the third leading railroad nation in the world,
    trailing only the northern United States and the United Kingdom in total >> miles constructed. It contained 33 percent of the nation's railroad
    mileage and 40 percent of its population, and southern states were
    aggressively promoting railroad development throughout the 1850s.
    Indeed, southern railroads built and maintained their roads with
    enslaved labor, orchestrating contracts for hire on a scale of
    complexity and cost that seemed logical and consistent with their
    purposes but far in excess of any other institutions. Railroads began
    buying hundreds of male slaves between the ages of 16 and 35 as early as >> 1841, and in the 1850s were either renting or buying "hands" in groups
    of hundreds."

    You are sooooo wrong.

    The northeast had 75% of US trackage in 1860, So the south and midwest COMBINED had considerably less than 33%
    Yes, you're arguing percentages of track laid when the point was the contributions of the enslaved to railroad construction.

    https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/railroads-confederacy

    "The 1850s had seen enormous growth in the railroad industry so that by
    1861, 22,000 miles of track had been laid in the Northern states and
    9,500 miles in the South. The great rail centers in the South were Chattanooga, Atlanta, and most important, Richmond. Very little track
    had yet been laid west of the Mississippi."
    The total number of slaves working on laying track was only about 500
    that was out of about 4 million slaves in the south
    Working for the railroad: the organization of work in the nineteenth
    century by Walter Licht:

    The southern railroads, however, faced strong competition for slave
    labor from the agricultural sector. As a result, southern rail companies
    were forced in many cases to purchase slaves directly and provide for
    their upkeep...

    Increased pressure from agriculture and rising hiring prices during the
    1850s forced the southern railroads to resort more and more to slave purchasing...

    During the Civil War... [i]n Virginia the price of both hired and
    purchased slave labor loomed so dear that the directors of the Virginia Central sought a third solution by petitioning the state assembly for legislation empowering the governor to impress slaves for use on the road.

    End quote.
    And India had had a lot of trackage. 4,000 miles . The south had about 2,900 miles
    (30,000 miles US, of which 21,800 was the northeast. the remaining 8,200 miles was split about 65/35
    between the Midwest and south, so approximately only 2,870 miles)
    Your unnamed cite also says the Southern portion was mostly built in the 1850s, hence by slave labor.

    https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010519/miles-of-railroad-in-us-prior-to-civil-war-1861/

    Union: 20,000 miles
    Confederacy: 9,000 miles

    NO the northeast alone had 21,000 miles.
    That does not include the midwest, which had about 6,000 miles

    Add 1,200 miles for Border States and that's a total of 30,200.
    , whic had about



    So, the South had more than twice that of India. My source said 33% of
    the total which is in the ballpark especially if you exclude Border States.
    France had a large system, mileage unknown

    https://www.themaparchive.com/product/1860-us-railroads/

    https://usafacts.org/articles/the-1860-census-counted-4-million-enslaved-people-it-counted-zero-in-1870/
    I don't see the point of this. Southern railroads owned and rented
    slaves. There are receipts.

    You are too stupid to see the point. 500 out of 4 million southern slaves laid rairoad track

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From MINe109@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Fri Feb 3 14:09:58 2023
    On Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 11:12:55 PM UTC-6, [email protected] wrote:
    On Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 11:44:54 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 2/2/23 1:49 AM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 10:51:21 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/31/23 1:39 PM, Art Sackman wrote:

    That is hardly the American railroad empire.
    Just the "first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation." If
    your quibble is that the South was only part of the eventual total, >>>> well, too bad.

    You are being ridiculous It was only a part of the network, and not a major part
    That's what I said you'd do, quibble about what part it was.
    The southern economy was agrarian and laggard.
    Sure, before the cotton gin.
    You don't know much about American history
    https://railroads.unl.edu/views/item/slavery_rr

    "By 1860 the South was the third leading railroad nation in the world, >> trailing only the northern United States and the United Kingdom in total
    miles constructed. It contained 33 percent of the nation's railroad
    mileage and 40 percent of its population, and southern states were
    aggressively promoting railroad development throughout the 1850s.
    Indeed, southern railroads built and maintained their roads with
    enslaved labor, orchestrating contracts for hire on a scale of
    complexity and cost that seemed logical and consistent with their
    purposes but far in excess of any other institutions. Railroads began >> buying hundreds of male slaves between the ages of 16 and 35 as early as
    1841, and in the 1850s were either renting or buying "hands" in groups >> of hundreds."

    You are sooooo wrong.

