Followers

Facebook Badge

Athena Smith's Facebook profile

Sunday, October 12

Reparations

Reparations, or compensation in different forms, mainly monetarily, are often used in our society to appease a certain entity. Whether it be one nation to another such as Germany to the Allies after World War I, forcing them to pay a total of 132 billion marks in war reparations or The Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany, forcing Germany to pay out a total of three billion marks to Israel over 14 years. Or even one nation to an individual or group of people such as Germany and German corporations being made responsible for paying out reparations to Jewish individuals in other countries via certain programs, which some sources say will have reached roughly 50 billion dollars by the year 2020. In 1988 the U.S. government approved the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which provided reparations to Japanese-Americans held in interment camps during World War II of which totaled $1.6 billion, roughly 20,000 per person. Reparations date as far back as Rome, and remain a popular trend of compensation for many. 


In Christopher Phillips Six Questions of Socrates he delves into the subject of reparations on a more present event. The September 11th attacks and the way the donation funds were divvied up to the families of the survivors. One of the participants in his dialogue goes on to say 


       “It said that they’re calculating who gets how much based on how much their future earnings would have been. That means the family of a man or woman who died, and who’d been making lots of money, is going to get a lot more from the funds than families of poor people who were victims.” 


Phillips further points out that The New Yorker reported “High end families-those who stand to get the most from the fund-were particularly ‘infuriated’ by the formula, because it limits how much they could get from the fund.” At what point did these families have the right to complain about the donations they were receiving? Did they have the right at all?


            Descendents of slaves have also been asking for reparations for some time to compensate for the free and forced labor during those times, in which many argue has helped make America what it is today. A powerful argument indeed, and a just one at that. Should this generation be forced to pay for another’s mistakes? Especially seeing how far society has come since those times?


            Does war reparations imposed on countries hurt them in the long run? Take Iraq for example, after 1991 a total of $53 billion in war reparations was to be paid out to various countries and individuals. The website, VCNC.org brings up an interesting point, “The war reparations being paid are for damage inflicted by Suddam Hussein’s regime, which no longer exists.” Which will ultimately “prevent the Iraqi people from rebuilding their country,” and ultimately increasing (as we have witnessed) the presence of coalition forces and entities in helping to rebuild Iraq. At what point should a simple forgiveness be issued in order to give a nation the chance to right its wrongs and rebuild?


How do you feel about reparations? Should Germany or other countries/organizations continue to pay out these reparations? Should people be given money or other forms of reparation?

 

 

 

115 comments:

Jason Raimondo said...

I believe that in general reparations do more harm than good. Historically reparations owed by the Germans following WWI are one of the key reasons why the Germans followed an empowering nationalist named Adolph Hitler into WWII. To make a nation very literally pay for their actions in times of war seems ridiculous to me. War is cruel and costly. There is no amount of money that can ever be paid which will reverse the damages of warfare. You may rebuild a school, or build a road with this money, but the psychological effects on the societies involved can not recover through spending.
The act of paying reparations to Europe following WWI held the German nation back. This was a dominant world power which was being forced to live as second class citizens in order to rebuild it's former war time enemies. This led to strong feelings of resentment towards its neighbors, and ultimately allowed WWII to occur.
To take reparations into modern America in the form of 9-11 victims, I believe that because it is not the fault of the US government that we were attacked in 2001, it is not their responsibility to compensate the families involved. The payments made to the families were not court ordered, and were made to help them get over a great tragety, and personal loss. To recieve charity, and then demand more is a sign of poor personal character as far as I am concerned. While my heart goes out to those victims, we are too many years removed from that loss for me to open my wallet on their behalf.
And as far a reparations to African Americans over slavery and social injustices, I have to say that most of my ancestors were not in the United states at the time of American Slavery, they were living on their land in Sicily with no slaves. So, if someone were directly related to slave traders, and owners, then perhaps they will want to open their hearts and wallets to the millions of African Americans that live to an infinately higher standard than their distant relations in Africa. But, I can not possibly ever support something like this personally, because I feel no guilt over something that happened a hundred years before my birth. I also believe that nobody alive today in America was ever a slave in America. Perhaps it is way too late for reparations in the name of this cause.
On the issue of Iraq, I feel like making them pay reparations at this point is counter productive. To make the Iraqis continue to pay for Saddam Hussein's abuses, would be a fast track to a WWII scenario in which the economically broken Iraqis would blame their neighbors for seeking reparations, and start a global conflict. All in all, after looking at each scenario separately I guess that I am 100% against reparations. It seems like a silly idea. Bad things happen to all types of people every day. You would think that by this point in human existence we would be able to understand, and accept that. Moving on should probably always be taken over revenge. A thirst for revenge drew us into Iraq and Afghanistan, and has soiled our reputation as defenders of peace and freedom in the world. Perhaps in another 200 years, that image will be recovered through deeds, and not dollars. Until that time I say if you wish to carry the world's guilt upon your shoulders and bank accounts then feel free to pay reparations, but I will not. The Germans (who have not been Nazis in an awfully long time) should not. The American people should not. And the Iraqi's surely should not.

Unknown said...

I believe that war in itself pays enough in the bloodshed spilt on the battelfield. I do not believe that a single set amount of money could ever really give us back our young men and women who died in the war. Taking monetary retribution from our enemies to "make up" for their mistakes does not even come close to the loss that the hundreds of families' losses from the 9/11 attack. I believe that once war is over that there should be a silent forgiveness should be understood between both parties because why should an entire country be punished for the small percentage of terrorists that caused problems for our country? By making them give us outstanding amounts of money in reparations, we are stopping them from re-building their country. It simply does not make sense.

Crystal said...

I definately dont agree with it. I think that it puts a price on lives that were lost and no one should have a dollar amount set to them even if it's indirectly. It's horrible. Yes, someone should pay, but in what way? money? I dont think mony is the answer, yes money may help rebuild cities that were destroyed or whatever, but it won't bring back the innocent people that have died for no reason. It's like allowing countries to terrorize, because if you have money to make up for it or even oil or whatever, than it's okay to kill innocent people to prove some ridiculous point. I completely disagree. It's foolish to think that war and terrorism should stop completely, but if it didnt happen in the first place, then countries wouldnt have to pay reparations.

Brian H said...

war is expensive, in both blood and money. it costs our nations trillions of dollars, thousands of lives, and a million broken hearts of familes. but with all this comes acual price, the real damage down to all the cities and towns weve destroyed. how could u literally asses war damage? i think its rediculous that someone have to pay for the damegs done in war. and i agree with jason, although it may help rebuild a town, a school, etc., but it cant bring back all the lives destroyed in the past. take 9-11 for instance. we gave compesation to familes that lost loved ones, but at what cost? just to have the more greedy complain about not getting enough. i think when a war is over its over, and there shouldnt be any problems between the 2 countries invloved. it should be peace and then move on. the more we try to compensate for our actions, the more were really gonna have to pay in the end, because we are human, and we make mistakes.

Brandon Vergara said...

I think that the reparations should be paid so that everyone will be happy. There would be no more conflict and people can go on with their lives.

Jecka said...

I don't believe people should be given reparations. I totally agree with Crystal who said it won't bring back innocent lives that were lost. I don't see how we can put a price on a life. A war is a horrible time but when it's done it should be done. I also agree with Brian who says yes the reparations would help build the cities up again but it will not give us back what we have lost. Nothing can change the aftermath of war including the families who now have to deal with the loss of there loved ones. I don't think money will change or alter the way they're feeling especially after 9/11. Many lives were lost and families are still trying to cope.

Harper said...

This subject seems hard for me to comprehend, because to be honest without seeming to ignorant, this is the first time that i am hearing about the process of reparations after a war in the first place. From what I gather it seems only fair to give a warn-torn country money to help build whats been torn- down by another country. However with that said although I do believe in reparations I also believe in a time of forgiveness. It would be most responsible for a date to be put in place in which payments to the torn country comes to an end by the apposing country, so that both countries can have closure and move from the past to a more promising future. Ideally I think a country should only have to pay reparations to another country for a span of 20years at the most. This is plenty of time to build what was damaged.

Aboylan said...

I strongly disagree with reparations. I feel that in war both parties go in knowing what could be lost, which includes the lives of some of their citizens. people who are in the military sign up for that. I support the troops and everything they stand for however, everyone of my friends that has signed up knows that they could possibly die. And as far as countries like Germany paying 65 years later, it doesn't change what happened. The silent forgiveness i think should be understood and it should be left at that. And as paying people go, it wont take away grief or compensate for a families lose. I had family involved in the 9/11 attacks. Those people are remembered as heroes and no monetary value can or will compare to that.

figlio della lupa said...

