‘Reparations’ is a recipe for strife, not justice

Reparations for slavery used to be a fringe idea, but it’s gaining traction among mainstream Democrats.

Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee has sponsored a bill to study the question, and she has garnered support from Democratic presidential hopefuls Cory Booker, Liz Warren and Beto O’Rourke. At The New York Times, David Brooks now backs it.

Which just goes to prove that there’s nothing so ill-considered that it won’t be taken up by a liberal.

Let’s concede that, when a wrong has been done, reparations should be paid. That’s a foundational principle in law and religion. Slavery was a grievous wrong, and when the slaves were emancipated, they were owed something for their forced labor. And what assistance was offered at the time was inadequate and short-lived.

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