    The northeast had 75% of US trackage in 1860, So the south and midwest COMBINED had considerably less than 33%
    Yes, you're arguing percentages of track laid when the point was the contributions of the enslaved to railroad construction.

    https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/railroads-confederacy

    "The 1850s had seen enormous growth in the railroad industry so that by 1861, 22,000 miles of track had been laid in the Northern states and
    9,500 miles in the South. The great rail centers in the South were Chattanooga, Atlanta, and most important, Richmond. Very little track
    had yet been laid west of the Mississippi."
    The total number of slaves working on laying track was only about 500 that was out of about 4 million slaves in the south
    Working for the railroad: the organization of work in the nineteenth century by Walter Licht:

    The southern railroads, however, faced strong competition for slave
    labor from the agricultural sector. As a result, southern rail companies were forced in many cases to purchase slaves directly and provide for their upkeep...

    Increased pressure from agriculture and rising hiring prices during the 1850s forced the southern railroads to resort more and more to slave purchasing...

    During the Civil War... [i]n Virginia the price of both hired and purchased slave labor loomed so dear that the directors of the Virginia Central sought a third solution by petitioning the state assembly for legislation empowering the governor to impress slaves for use on the road.

    End quote.
    And India had had a lot of trackage. 4,000 miles . The south had about 2,900 miles
    (30,000 miles US, of which 21,800 was the northeast. the remaining 8,200 miles was split about 65/35
    between the Midwest and south, so approximately only 2,870 miles)
    Your unnamed cite also says the Southern portion was mostly built in the 1850s, hence by slave labor.

    https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010519/miles-of-railroad-in-us-prior-to-civil-war-1861/

    Union: 20,000 miles
    Confederacy: 9,000 miles
    NO the northeast alone had 21,000 miles.
    That does not include the midwest, which had about 6,000 miles

    Add 1,200 miles for Border States and that's a total of 30,200.
    , whic had about
    So, the South had more than twice that of India. My source said 33% of
    the total which is in the ballpark especially if you exclude Border States.
    France had a large system, mileage unknown

    https://www.themaparchive.com/product/1860-us-railroads/

    https://usafacts.org/articles/the-1860-census-counted-4-million-enslaved-people-it-counted-zero-in-1870/
    I don't see the point of this. Southern railroads owned and rented
    slaves. There are receipts.
    You are too stupid to see the point. 500 out of 4 million southern slaves laid rairoad track

    You said slaves didn’t contribute to railroads and they did. Quibbling about own vs rent or what percentage of the enslaved were involved doesn’t change that.

    You’ve also degenerated to name calling. Unconvincing.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From ScottW@21:1/5 to All on Fri Feb 3 15:57:28 2023
    On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 2:10:00 PM UTC-8, MINe109 wrote:
    On Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 11:12:55 PM UTC-6, [email protected] wrote:
    On Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 11:44:54 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 2/2/23 1:49 AM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 10:51:21 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/31/23 1:39 PM, Art Sackman wrote:

    That is hardly the American railroad empire.
    Just the "first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation." If
    your quibble is that the South was only part of the eventual total, >>>> well, too bad.

    You are being ridiculous It was only a part of the network, and not a major part
    That's what I said you'd do, quibble about what part it was.
    The southern economy was agrarian and laggard.
    Sure, before the cotton gin.
    You don't know much about American history
    https://railroads.unl.edu/views/item/slavery_rr

    "By 1860 the South was the third leading railroad nation in the world,
    trailing only the northern United States and the United Kingdom in total
    miles constructed. It contained 33 percent of the nation's railroad >> mileage and 40 percent of its population, and southern states were
    aggressively promoting railroad development throughout the 1850s.
    Indeed, southern railroads built and maintained their roads with
    enslaved labor, orchestrating contracts for hire on a scale of
    complexity and cost that seemed logical and consistent with their
    purposes but far in excess of any other institutions. Railroads began >> buying hundreds of male slaves between the ages of 16 and 35 as early as
    1841, and in the 1850s were either renting or buying "hands" in groups
    of hundreds."

    You are sooooo wrong.

    The northeast had 75% of US trackage in 1860, So the south and midwest COMBINED had considerably less than 33%
    Yes, you're arguing percentages of track laid when the point was the contributions of the enslaved to railroad construction.

    https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/railroads-confederacy

    "The 1850s had seen enormous growth in the railroad industry so that by 1861, 22,000 miles of track had been laid in the Northern states and 9,500 miles in the South. The great rail centers in the South were Chattanooga, Atlanta, and most important, Richmond. Very little track had yet been laid west of the Mississippi."
    The total number of slaves working on laying track was only about 500 that was out of about 4 million slaves in the south
    Working for the railroad: the organization of work in the nineteenth century by Walter Licht:

    The southern railroads, however, faced strong competition for slave labor from the agricultural sector. As a result, southern rail companies were forced in many cases to purchase slaves directly and provide for their upkeep...