I am kind of surprised with the responses to this article. In fact, disgusted is a better word but I wanted to sound more polite but I ended up deciding to just speak my mind.
Reparations can be a bad thing as one of the previous posters stated if it's not carefully planned(with Germany in World war 1 being the example.) A lot of people are responding to this in a selfish matter and only thinking for themselves and their people and not the others who suffer the wrath of the double edged sword known as war.
So, countries should be allowed to wage war and completely destroy a country's infrastructure in order to put down a "tyrant" and just leave it that way? I don't think so. Sure,there is poor American troops hurting in the Middle East at this moment but that is a sacrifice they decided to make and that is why they are loved and supported by the American people.
America cannot go into countries and kick the door open and break all the furniture and just leave.
When it comes to putting a price on the life of a person, unfortunately, all our lives have prices. Have we not heard the popular phrase "Everybody has a price!"
Most people fail to comprehend that reparations are not always about making people's families happy, but helping a country to reconstruct a heavily damaged infrastructure. America already has a terrible reputation in the international community, how would America look if they decided to cut back the funding to Iraq for re-building purposes?
I cannot really comment on the slavery issue since I do not have any black ancestors. I do not agree that people who's descendants from hundreds of years ago should have to pay for their atrocities. That is also a concept that is poorly constructed in America as a whole. "Europeans made slavery!"..last time I checked, the nations that were involved with slavery could be counted with the fingers of one hand. While there was European folks enslaving, there was some back in Europe fighting for their own national freedom. rambled on a bit on this one.

CandaceRenee07 said...

I feel as if reparation’s is a complete waste of money. What happened, happened. It’s in the past and there is nothing we can do about it now. Why should you pay one money for something they had absolutely nothing to do with. Their ancestors have suffered, I understand, however; just be thankful that they suffered and you don’t have too. People just want money in whatever way they can get it so they use their ancestors as a reason.
I think Germany should stop paying reparations. What happened during the wars was a horrific thing but at this point, you have to just move on. There is so many things you can do with that money to make your country a better place. The people who receive the reparations take it for granted.
Personally, I can understand reparations to the IMMEDIATE family involved. In some situations, loosing that significant other can ruin a family….. However, 30 years down the road, there is no reason to give money to those uninvolved.

Artimid said...

Wow, the first comment pretty much summed up anything I might want to say. Props to Jason Raimondo.
I guess since I have to type in 100 words, I will just add that Germany paying reparations is the reason the German dollar became so worthless that people had to use barrels of money to buy a loaf of bread. They had to print more money in order to give it out, thus lowering it's value.
My family never owned slaves, as my branch of our family wasn't in the country at the time,we came over during the potato famine. I do not feel it is right to expect me to pay for other peoples crimes, the same way I don't feel it proper that we have to let the first immigrants who kicked out their competition get away with no taxes and other fun things. Ah, if anyone didn't know, I refer to "Native Americans" The people who just happened to wander here before us, since we all came from the same little area in Africa/China - depending on which branch of study you want to follow.
Also, asking the US to pay reparations for things like slavery, maybe they should ask the countries that first had slaves and were the people who shipped slaves to the US for trading as well. I believe that country is now called... what was it... oh yeah, Spain.
In essence, as I think this is my word count, reparations are wrong and unfair since nobody who is alive today was a slave, or is effected, by anything more than their own choice, by what happened during that time.
War reparations are one thing, but we can't claim the entire countries revenue, we have to take enough so that the country is able to survive on it's own. Jason Raimondo pointed out exactly what happened with Germany, after the war they were forced to be a third world country, and after a while they snapped. Look what good that did everyone.

figlio della lupa said...

To reply to Artimid's comments, Spain was not the first country to deal with slaves nor was it the biggest one to do business with America, it was Portugal.
source: http://www.arm.arc.co.uk/LordsHansard.html

lkm1991 said...

I think reparations from any country to any country for damages incurred by a war are always inadequate. It is not so much a monetary compensation for damage to a nation's infrastructure
that is necessary but dsmage for the loss of human life. How does one measure the loss and value of a life according to any monetary standard. There is no sufficient measurement because of the psychological effects as the article suggests. I do believe the reparations required of Germany after World War I were over reaching and probably contributed greatly to the cause of World War II. I also believe reparations were owed to the Japanese for their absurd incarceration inWorld War II was valid. On the other hand I think the African Americans who keep pushing for reparationw for slavery conditions sufferd by their ancestry 150 to 200 years ago is ridiculous. In the first instance the people requesting reparation have not sufferred any undue financial distress or loss of opportunity any more so than any other American citizen today. The African American community needs to get over it. I am sorry but people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are just looking to blackmail our nation for their own avaricious gain. Like Bill Cosby has said.In this day and age if an African American today cannot succeeed it is not because of any discrimination pushed upon him. However, I do think reasonable reparations as a token monetaary
recompense for loss is just. However, I do believe that the victims of 9/11 need to be more appropriate in their expectations.

Gator_Gal5 said...

I don't believe that people or countries should have to pay reparations. The peopl who die can not and should not have a price tag mark on them. They died for many reasons and you can't say that because of this or because of that, that they didn't do enough or they did way more then enough before they died so their worth this much!! That's just wrong. Let's talk about 9/11. It wasn't the US governments fault that those lives were lost so I don't believe that they should give reparations to those families. I also don't believe that families of past slave owners or traders should pay the familes of past slaves. We couldn't decide what our ancestors did so why should we have to pay for it. I mean I have Native American and Irish in me along with some other heritages but you don't see me getting money for my Ancestor's bloodshed. I just think it's moral wrong to take money for something that you couldn't control or to give money for any reason!!

Dr.Beemdaddy said...

I think reparations should be paid for the mistakes of countries and the tradgedy that occured to those on 9/11. For a nation to pay for a war that was thier fault is only just and right. Thousands were killed in in WW1 and it seems right for Germany to pay for what they destroyed and for the economies that they drug down. It may have left their country poor, but it serves as a constant reminder never to rise up and use violence in a time of peace.
To counter Mr. Jason Raimondo's last entry about 9/11, my uncle was badley injured in the attacks. He was a fireman and shattered his knees when trying to rescue people from the rubbish. He had very limited insuence and the NYFD had to much on its hands to pay the bill so needed the reparation paid by the government to get his eight surgeries. He did not grubb for money or request any, but who knows what would have happened without that money.

Athena Smith said...

Slavery is an ancient institution found in ancient Greece, Egypt, Assyria, the Islamic Caliphate, ancient Rome etc. IN ancient Sparta, the Spartans subjected the whole populations of Laconia and Messinia to some form of semi-slavery called helotry.
During the Middle Ages the “institution” was so widespread in Europe that under the Carolingian dynasty that founded France and Germany, 20% of the population were slaves.
Also I would like to emphasize that slavery exists today. In Africa it is practiced extensively in Sudan and Mauritania (actually it has been in existence for centuries there) while in the western countries human trafficking and child trafficking (which is the latest form of slavery) has acquired worrisome proportions.

You may want to read Slaves at the heart of Europe, a report by the Council of Europe.

jayci57 said...

I don't agree with this at all. I don't believe that any amount of money can give back anything that anybody truly lost. The money may help by building schools, fixing the town and so on, but it will never really replace the more important things that we lost. I think war is pointless and it takes away so many innocent lives. I am not a supporter of the war and think this whole article is ridiculous and no country should have to pay money for this.

Nelly12345 said...

In my opinion, the only legitimate case when reparations helps is to rebuild what was destructed during war. In the matter of families being given money due to the fact that their loved one was killed during 911, It is a gesture of "were sorry" but probably not in the right way. I could think this way just because of my feelings about money, that money should never have the power to replace people, or become more important than people .. so my thinking is: how does money make up for the fact that this family does not have their father anymore? Yes, its true that it helps the family keep going, and financial troubles are less likely that way, but for some reason, in my opinion, it seems slightly insulting. "Here take this money, sorry for your loss but this cash should help you feel less sad, right?" I could be looking at this situation from more of an emotional standpoint, rather than a rational one, but I know that if my mother, father, sister, boyfriend, or anyone else close to me passed away (knock on wood) accepting money because of the fact that they were dead would seem wrong. What would I even spend money like that on? I would feel too guilty for having it to spend it on anything. In the case of war, yes reparations helps rebuild what was destroyed, but in the case of people? reparations seems morally incorrect. How can you pay someone money to "right the wrong" of that person not having their loved one?

Lessner said...

agjlal

Lessner said...

