Gary Drescher wrote:

"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
news
wrote:


Frederick Douglass had most of his wages taken aeway from him
when he was a slave. His descendants could probably establish
a sound estimate of just how much money that was.

But how do you give it back to Frederick? His descendants didn't work for
it and don't deserve it.


Do you believe categorically that people do not deserve inheritances? If
that's not your belief, then why don't you believe that Douglass's
descendants deserve to inherit the wealth that Douglass was morally entitled
to have and to bequeath?

I'm not at all against inheritances. The problem here is that you
simply have no way to know what his estate would have been. He may well
have spent his kids inheritance while he was still alive (that is my
plan!). And you probably can't be be assured at this point who all of
his ancestors are. This whole issue of trying to correct 150 year old
wrongs is simply stupid. I can think of a whole lot of other wrongs
commited over the years against probably every group and faction
currently in the USA. Trying to right all of those wrongs would tie up
the courts for decades and only further transfer wealth to the lawyers.

It is simply a stupid idea being put forth for purely political reasons.
THAT is why I am opposed to it.


Matt