    Increased pressure from agriculture and rising hiring prices during the 1850s forced the southern railroads to resort more and more to slave purchasing...

    During the Civil War... [i]n Virginia the price of both hired and purchased slave labor loomed so dear that the directors of the Virginia Central sought a third solution by petitioning the state assembly for legislation empowering the governor to impress slaves for use on the road.

    End quote.
    And India had had a lot of trackage. 4,000 miles . The south had about 2,900 miles
    (30,000 miles US, of which 21,800 was the northeast. the remaining 8,200 miles was split about 65/35
    between the Midwest and south, so approximately only 2,870 miles)
    Your unnamed cite also says the Southern portion was mostly built in the 1850s, hence by slave labor.

    https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010519/miles-of-railroad-in-us-prior-to-civil-war-1861/

    Union: 20,000 miles
    Confederacy: 9,000 miles
    NO the northeast alone had 21,000 miles.
    That does not include the midwest, which had about 6,000 miles

    Add 1,200 miles for Border States and that's a total of 30,200.
    , whic had about
    So, the South had more than twice that of India. My source said 33% of the total which is in the ballpark especially if you exclude Border States.
    France had a large system, mileage unknown

    https://www.themaparchive.com/product/1860-us-railroads/

    https://usafacts.org/articles/the-1860-census-counted-4-million-enslaved-people-it-counted-zero-in-1870/
    I don't see the point of this. Southern railroads owned and rented slaves. There are receipts.
    You are too stupid to see the point. 500 out of 4 million southern slaves laid rairoad track
    You said slaves didn’t contribute to railroads and they did. Quibbling about own vs rent or what percentage of the enslaved were involved doesn’t change that.

    You’ve also degenerated to name calling. Unconvincing.

    I need a scale of the deplorables.

    Rank name calling vs whataboutism vs IKYA vs lying vs being generally obtuse dense dumbass.

    ScottW

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Art Sackman@21:1/5 to All on Fri Feb 3 22:22:01 2023

    You said slaves didn’t contribute to railroads and they did. Quibbling about own vs rent or what percentage of the enslaved were involved doesn’t change that.

    You said they created vast wealth They did not.
    The labor of laying the track does not account for creating the vast wealth of railroad


    And the economic difference between voluntary labor and slave labor is that the slaves didn't get paid wages.
    That is the extent of any losses to be compensated for

    $2 per day, 2 years, 500 slaves, that comes to $365,000
    adjusted for inflation, maybe about $36, 500,000
    diveded between all 40 million current black African Americans, a little over $1 per black person.
    And lets pay that in Confederate currency, please!!!!!






    You’ve also degenerated to name calling. Unconvincing.

    I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN STARTED YET!

    You're head is so far up your ass, its coming out of our mouth

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From mINE109@21:1/5 to Art Sackman on Sat Feb 4 08:32:23 2023
    On 2/4/23 12:22 AM, Art Sackman wrote:

    You said slaves didn’t contribute to railroads and they did.
    Quibbling about own vs rent or what percentage of the enslaved were
    involved doesn’t change that.

    You said they created vast wealth They did not.

    https://www.history.com/news/slavery-profitable-southern-economy

    Maybe you're quibbling the accumulation of wealth was interrupted by the
    Civil War.

    https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/8/16/20806069/slavery-economy-capitalism-violence-cotton-edward-baptist

    "Of the many myths told about American slavery, one of the biggest is
    that it was an archaic practice that only enriched a small number of men.

    The argument has often been used to diminish the scale of slavery,
    reducing it to a crime committed by a few Southern planters, one that
    did not touch the rest of the United States...

    But as with so many stories about slavery, this is untrue."

    The labor of laying the track does not account for creating the vast wealth of railroad

    No track, no railroad wealth.

    And the economic difference between voluntary labor and slave labor
    is that the slaves didn't get paid wages. That is the extent of any
    losses to be compensated for

    Back to your reparation fantasies trying to limit liability.

    $2 per day, 2 years, 500 slaves , that comes to $365,000 adjusted for inflation, maybe about $36, 500,000 diveded between all 40 million
    current black African Americans, a little over $1 per black person.
    And lets pay that in Confederate currency, please!!!!!

    More misleading yourself with "back of the envelope" figuration. All
    those figures are certainly wrong.

    You’ve also degenerated to name calling. Unconvincing.

    I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN STARTED YET!