I do not believe in paying back reparations due to conflicts of war and cruelty.The people that are usually getting paid the reparations had nothing to do with the war,the struggle,the cruelty,etc.I think the money should go to the country as a whole and not the individuals.The money should be used on education,healthcare,poverty,etc., in order to help the welfare of the entire country rather than making a select few rich.I think some people do take advantage of the guilt felt by the governments and they should not be rewarded for doing absolutely nothing.It is definitely sad that we have to go to war or worry about terroristic attacks but there is definitely no amount of money that could make the tragedies feel less tragic. This is something that has to be recognized,analyzed,and prevented from happening again.Each country has to learn how to better handle unexpected situations and how to take care of its people as a whole.We can never become a nation if we only think about the individual.

goodriddens said...

I think that for the most part reparations are not a good thing. When it comes to wars, which it seems most come from, it does more harm than anything. Usually because the country who "loss" the war has to pay money to the winning "country" for the harm they did when both did harm to each other. And the one that lost probably has no money to pay them with thus hurting the country even more.
When it comes to genocide with the jews or Slavery, I think it is the choice of the decendents to pay the reparations or not, because it was not them but their forefathers that did it and the payment wouldnt be going to the victim but rather their decendent when the may only be asking for it not to be repaid for harm to thier ancestors, but to help them out of debt or something.
But when it comes disasters I am not really sure how I feel. It is a good thing because the poorer families will be hurt with the loss of income so they should get some, but how much? While the more well off families wouldn't be hurt as much, most likely, but they too are entitled to some of the donations. But then comes the question of how much should the families get? Should it be according to income? Or by how much this will hurt them in the long run?

And also I feel that if someone has to pay reparations for something that thier country or ancestors did it will cause more damage because that person(s) will feel more hatred or revengeful for having to pay for something they themselves did not commit.

Overall reparations are a very negative thing, expcept in certian situations, which even then can turn to conflict

Dgirl89 said...

I feel that people should not get reparations for the past history of many countries of war, slavery etc; You cannot put money to someones name who has passed away. I do feel bad for the families for things that have happend in the past, but you have to pick up your life and move on. The 9/11 situation of reparations, if they are going to give reparations to the families of the victims of 9/11 why do the rich get more of an amount of money than the poor? That is totally not right. When something is done, it is done and over with you cannot turn back the hands of time and change anything.

ALong said...

Ultimately, I believe that reparations are a bad idea. I think that it is a country's way of blaming someone for a war or tragedy, and blaming is never the route to take. Rebuilding a nation is much more important than paying out monetarily, which can be detrimental to a country. Besides, how does someone put a price on lives? If anything, countries should be supported in rebuilding after a war. (ie Iraq)
All in all, I think these reparations do more damage to shakey nations; another path should be taken in order to encourage strength.

Snake said...

Making people pay for something that their earlier generations did is something that I think we shouldn't do. Having to fight in a war and losing your life over it is punishment enough. We shouldn't have to make people pay with their lives and money. If they have to keep paying reparations for it they will never be able to rebuild themselves and thus make them want to fight more. But then again if we know that someone would never change like Hitler, we should make them pay so that they couldn't be able to make an army to start another war or at least keep an eye on them and make sure that they only use the money to help their own economy and nothing to start a war with. Overall I think that its still wrong to have reparations on countries after they are defeated and lose all their money and then have to pay the victor.

Anonymous said...

I think reparations is a way for the winning government to pay for the war. In ww1 when the Germans failed on the conquering of Europe they made them pay for the war BECAUSE they started the war. It is a punishment for starting some sort of conflict on the terms of conquering. Just like in desert storm when iraq went into kuwait.I don't support this war we are in now, but I do support our troops being there. The government really shouldn't have to pay for reparation.

DiamondSteel47 said...

In event such as 9/11 I believe a certain amount of Reparation should be in line considering many families would have been broken up whether it had been a husband losing a wife or a wife losing a husband, a reparation could help ease the stress of trying to make ends meet. In the case of war, I think as American we have always had the idea that we will level your country and then rebuild it, I believe the only reason America engages in this is to show the world a good gesture, but I also believe it does more harm than good.

yo moma said...

The same way some families have one parent that works and one that doesn't, the one who does sets up a fund in case anything happened to himself/herself their children or significant other wouldn't suffer. You always have to prepare yourself and the ones you love to be protected, you can't rely on someone else to make things happen for you such as the government. Reparations to 9/11 victims, even if my heart goes out to them, should have had this system in place. We shouldn't be paying for the action terrorist did who we had nothing to do with. To ask Iraq to repay us for all the money the US has spent is simply stupid. All the hard work would have gone to waste seeing as it's only going to make it harder for them to rebuild their country. Besides also the point, they didn't ask for our help and most had nothing to do with the actions. If the case is African American slavery, I don't think we should pay for something that our ancestors did, and that many of us don't agree with.

Basically, many of the ways you would fund reparations takes money from people who had NOTHING to do with it. That's wrong and I think it hinders a growing economy.

Ronald O. Horne said...

I will half to agree with what most people have been saying on their posts and say I don’t think people should be given reparations. It’s not going to change much the damage is already done to the families of people that lost their lives over something more than likely easy. It’s a good thing that we would be able to rebuild the cities up again but I think if we don’t even destroy the buildings in the first place imagine what this money could go to. Also if something is rebuilt its still never going to be exactly the same. Lots of people are using 9/11 as a example, the families that were largely effected by this tragedy wouldn’t want anything more than to see their loved ones. The reparations are not going to really affect how the people feel, the damage is done.

eney352 said...

I dont like reparations. At the same time i think its just something that we have to deal with. I strongly believe that nobody should have to pay for another's mistakes. It's not fair at all. This is something that goes on in our society everyday though. For example, the war in Iraq has been costing us $10 billion a month, and they wonder why the economy is soooo bad. We spent over $400 billion. I'm pretty sure we can do numerous of better things with $400 billion. I know i can. People have to pay for other people mistakes all the time that's just life. For example, when your younger sibling disobeys your parents' orders and you were there to possibly prevent them. There's a chance that you might get punished along with your little sibling and you aint even do nothing. But i think reparations cost too much money and mistakes shouldn't be that expensive. Learn from your mistakes dont pay for them.

mescobar3 said...

I think reparations may actaully back fire in the 1st place then help. Because Germany payed reparations is the most simplest reason they followed Adof Hitler. When Germany lost the war it hurt them obviously. However, adding the fact they had to pay everyone just put the ultimate slap to there face which caused the easy take over of Hitler.
Personally like for war reasons strictly, reparations should not be a major concern. Its a war there is going to be a winner and a loser. Therefore, paying someone for their losses doesn't make any sense because no one is paying for your own. If countries fight in war and lose then pay for the harm they caused only, will set them back as a nation forever. In conclusion, reparations should not be considered unless for the a ridiculous reason because it just leads to more evil then before.

supergirl said...

I believe that the benefit of reparations don't outweigh the cost of them, so therefore, I don't believe they're functional. I think that the best way for a situation to be solved is not to add another controversial thing to the problem. By enforcing reparations, it only prolongs the negative situation looming over both parties.

The fact that people are arguing over the amount of monetary reparation they receive for their elders’ or family member’s problems is preposterous. Those that disagree with the amount of money they are receiving have lost focus of what has happened to them. It shows the great importance that many American’s put on money.

I think that if a country already has a system for paying reparations, they should continue to pay these out since it has already been established. I also believe that people should be given different reparations than money. I don’t have a better substitute for money, but I do believe that the type of reparation you receive for something should relate to the situation and the circumstances.

Darren L. said...

Wow i feel really strongly that reperations should not be paid. It is ridiculous that people think "let's give it to people and we will all be happy." This idea isin't very well thought. Personally i think, that slavery has been around for milleniums and i think it is ridiculous for certain groups of people to get paid out of all of history. Society would not be pleased if people's money was taken and given to another for work they never did. What about the Native Americans who had their land taken and then enslaved? Are the same people who get these reparations going to give back their land to the native american who lived there and had their land taken by force? A generation almost a century and a half after slavery ended should not have to pay for their reparations.

RAwildcats06 said...

I do not think that there is any amount of money that can come close to replacing a loved ones life. Yes it helps pay the bills but that does not take the pain away. I reparation should not always be paid. Wars cost countries enough money as it is. I think that if one country is going to pay the other country after a war for there damages what is the point in the war. It just does not makes since to me.I think that both parties should realize that they have done something wrong and take care of rebuilding their own land.

RSXGirlie1988 said...

