McAvey, Kaminski
Con
Sept/Oct Topic
Resolved: The United States Federal Government ought to pay reparations to African
Americans.
Possible Quotes:
“Racism is taught in our society, it is not automatic. It is learned behavior toward persons
with dissimilar physical characteristics.” -Alex Haley. Reparations won’t stop racism or
change the mindset of Americans.
“Reparations, I believe, are talked about for political reasons, trying to cater for the purpose
of getting votes. If Congress was serious about reparations - in '93 and '94 the Democrats
controlled the House, the Senate and the White House, and not one single Republican vote
was needed for reparations.” -J. C. Watts
Definitions:
-Ought Definition: Used to indicate something that is probable (Oxford Dictionary)
-Reparations: The making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or
otherwise helping those who have been wronged (Oxford Dictionary)
Contention 1: Reparations Will Cause Further Inequality.
Subpoint A- Reparations to African Americans exclude other minority groups.
(Latinos, Chinese, Japanese, etc.)
Subpoint B- Reparations to African Americans will Anger other racial groups and
cause further discrimination.
Contention 2: The United States Cannot Afford Reparations
Subpoint A- The U.S. is currently inundated with debt. As of July 13, 2015, the U.S.
is $18,601,785,694,000 in debt, not including state and local debt or unfunded liabilities of
entitlement programs [1]. Even if reparations would theoretically help African Americans, we
have to think about the real life effects that reparations would have. The United States
Census Bureau states that in 2013, there were approximately 45 millions African Americans
in the United States [2]. If we were to give every African American just $500, which
wouldn’t even make a significant impact on their quality of life, we would put the U.S.
$22,500,000,000 further in debt. The point of reparations is to help those who have done
wrong, but submerging people’s country further into an economic catastrophe won’t be
helping any resident within the United States.
Subpoint B- Spending government money on reparations will have not have the
intended effect. Using the government's money to pay for reparations will raise taxes, putting
more African Americans who need money in debt. As of July 13, 2015, each American
citizen is approximately $56,974 in debt [3]. The U.S. Census Bureau stated that the average
income of African American households was $34, 598 [4], meaning the average African
American is approximately $20,000 short of the income they need to be able to pay
taxes. Keep in mind, this is strictly their income, not accounting for money they would need
to use for food, shelter, and other basic necessities. If we use government money to pay for
reparations, it will only put the U.S. further into debt, causing taxes to go up, and putting
more African Americans further in debt.
yeeeeeee
http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/in-plain-sight/wealth-moves-out-grasp-blacks-so-doesopportunity-n305196
McAvey, Kaminski
Con
Sept/Oct Topic
Evidence:
[1] http://www.usgovernmentdebt.us/
[2] http://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2015/cb15-ff01.html
[3] http://www.usdebtclock.org/
[4] http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/demo/p60-249.pdf
(Page 7)