    You're head is so far up your ass, its coming out of our mouth

    Sounds like you're not very confident of your position.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From mINE109@21:1/5 to Art Sackman on Sat Feb 4 08:41:31 2023
    On 2/2/23 11:08 PM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 11:44:54 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 2/2/23 1:49 AM, Art Sackman wrote:
    On Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 10:51:21 AM UTC-5, MINe109 wrote:
    On 1/31/23 1:39 PM, Art Sackman wrote:

    That is hardly the American railroad empire.
    Just the "first, longest and most ambitious railroads in the nation." If >>>>>> your quibble is that the South was only part of the eventual total, >>>>>> well, too bad.

    You are being ridiculous It was only a part of the network, and not a major part
    That's what I said you'd do, quibble about what part it was.
    The southern economy was agrarian and laggard.
    Sure, before the cotton gin.
    You don't know much about American history
    https://railroads.unl.edu/views/item/slavery_rr

    "By 1860 the South was the third leading railroad nation in the world, >>>> trailing only the northern United States and the United Kingdom in total >>>> miles constructed. It contained 33 percent of the nation's railroad
    mileage and 40 percent of its population, and southern states were
    aggressively promoting railroad development throughout the 1850s.
    Indeed, southern railroads built and maintained their roads with
    enslaved labor, orchestrating contracts for hire on a scale of
    complexity and cost that seemed logical and consistent with their
    purposes but far in excess of any other institutions. Railroads began
    buying hundreds of male slaves between the ages of 16 and 35 as early as >>>> 1841, and in the 1850s were either renting or buying "hands" in groups >>>> of hundreds."

    You are sooooo wrong.

    The northeast had 75% of US trackage in 1860, So the south and midwest COMBINED had considerably less than 33%
    Yes, you're arguing percentages of track laid when the point was the
    contributions of the enslaved to railroad construction.

    https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/railroads-confederacy

    "The 1850s had seen enormous growth in the railroad industry so that by
    1861, 22,000 miles of track had been laid in the Northern states and
    9,500 miles in the South. The great rail centers in the South were
    Chattanooga, Atlanta, and most important, Richmond. Very little track
    had yet been laid west of the Mississippi."
    The total number of slaves working on laying track was only about 500
    that was out of about 4 million slaves in the south
    Working for the railroad: the organization of work in the nineteenth
    century by Walter Licht:

    The southern railroads, however, faced strong competition for slave
    labor from the agricultural sector. As a result, southern rail companies
    were forced in many cases to purchase slaves directly and provide for
    their upkeep...

    Increased pressure from agriculture and rising hiring prices during the
    1850s forced the southern railroads to resort more and more to slave
    purchasing...

    During the Civil War... [i]n Virginia the price of both hired and
    purchased slave labor loomed so dear that the directors of the Virginia
    Central sought a third solution by petitioning the state assembly for
    legislation empowering the governor to impress slaves for use on the road. >>
    End quote.
    And India had had a lot of trackage. 4,000 miles . The south had about 2,900 miles
    (30,000 miles US, of which 21,800 was the northeast. the remaining 8,200 miles was split about 65/35
    between the Midwest and south, so approximately only 2,870 miles)
    Your unnamed cite also says the Southern portion was mostly built in the
    1850s, hence by slave labor.

    https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010519/miles-of-railroad-in-us-prior-to-civil-war-1861/

    Union: 20,000 miles
    Confederacy: 9,000 miles

    Add 1,200 miles for Border States and that's a total of 30,200.

    So, the South had more than twice that of India. My source said 33% of
    the total which is in the ballpark especially if you exclude Border States. >>> France had a large system, mileage unknown

    https://www.themaparchive.com/product/1860-us-railroads/

    https://usafacts.org/articles/the-1860-census-counted-4-million-enslaved-people-it-counted-zero-in-1870/
    I don't see the point of this. Southern railroads owned and rented
    slaves. There are receipts.

    The point is, is that I have proven you to be a liar.

    How? With your own back of the envelope calculation on uncited figures?
    Take it up with statista.com.

    As for slavery and railroads:

    https://railroads.unl.edu/blog/?p=32

    One historian, Theodore Kornweibel, has recently begun to research in
    detail the southern railroads’ use of slave labor. Kornweibel found documented evidence for slave labor on over 75% of southern railroads.
    He has also estimated that over 10,000 slaves a year were working on the railroads in the South between 1857 and 1865...

    A careful examination of railroad annual reports from the South begins
    to reveal the scale and diversity of the experience. Most of the slave
    labor on southern railroads was hired or rented from local slaveholders
    to grade the tracks...

    Railroads in the South owned and hired slaves on a scale we have
    generally forgotten. By the 1860s the Southern railroads were among the
    largest slaveholding and slave employing entities in the region, as a
    group they eclipsed the largest individual planters. Recent historical
    research has begun to uncover just how far the practice extended.

    End quote.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)