After reading this article, I felt a little perturbed by it. I think reparations will cause more harm than good. If I'm understand this right (please correct me if I'm wrong) reparations just means "I'm sorry that I destroyed your towns and cities. Here is some money to make it up to you." The psychological and emotional affects that wars have on people go way beyong what money can repair. What about all the MIA's, schools that were bombed, families that were torn apart? Money or reparations is not going to bring those people back home or make it better. If people want to help or coutries want to help, volunteer to rebuild churches and schools and banks. I don't believe reparations should be used anymore. It is only going to cause turmoil between the people anyway. As the article said how the charity fund was split after 9/11. Some people are not going to be happy regardless. I think all countries involved in a war understand the risks they are playing with. If they choose to go to war, they should not make their future generations pay for it.

Ashley Michelle said...

I do not believe that other countries should pay reparations. I don't think we should be punished by paying for things that we had no control over. It's like holding a grudge, just let it go. All people see today are money signs in their eyes. They don't think about this generation or our future generation, all they care about is, is putting a price tag on every single thing. Feelings are not envolved at all. It just makes me so sick on how innocent people died from the Holocaust, and how reparations held everyone back. Look at all the people who died from 9/11. People were jumping out of buildings to save themselves from being burned alive, and still, instead of a name tag placed around the toe of their foot, a price tag is placed there. I honestly think the world is getting worse, not better.

Artimid said...

figlio della lupa - Thank you for correcting me, sorry about that. I am pretty sure I knew it, but I have a horrible time actually remembering correctly.
So, I leave Spain in my memory clean, and let it be filled with whatever Anthony Bordain tells me about it. :)

kndglv@yahoo.com said...

It is hard to talk about reparations without making everyone mad. The Germans should be thankful Berlin did not end up like Nagasaki. As far as specific monetary reparations to the Jews? No way. It would send the message, that what the Nazis did was okay, as long as you put an expensive bandage over it. It is too easy to commit fraud (like we found out in 9/11)and it does not bring any of those murdered people back.
Reparations in America? No way. Everyone likes to ignorethe fact: MOST AMERICANS DID NOT OWN SLAVES! Alot of slave traders were African. Will there ever be reparations paid by those Ivory Coast merchants? NO. Beside it was the Confederacy that supported slavery, and it does not even exsist anymore. Where would that money come from?
The Japenese Internists, were lucky they were here in a camp in America, instead of being forced to pilot a Kamakazi plane, or worse stuck in Hiroshima or Nagasaki. NO REPARATIONS.

sweetmenthol said...

I think forgiveness is the best policy, reparation brings more harm than good. Although money is good,you can do a lot of things like building the country lots of amenities but can not replace everything else that has been lost.Families that lost their loved ones in a war,in 9/11, a man that became handicap for the rest of his life thru war, all of this peoples lives will never be the same.And making other people pay for what happen to this people can not restore the damage that has already been done. I think if nations will cultivate the habbit of forgiving others, peace will reign and everybody will be able to live in love and harmony.Reparation is not the answer, it will only create more enemity between nations.

ehendry89 said...

i am kind of between. i see reparations as a good thing and something that means nothing. i think it is a good thing because no matter what anyone says things cost money. after war, its going to coast money to fix the country destroyed, to help the people that got hurt will cost money. that id the only way i think it a good thing. on the other hand its like putting a price on someones life. a person's life is priceless...no matter how rich or poor you are. nothing could ever bring back all those men and women who died for our country. wars have been going on for years. and when it comes down to it money is able to fix things when its over. yeah innocent people died, but that is what those people were trained for. the people who join the military know they are laying their life on the line for their country and know that death could come at any time. it is very sad that people die that way but atleast they died in honor. in the end i am on the line between agreeing and disagreeing.

chantillylace26 said...

I think reparations on paper seem good, but they really don't create any benefit to the country in the long run. As fars as slavery goes, I don't think this generation should have to pay for those reparations, when we weren't the ones who caused the damage in the first place. I do think however, that people should respect those who have suffered on the behalf of violence and war. I think giving a deceased person honor is more gratifying than paying for their families happiness. Asking for huge amounts of money for someone's death seems somewhat selfish.

Trau said...

As for countries still paying reparations for wars long past I think that they should no longer have to. The people there are a different generation and can not be responsible for their ancestors miss-doings.

Though I do see Reparations a good thing, even if its just to help rebuild the cities they destroyed and give some kind of payment for the people who lost their loved ones.

Madeline said...

Wow.. this is an interesting and rather difficult topic. On the one hand I this repartions are good. When someone has been an inocent victim of war or a terrorist act I feel some sort ot reparation in the form of money or social prgrams should be available. Someone who was made a single mother or father after 9-11 and is now solely responsible for their childrens lives and futures may need some help and I feel that person would be entititled to that help. But I can also see the other side... how long should a governnment or organization be expected to pay? I don't think we will ever be able to come up with a specific time frame.... A topis like this is quite the slippery slope as we have clearly seen. As soon as you make reparations to one group of people, another group of people comes up and wants to know why they aren't receieving money for the things they have been through. I do think there should be money applied to help with the affects of a war or terrorist attack... money to families... and I actually agree that it should be based on what the person killed would have earned as in the 9-11 case. That is how much they would have received if that person had lived, so in my opinion that is what they would be entitled to.

Anonymous said...

I believe reparations are a very good way for us to fix past mistakes. I also believe however, that there should be a limit on just how much money someone is supossed to receive. (all depending on what caused the reparation to be given in the first place). Time heals most wounds, and money helps speed up the process but reparations can take a toll on a nations wellfare so they should be used with caution.
Take Germany, for example. After WW2, they where in charge of a massive bill that covered the entire cost of the war(granted, they were responsible for most of the damage caused)that seems a little to much when you consider the country had to recover itself before it could actually begin to worry about extra cost like reparations.(A similar situation could be going on in Iraq)
Reparations regarding slavery and 9/11 are a different matter. Slavery took place a long time ago and 9/11 was not our fault. (at least, not directly). I do feel sorry for the victins of both inccidents but, enough is enough. I believe the issue of slavery was resolved a long time ago and the 9/11 vitims should move on. We did what we could.

sduffy3 said...

I think that to a certain extent, reparations are beneficial. Innocent victims of tragedy should be able to get some type of help after losing a loved one- possibly the loved one that brought in the family income. For a certain period of time, the family should receive help, but not forever. It is drastic and terrible that they have lost someone so dear, but in reality, our country cannot afford to pay forever.

On the subject of slavery, I just think that paying out reparations on that is ridiculous. Again, slavery was terrible, and something that I wish could be taken back- but it can't. It happened, and it is not our generation's fault that it did. I feel for families that experienced that, but it was so long ago that we cannot honestly be expected to make up for it.

So as far as my thoughts on reparations go, I believe donations should be made to help families. But only for tragedies JUST occurring now, and only for a set period of time, allowing them to move on and get back on their feet again.

Anonymous said...

Well, i believe for doing damages to another country you shouldn't have to pay them money. It's obvious that we don't go to war over little stuff so when we fight they should just look out for what's coming from both our country and their country. We shouldn't feel responsible for repairing their country, when they decided to go to war. As past times have shown war is just a common things between two big empires. But, the 2001 attack in NY City and Washington was a big deal because those were morewidespread images rather than the streets of Iraq. So in all fairness wars have been on for centruies, as long as their is a bigger better empire then there will always be wars among these nations.

hunter07 said...

I have never heard this term being used but I have heard of the U.S. helo=ping to rebuild the country they have destroyed. I dont know that it is a good. Just because you can pay enough money to make someone happy for a while you cant bring back all the lives that were lost in the war. There is no price tag on life and there shouldn't be, a person can not be replaced. The reparations are helpful to rebuild the country that was destroyed in the war but the money doesnt make it all better it is like a band aid it can cover up the wounds but they are still there and lives were still lost.

torasu said...

I feel reparations are the only way to repay a country, group of individuals or idividual in a fair way. To me, most of the world would be grateful if they were to recieve money, and I see it the greatest goft of all. (for people who are asking for compensation from a government) I mean, think about it, what else could you possibly give them? Only money will do. I think Germany should coninue to pay these reparations because it may be true that it is another generations mistakes, but it was the whole country that was against Jews, the WHOLE country!! And therefore, the government of the WHOLE COUNTRY should pay the reparations

Nurse4U said...

I'm not too familiar with these reparations, but from what I am reading I don't see how a set amount of money would ever make me feel better about losing a loved one. How can you put a price on someone's life? Who decides the dollar amount? And why should we pay for things our ancestors did? None of us were there. We can't change the past and I don't feel paying people will solve anything. If my ancestors bought slaves will I be reimbursed as well? It's so ridiculous.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Disneyfreak said...

