My point was not that they will be used for lottery tickets and liquor. My point is that any ONE in a community could bring down the whole if the money is not used wisely. Say there is $100,000 to spread out over a community at any given time. Do you give each individual a check or do you take that and invest it into something the whole community can use? Ted down the street decides to take his $2,000 and go buy drugs while Anonda buys some bookshelves, books, and a computer. Janice buys a Big Screen TV that she's always wanted, and John puts it away in his bank account for later use. Each person has their own wants and when they get a check that they feel they can spend how they want, they'll spend it differently and not consider the community as a whole (in most cases). What if each one of those individuals spent $2,000 on something the community could use as a whole? I don't see much investment in the ghettos in my area of the country, other than basketball courts, and project housing.
The reason I support reparations in some form is because the effects of slavery basically are still around today. There are still racists of course that keep the cycle going, but there are some successful blacks who do not need help anymore. They've broken through stereotypes and made a life for themselves, they beat the system. However, the poor ones could definatly use the help. Just because some beat the system doesn't mean it's easy for all. The goal with reperations is to lift blacks up to reduce or remove the effects of slavery, right? I wouldn't support anything else.