I must say that I am in agreement with harpor, on one fact. I did not know about reparation when it comes to war. I have heard about it when it comes to doctors and sometimes building constructors. I don’t think though that it is right in the idea of war. There is no way that you can put an amount on a person’s life. The instances that I know of, of someone getting reparation is in an instance where a construction worker gets hurt on the job and so the company pays him reparation for the time that he is unable to work. However in the thought of war I don’t think that we or other countries should have to pay reparation. Those men and women that get killed on duty are ones that willing signed up to go into the war when they know their life was on the line. As far as repaying the victims of the 9-11 attack that is really difficult because they did not sign up for war they were just doing there every day tasks when they were killed, but how do you put an amount on a life? In their case I think that the reparation was not given to the families to make up for the lives their loved ones, but to help them to continue to be able to support themselves and to have a little bit of an easier life, not having to worry about losing everything.

Athena Smith said...

In 2002, three corporations, insurer Aetna, railroad CSX and financial services firm FleetBoston were accused of profiting from slavery as they were "unjustly enriched" by "a system that enslaved, tortured, starved and exploited human beings." Aetna had acknowledged issuing life insurance policies on an number of slaves, naming their owners as beneficiaries. Fleet's earliest predecessor bank was founded by John Brown, a notorious Rhode Island slave trader. CSX owned early rail lines built by slaves.
Four years later, the appeals court ruled that the plaintiff’s claims should be dismissed without barring them from refiling. Even if a plaintiff showed that Aetna insured slaves or that JPMorgan Chase lent money to slave-buyers, "there is no way to determine that a given black American today is worse off by a specific, calculatable sum of money ... as a result of the conduct."

Athena Smith said...

The arguments against reparations have focused on the fact that the penalty should be imposed to those directly responsible for the perpetration of slavery. Also during slavery Europeans were among those profiting from the labor of slaves. Furthermore identification of descendants would be a daunting task. Finally there is the statute of limitations.

Livelife220 said...

I personally don’t agree with the idea on reparations. I just think it’s pointless for countries and other organizations to pay for something that happened in the past. To get to the point, I think what happened in the past, happened in the past. Historical events like World War 1 should never be forgotten but it should be let go and forgiven. We have already lost so many innocent people and soldiers who fought for the right cause; we really can’t do anything about it. But, what we can learn from history and sacrifices people made is to know that they were heroes and to live a better life (for that’s what they wanted all along). However, to a certain extent, I do think that people should be given money /other forms of reparations (only limited money so they can rebuild their lives) because they didn’t do anything wrong. I think it’s unfair for them to suffer and pay the consequences for people’s mistakes.

Nathan Howard said...

I don't believe people should be given reparations. It will not bring back innocent lives that were lost. There is no price on life. I know I would not want to have a face value to me. Wars are usually caused by disagreement and the outcome is the outcome there should be no reparations at all. Each country should have to figure a way to rebuild what they helped destroy, it takes more than 1 county for a war. Also why should a generation that wasnt involved in something have to pay for others mistakes.

Jessica said...

There are certain types of reparations I would agree with. For example, I believe that our government should pay money to soldiers who die in combat. Their family member died for a country that was not theirs and for a reason that was never really disclosed. In that case, the government should be responsible for taking care of those families perhaps financially devastated by the loss.

However, in regards to slavery? No, reparations should not be made. It was very long ago and it's an expense that our country cannot afford. The country would be making innocent citizens pay for something that has nothing to do with them any further. After all, the money comes from our tax dollars. Many American families had nothing to do with slavery (after all, mine didn't even come over to America until the early 1930s... should I have to help pay?).

In regards to a comment about World War II, it may never have happened if we hadn't forced Germany to pay reparations in World War I. We forced them into a deep economic depression that allowed a charismatic leader to come into power. Because of that, the world suffered one of the most publicized tragedies of our time. I think reparations cause more harm than good.

Therefore it can be best said that I believe that in the immediacy of deaths in war and the families financially burdened by such a tragedy that reparations should be made. However, not for descendants of slaves because, well, to move forward you have to move past such things.

PixieBob said...

I do not believe in the idea of reparations. The thought that monetary value can be put on tragedy and war disturbs me.People die and history is changed on a constant basis... that is just reality. To put a price tag on peoples lives is dispicable, and to force countries destroyed by war to pay money out to other countries is unjust because the payers will not be able to rebuild and start over.
I think that the past is exactly that...the past. While history should be preserved for the knowledge of future generations, it should not be allowed to make them pay for past mistakes.

joeyohweoh said...

I believe reparations are a good thing due to the costly expensive of war and how it changes the way of life for the counties involved. War is inevitable to man it has been condoned from the beginning of time there is no way around it. Therefore I do strongly agree that Germany and other counties should pay reparations due to the fact of the major causalities and financial debts that were caused during WWI & WWII. If countries cannot pay for reparations they should pay by another form like land or natural resources.

Belle said...

This is a difficult topic for the single fact that I do not think about reparations ever or really realize it is happening. I hate the idea of putting a value on a life that was lost. Each and every person who lost their life on 9/11 had family members that loved them dearly. Each family dealt with horrifying grief and money is being distributed by how well off they were? That is not right to me! I also do not think it is right for the people receiving the money to complain about how much they are receiving. They should not complain at all!! If anything they should be thankful and appreciative for any donations.

If countries like Germany have an agreement to pay reparations then I do think they should keep paying reparations. It should be considered just for future instances if we or anyone should have to pay reparations.

Caduceus01 said...

I have mixed views on this one. On the one hand I think when atrocities such as occurred in Germany, reparations might be in order. The millions of people were killed,tortured or displaced and their properties confiscated. those peoples and or their relatives were certainly due so form of repayment at the end of the war or shortly thereafter. However, one should have a reasonable timetable. On the other hand making reparations to the African Americans who are desendants of slaves, I think the time for that has come and gone. If we our to consider that which occurred over a hundred years ago plus, why would anyone want to stop there. I am quite sure if one were to go back far enough you would find a family member who was a slave. Perhaps in Greece or Egypt and any of many other empires that were built with the blood of men and women who were slaves. Regarding 9/11, I feel that there should have been equitable dispersement of monies rather than calculating the lost potential incomes of those who lost their lives in this tragedy. Surely your mother,father brother, sister, wife, husband,son or daughter has the same value as mine regardless of who made more money. I will say that half a million or a million should have sufficed. I think I would have been embrassed to ask for more than that, it wasn't a lottery, it was meant to assist those unfortunate people deal with their tragic losses, not make millionaires. Sounds to much like blood money. Just my opinion!
Post script,
What happened to those who were brought this country and made slaves was a horrendous crime and it should have never happened. Look at what we did to the American Indian another tragedy, even worse they were basically wiped out. Pick a country and you will find skeletons in the closet.

kirby <(^_^)> said...

Reparations are good when the damage is small but wartime reparations are ridiculous and last past many of the generations not involved with the conflict to begin with. At the moment there are not any other solutions to wartime reparations but paying money as a forced apology doesn't seem as though it would completely get the lesson learned. Now I do know that because of WWII Germany now has the most comprehensive teaching as to the holocaust, the common misconception is that "it didn't happen" Germany's government and citizens are more serious about preventing another genocide than perhaps the group affected by it. The Jewish culture in Germany of people will never be the same but hopefully we have learned a valuable lesson.

dragonfly said...

In the Webster dictionary it states, “reparations, compensation in money, material, labor, etc., payable by a defeated country to another country or to an individual for loss suffered during or as a result of war”. In my opinion, I think if a country’s businesses profited from the forced labor using prisoners , and the prisoners survived the horrific inflictions should be paid reparation. Speaking of the Holocaust, many businesses used concentration camp slaves to make millions of dollars to expand the profit. To mention one in particular, Daimler-Benz should be liable to paid reparations to the remaining survivors. The voices of survivors speak out of the physical and mental exhaustion, highly malnourished. Their lives have been shattered and permanently damaged and left to survive in broken memories. How dare we say that big corporations who gain billions of dollars should profit from it. Living in America and having equal opportunities with the best possible working condition, I believe that people of America benefited from this tragic point in history.
I am not speaking of wars, as in the 9/11. Paying reparation to families of the victims is not the same thing. People were working at the World Trade Center by choice and giving good salaries. Although, war is tragic in itself, but using slaved labor to gain profits is a whole different situation. I think companies whether in America or other countries should be hold accountable and pay reparation to the victims (survivors only) they victimized to gain from their labor. As far as their families and relatives are concerned, I do not think that companies should be obligated to pay the families reparation since it was not the family who was abused. Today, we have injury insurance and welfare assistance to assist families who are is victims at work (working conditions), in the community or in personal injuries. I think that the Holocaust has played a major role preventing big corporation, government, and society from abusing labor and labor conditions. Lives sometimes are used to restore the present times and to keep history from repeating itself.

clalexa said...

Reparations payments in some many cases are necessary. I understand the point of view of who don’t agree with these payments but the new generations or survivors of the affected parties are being affected by the excess and the wrong doing of the past. Take for example the Native American Indians massacred and no land left. In the other hand some reparations payment are taken to the extreme and they are enforce in my eyes in an unfair way. The governments should review some of these and apply new regulations and norms that will make these payments more reasonable to the affected parties and the society.

Unknown said...

I don’t think countries should have to pay reparations. I agree that is does more harm than good in the long run. As the article said, countries like Iraq are paying for Hussein’s crimes and Germany for Hitler’s. How can the penalties be imposed when the guilty regime is no longer in existence? As far as the reparation for 9/11 victim’s families, I believe it should have been a flat amount across the board for all regardless of how much their future earnings would have been. No one can fairly assume how much an individual may have made 10 years down the road. And really, is one life worth more than another?

TACK Ministry said...

Honestly, I must admit that I myself am unfamiliar with the arena of reparations. From what i've read on the posts and the original article posted however, I am leaning more towards reparations but only to the direct family members of the person that has lost their life in an event similar to the 9/11 attacks. As far as slavery, and the slaughter of the Jews, I empathize and if this was something that was just happening I would be all for compensating those that have been affected. But going back decades and centuries for the sake of monetary compensation is a little overboard.

JK said...

i dont agree with the idea of reparations. I feel that it is a waste of money that causes more harm then good. Most of the time if someone close is lost in war there is no dollar amount that you can give to the family to bring them back, or make them feel better about the situation. They could repay the familys but i feel that money isnt an option. You could rebuild the citys or use all that reparation money to open some positive community org. I feel that it would be more positive to take all those millions that there handing out and put them towards a cure for cancer or to prevent war happening, and pointless lost lifes.

Miranda said...

I believe that reparations are a waste of time and money, it does not make up for the fact that lives were ruined, homes were destroyed and lives were lost. You can not put a price on the human life. Plus, the money never really goes back to the people. The government normally just keeps it most of the time! Forgiving another nation for being in a war and losing alot of money is probably the best way to go. what im trying to say is that i totally am against the whole idea!

Kazoom525 said...

Under none of these circumstances does it seem to me that money is the correct answer. Money just makes people greedy, and using it to make up for what others have done just adds on to the whole "you owe me" way of life we seem to be adapting to more and more. I personally would be more honored by a sincere, heartfelt apology from whomever has wronged me. If it was an entire nation they should have an elected offical go to where ever they have done their damage and publicly apologize to anyone who wishes to come and hear it. I understand that this will not appease some people, but to those who will not accept an apology really deserve money? I don't think so. I think those people are users and will try to get whatever they can from whoever they can and no one should feed into them.

Enigma Breeze said...

I don't think war reparations really help fix anything. I mean sure people get paid for their time and suffering but money really can't bring back their time or life or family or whatever was taken away. War is already ridiculously expensive to a country and to have to pay out more money after it is just stupid. I understand making amends and all but if the reasons to go to war were evaluated beforehand then paying reparations wouldn't be an issue. I do think that reparations should go to people that had their lives taken from them such as the Jews during the Holocaust or people that have been wrongly imprisoned. Of course it doesn't give them back their lives but at least they have money to rebuild some of their life. As far as today's African American people receiving reparations I don't know. Slaves then did the work, not blacks today so reparations should have been paid to the freed slaves back then. It would be great, however, if they were paid equally and viewed as people and not black people.

pcenluv08 said...

I think that reparations for things like families of the survivors from 9/11 are a good thing. Of course the money doesn`t bring back lives or make any wrongs right, but I think that any amount of extra money will always help. However I think that all the families should receive the same amount of money, and that it should not be based off of what the average income was before. I also think it is ridiculous that families were complaining about the amount of money they were receiving, it is ridiculous because the money is a donation and one should be thankful for what they get.

incendiary said...

Personally, I feel that reparations are something that should be given as compensation for a wrong or injury done. However, in many cases, reparations are granted based solely on the fact that there is a lack in money, regardless of who is to blame, and who is paying the reparations. I am not saying that they should not exist, I simply do not like the fact that they sometimes, I, as a tax payer have to pay for reparation donations to Iraq, when I am completely opposed to the war in the first place. However, as far as September 11 goes, I am completely in favor of this circulation because those people had a sudden crisis, and I do not honestly believe that without the help of some reparations they could have survived such a great hit, especially a family with young children. This theory is also applicable to other countries as well such as Germany, etc. I think that in certain circumstances, they should have to pay for reparations, however in numerous others, they should not be applicable. As far as money being given as reparations, I think that only a very little amount should be granted in money, and the rest as the items needed such as food, clothing, bedding, housing, etc. However, for monetary things such as bills, obviously money would need to be supplied for proper handling of that situation.

CrazyFred21 said...

Reparations may seem like a good idea to some people, but I disagree with them. Why should a country pay pitty to another country or individual for somthing that happend during a time of war or conflict. The past is the past, so I do not feel it is fair that our genertation should pay for somthing that is long gone. It's crazy there is actually people out there that belive some Americans should pay reperations to african american's who may have had ancestors who were slaves. The individuals recieveing reparations now a days are far from seperated from the events that happend years ago. People need to suck it up and get over the past, but this is just my opinion.

skeletor said...

i dont believe reparation should be paid, i think that this is a very hard to place a price on a persons life.Its hard enough for family to cope with the lost of there love ones.There is no amount of money that can repair what has already happen.War cause a lot of lost to families and also the society so when countries who are at war should find a better way of settling there differences without many innocences lives been put at risk. so i think its not good for nation to pay reparation.

irishqt7 said...

I don’t believe that people should be given reparations. I believe that it is the countries way of blaming others for a war. Rebuilding is much more important than paying out which can be terrible for a country. The best way for a situation to be solved is not to add to the problem. The fact that people are arguing over the amount of reparation they receive for their family member’s problems is horrible. There is no amount of money that can come close to replacing a loved one.

London Skies said...

I think this is a tough subject. I do agree that a life should not have a price put on it but at the same time the vast majority of them had family members or loved ones that would need the money. I do not think the amount they receive should be based on the earnings though, if anything it should be based on how many people were living off of the deceased person's earnings. At the same time I do not think it is fair for a country to continue to have to pay reparations over the course of many years. So I agree with reparations to some degree, but not to the extent that it is currently carried out to.

Costello said...

reperation is nopt always necessary. I think it depends on the situtation. Everyone makes mistakes but it doesnt mean they haft to pay for their mistake i think its idiotic.MAybe general reperations would be necessary but other than that its out of the question.

almostmarried said...

I do not think that people should have to pay reparations I think that would cause alot of drama and conflict. Take the september 11th incident for example, I do not think that it is very fair that the individuals that have a higher income would receive a greater reparation amount than those of lower income. And im sure that caused some problems between people. I think that reparations are just another way of cheating people out of their money, money doesn't even fix emotional hurt and heartache from the effects of war, so reparations are are pointless to me.

bucs06 said...

I do think reparations are positive in some cases but not all, for instance the reparations being paid to the families of 9/11 is only the right thing to do. Most or all of those families rely on the income that was abruptly halted. I also think how there going about the reparations is correct. Families with a deceased member was making more of the money should receive more of the reparations. They obviously worked harder and had more sacrifices to work there way up in the company or else they would not be making more than his or her colleagues. In the case of war reparations I feel that it is negative in the long run the rebuilding in the nations such as Iraq is hindered because of one mans mistakes, such a nation should be given equal opportunity to start over and make progression to prosper and revive a nation.

tonydrdees said...

I do not think that reparations are being delt with in the correct way although they are nessesary to some extent. we should not make others pay for our mistakes but it happens all the time. As for the people effected from 9/11 I can't say much about that since I was not effected by it in the sense that I lost a loved one. We really can't tell what should happen in those circumstances until we're actually there. No matter what a person receiving funds do to lost of a love one should not complain at all. It is not a right you have to get that money it is something to help you through the roughness of it all.

Bluefieldstana said...

War reparation causes frustration among the people that have been affected. Also, frustration causes depression, and as a result frustration leads to political and social problems. I do not think that war reparation erases the damage done to people that was affected, but I do think that help peoples to reconstruct their life. It is not about the money, it is about given those people an opportunity to alleviate their psychological and physical problems. Therefore, Germany and other countries or organizations should continue to pay out these reparations. It is easy to say that people that went to war had the choice to go or not.

Shay said...

I haven't really heard of reparations, or at least I haven't payed attention to it. However, I think this is a problem. I don't know if I would say I agree with reparations. I don't think that any country should have to pay out reparations. First off, why give these people money for there lost? That won't bring them back... Not to sound mean or anything. But, for 9/11 they gave the potentially wealthy more money than the potentially poor. I have a problem with that, how can you determine someone's future?! Okay! So basically the rich families are getting richer and the poor families are able to get the money and blow through it, which will put them right back to being poor. As for wars, I don't believe countries should have to pay. Its a WAR! Money didn't seem like much before, but its starting to become a big problem, it won't solve our problem's...

Flip Barbie said...

I don’t know, I’m kind of torn between this. For one, reparations to help rebuild a war torn country can be helpful , but only if there is support for other countries. But I don’t see how or why people would think reparations for 9/11 and their lost ones are helpful. Money is not going to bring their loved one back or even help them cope with the situation any easier. And for those people who even had the audacity to complain about how much money they were receiving from donations, is just ridiculous. Be thankful for what you are getting or get a job.

MiiStAkEn iiDeNtiiTY said...

I too dont believe with it, it put a price on our lives and I feel as though we as people are priceless, no one should have a set amount on us. How can someone pay off a family for their loved ones death, that still would not bring them back.
I feel as though no Germany shouldnt pay..what is done is done and we should just all move on, by continuing to sit here and pay off the families it is causing more devastation!

Stranger said...

I agree with reparations, as long as they are controlled and not taken advantage of. Everyone has heard the horror stories of WWII. Jewish people lost their families,lives, businesses, homes, and precious belongings that were pften handed down from generation to generation. Of course money will not heal all wounds, but it can definitely help numb stress. As for the relatives of slaves; there was an agreement for freed slaves to be given some form of reparations a very long time ago. Therefore if America has matured so much since then, America should be mature enough to keep its promises. If country's must sacrifice their economic stability for reparations, then I think reparations should be made at a later time; because if billions of dollars are pulled out for the victims of tragedies when a country has little money or huge debts, the economic situation would only cause more tregedies. Which means more people would be blaiming the government for their experirieces and more reparations would be demanded.

pgb8899 said...

I believe reparations are ridiculous. In the case of an inmate being found innocent after 30 years in jail is understandable. But to pay a group for an injustice not specifically caused by our government is crazy. In 9/11 the fact that we paid victims' families, I'm sorry, is ludicrous. It's called life insurance. Just another way for our government to waste our tax dollars when we could be injecting it into something that has an impact like social services. I guess I am fully against reparations no matter what the event. People need to stop looking to the government to solve financial issues(stock market). Oh the path to socialism is a sweet one...

jb23 said...

I don't really agree with the war reparations, nor do i agree with war at all. I think that if these countries are going to fight they know what the consequences might be and I hope they are planned to deal with it. As far as Germany still paying these debts back from 65 years ago is a shame. I also think that the way the money was dispursed for the 9-11 victims is unfair. Who cares how much money that the person made. People died and those families all suffered the same and they should all get the same exact money for suffering a loss.

pachrique said...

I believe it is situational. Nations know the consequences of war and putting them selves into a situation where war is possible, they accept said consequences. In cases like this I dont not believe anything should be paid.

In the cases where a country invades another country I believe enough should be paid to rebuild cities, but no more than that.

As for putting a price on lost lives, how can one do that? How can someone honestly say one person's family member is worth more than someone elses. A person's value should not be judged by how much they would have made that year, but instead by what actions they made during that year.

Greed is the one thing that holds humans back the most.

vertuxa said...

What is the value of the human life? This is the fundamental question asked when considering actions such as reparations. There are no simple means to determine this value. Person total earnings during his or her life time are subjective. A surviving family member might be willing to accept a lot less in reparation then lifetime formula would derive, which further underlines that it is difficult, if not impossible, to calculate the value of human life that will be satisfactory to all. Additionally, there are values beyond simple economic calculation. The moral or personal value is beyond monetary cost. The loss of a loving parent or sibling is unimaginable to the family members, and no compensation will ever heal the loss.

Should countries pay reparations? Absolutely, they are the necessary solution to immediately and long-term economic hardships. How much should be paid? My theory that if there is absolute proof of wrong-doing then the surviving family members should receive sufficient amount to provide comfortable, but not extravagant, life style for the rest of their life. The amount should be based on current cost of living. No exceptions, no deviations, same formula for all.

lacrossechic8 said...

I feel that reparations are wrong; you can’t put a price on someone’s life. People now feel that money is everything and that money will buy you happiness, but for the families who have lost a brother, sister, mom, dad, husband, wife, etc. this is not what will make them happy.
A country as a whole should not have to pay for something a small percentage of people did. Sure, money can buy you nice things and rebuild buildings, towns and homes, but can it bring back the people it killed?
As for the war we are in today; the men and women that are fighting over seas are defending our country, but are also fighting because of the mistakes made years ago. If the soldiers die in combat, how do you compensate the loss of life when they had no part of the problem or involvement in the first place?

blue sky said...

Well this is a difficult question for me to answer. On one hand I believe that consequences are needed for actions in order to reinforce that positive ones are repeated, and negative actions are condemned. In our justice system if you rob a bank then you are sent to prison therefor your time is taken away for the crime you have committed. With war reparations we are trying to find a way to punish a group or country for its actions by making them pay literally for their actions. The problem is when you try and use money to justify your wrongs that can be dangerous. It almost sends a message that you can pay off your mistakes and that eventually can lead a powerful nation to believe they can act as they wish knowing they have the affluence to pay reparations in the end. But, I'm also in agreement that reparations are necessary. Along with making payments their should be other punishments that will cause the plantiff to lose other things such as land, or investments must be made to help the victims future. In a way to compensate more directly with where it is they were affected. But just paying for a country that invades and goes to war doesn't seem to make sense in the end. Because at the end the only real thing lost is life and culture and the only gain is $$$$. My life and future are invaluable to me. I think that war period is never going to have results that are remotely close to the alleged reasons for waging the wars to begin with.

cale87 said...

I really think that reparations are no doing any good because all the soldiers and innocents people who died won’t be back so I do not see any point on pay the country for that and giving money to their family members even though it would help I don’t think that any person who lose a family member in war would care about the money. And most of the money would go to the government and is not like they really do anything to the citizens. Also this may help in future wars because if you think about what the government think is that if they going to get paid after the war they can just go ahead and fight and this isn’t helping our economic either.

sylvia said...

I see absolutely no point to reparations being paid to a group for something done decades ago. If the country feels that they should somehow compensate those they have wronged, that is fine, but to endebt the country's future generations is pointless.

There is no point, so to say, in beating a dead horse, so Germany should not continue paying. Reparations that go on for that long do not even go to the people who were immediately effected by the war, most times. Even if they did, monetary compensation does not bring back lives, or undo the destruction done by a nation in war.

Reparations are ineffective and unneccessary, and should not be used.

allisonbeck said...

I think reparations truly do more harm that helping. i think past decision do not need to always stay the same, change is needed. Money shouldn't put choices and options on people's lives, and the way this is working isn't fair to many people. Just because mistakes were made doesn't mean that we now have to pay for them, as usual. The slavery issue is unjust also, and this whole issue entirely can cost many people much money and hopefully poverty won't be an issue. As said before also, the war itself is paying enough with all the violence in our world and country.

wrtmillions said...

The way I feel about reparations is simply that it’s not needed in most cases. I feel that in the September 11th event that those families who spouse were in charge of the household should be given assistants to help them get back on their feet for a period of time. Who was to know that we would be under attack? No amount of money can bring back what you had before war but struggling families should be given assistants on bills, daycare, and any basics need to survive in Europe or America. I think that families should be prepared for any tragic event because we will never know what might happen.

lolita said...

I actualy agree with the idea of reperations as far as a wars go, because war can cause a lot of damage and lets face it someone has to pay for it so why not the people who started it?(so to speak).On the other hand i do not think it necessary to pay some one after a person has died for example the sept.11 families that were compensated for having living family members, people tend to think that it is all about money and that money will make everything better and go away but maybe a greiving family doesn't need your money. And as for the desendants of slaves demanding compensation for something that their ancestors had to do is completly rediculous. First of all no modern day white american owns a slave therfore no african americans in the united states are being held as slaves and secondly the people who should be recieveing compensation are dead so the best thing we can do is honor their memory by propelling the idea of unity and participating in it.
I think reparations can be useful depending on the situation but as with anything, when abused the reprucutions can be vary undesireable.

Athena Smith said...

What has happened with Germany after WWII is interesting, to say the least.

Germany was obliged to pay reparations after WWII. But instead of annual payments, the Potsdam conference arranged that $20 billion would be extracted from German factories and capital plant. Each of the occupying powers would receive three-fourths of its reparations from the respective German zone it would administer. The remaining amount would be provided by transfers among zones—a provision that soon led to friction between the Americans and the British on one side and the Soviets on the other. The arrangement broke down two years later, an event that contributed to the final partition of Germany. The Soviets received their reparations from East Germany, and West Germany paid the Western allies.

Then in 1949 the Federal Republic of Germany emerged as a new country, recognized some reparations obligations to the state of Israel for the Nazi persecution of European Jews. Japan and other Axis powers also paid about $1.4 billion in aggregate reparations. A few years later the Claims Conference arranged that there would be annual negotiations with the German government for the channeling of reparations. Germany had paid more than $60 billion to some 278,000 survivors up to early 1980s.

What happened then? Germany had objected to compensating survivors from Eastern Europe, but in 1980 agreed to compensate citizens of the Eastern bloc if they had emigrated to the West. However, the payments had to be made through the Claims Conference that started acting as an executive agency, that was receiving funds and authorized claims on the basis of criteria set by Germany. Thus, since 1980 Germany has paid almost $5 billion to hundreds of thousands of survivors.

Where is the problem? Well, a few months ago a film made by Orly Vilnai-Federbush and Guy Meroz, titled "Musar hashilumim" ("The Morals of Restitution: The Struggle Continues") claimed that the Claims Conference has "more than $1 billion" in its banks which it was withholding from survivors. The film also alleges that people in the Claims Conference are giving out funds to cronies. The Claims Conference has filed a suit against the film makers.

It will be interesting to watch the end.

lilbit said...

I don't think that countries should have to pay reparations because I would agree that how is a country that just had their country distroyed suppose to start over and rebuild when now they have to pay millions or more to another country. Just like here in America we are over in Iraq trying to help them have better lives and rebuild and start over but look at how much debt we are in ourselves. We can't even begin to fix the problems here because we are too busy helping other countries and in too much debt. I also don't think that after 9/11 that familes of the victims should have been paid reparations because even though 9/11 was horrible event people die everyday and those families don't get any money for it. So i don't believe in anyone getting special treatment no matter what the subject is.

x3tink0x3 said...

I take both sides on this topic. One point i can make is reparations seem to put a "price" on a man or women's life and i feel that no human has a set "value". The comment made about how the government calculates who gets how much is so wrong. They have no way of knowing how much you will have made in your future and i believe that is wrong. I do see how they can help though. It is in a way a good thing. I know for a fact that funerals are expensive and many can leave behind a debt. I feel that everyone should at least get the money to cover the funeral but after that i would have no idea what on can say someone is "worth". I do not believe that reparations should be paid to governments. I feel that when going into a war they know that their country could be damaged. that is the price to pay.

iOperationJapan! said...

I think that the reparations are a good thing but to a certain extent. Paying a country to help rebuild after bombing it it a good thing. We can't just destroy a country then leave it that way. Then we would have a whole new generation of enemies agianst our country. Also it is just morally wrong. I really can't take a side just because I think that it really depends on the situation itself.

Unknown said...

I am leaning more towards disagreeing with reparations, just for the simple fact it does more harm than good. I think that it puts a price on lives that were lost and no one should have a dollar amount set to them, but there are certain types of reparations I would agree with. For example, I believe that our government should pay money to soldiers' IMMEDIATE family who died in combat, even though the money would not bring the closure needed to the families or their loved ones back. I feel that in war both parties go in knowing what could be lost or gained, and that includes casualties. Soldiers who enlist in the military go in knowing what they are signing up for, and when they are sent to war they go knowing they might not come back alive. On the other hand, the government should be responsible for taking care of those families perhaps financially, emotionally, or physically devastated by the loss, but that is just my stand point.

kobebro21 said...

I don’t feel reparations are that necessary because life doesn’t have a price; like mentioned in quite a few of the responses. Money is not going to bring someone or something back from the dead or make something extremely wrong become ok. I can understand a few situations when this would be acceptable like the holocaust and 9/11. Countries know what wars cause to families and individuals.

wes said...

At a time when the economy is so bad the thought of reparations is so far fetched. I believe that morally,the United States should pay reparations to African Americans, for the unkept promise of land ownership in return of 400 years of free labor that lead laid the foundation of this great country. In return, just about 48 years ago, African Americans were just gaining their civil rights. Reparations owed to the Native Americans are a moral issue, in addition the Asian American who struggled here as well placed in consetration camps just as the Jews, however, not as close as the horrible as the Holocust. I feel that no amount of money can undo, fix or pacify the ingrained pain experienced by these groups, we just hope that history do not repeat itself in such a evil way.

SBella said...

Reperattions do nothing but increase the frustration and anger that the poeple have. It causes even more problems by "hoping" that one day those reparations will be payed. But seriously, look at countries in the past, Germany still isnt done paying. To rely ona country to pay back the damage they have caused is like a slim to none chance of happening. They may try but realistcally, truly it hasnt happened and it wont. Reparationsis just something to make the people "calmer" and worry "less", WHEN in nedeed we're making them parrish even more.

HarlequinMask said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
HarlequinMask said...

I don't support reparation or war. In the least bit. I think it is stupid to have a country pay for its action during a war. Isn't that what got us into World War II in the first place? Because Germany ended up owing a lot of money and then they started listening to Hitler right? Right. You can't bring back the lives that were lost with that money can you? No. Can you right the emotional damage caused? Not a chance. So then why make them pay for it, other than enough money to rebuild what was destroyed. All reparations cause is more frustration and grief. They rarely fix anything.

blogger59r said...

I wasn’t certain what to think on this, after doing research, I think on the larger scale, we need reparations for the victims involved and not against them: Here are a few excerpts from Wikipedia to support why;

“After the Gulf War, Iraq accepted United Nations Security Council resolution 687, which declared Iraq's financial liability for damage caused in its invasion of Kuwait. The United Nations Compensation Commission ("UNCC") was established, and US$350 billion in claims were filed. Funds for these payments were to come from a 30% share of Iraq's oil revenues from the oil for food program. It was not anticipated that US$350 billion would become available for total payment of all reparations claims, so several schedules of prioritization were created over the years…”Payments under this reparations program continue; as of July 2004, the UNCC stated that it had actually distributed US$18.4 billion to claimants”… &

“Science Technology and Reparations: Exploitation and Plunder in Postwar Germany, states that the "intellectual reparations" taken by the U.S. and the UK amounted to close to $10 billion dollars. [1] German reparations were partly to be in the form of forced labor. By 1947, approximately 4,000,000 German POW's and civilians were used as forced labor (under various headings, such as "reparations labor" or "enforced labor") in the Soviet Union, France, the UK, Belgium and in Germany in U.S run "Military Labor Service Units"…

After World War II Germany was to pay the Allies US$20 billion mainly in machinery, manufacturing plants. Reparations to the Soviet Union stopped in 1953. In addition, in accordance with the agreed upon policy of de-industrialisation and pastoralization of Germany, large numbers of civilian factories were dismantled for transport to France and the UK, or simply destroyed. Dismantling in the west stopped in 1950.

I think when it came to the 911 tragedy, that the pay-out was not equal for all the losses; no one life is more valueable than another.

There needs to be a definitive line however, originally, Reparations from a war , was intended as compensation to cover the damage and injuries. Today people are taking this too far for selfish and self loathing reasons.

I have many families and friends whom relocated to America from War zones. The United States helped many of them by permitting them here as refuges from improvished countries that cannot rebuild itself quick enough for their people. The immigrants are here woking harder than many Americans I know; because they paid the price for their freedom by leaving everything behind and coming toU.S. . If it was not for War Reparation, many pople would not be able to move beyond their borders, and no one would be held accountable for their actions on a global scale. . It is unfortunate that there are alot of people who simply choose to be lazy and expect every one to pay for the consequences of there choices or for something that happened 100 years ago. I found a website that illustrates this; its subtilttle was ; “Everyone deserve something”. It was too lame to post

Bobby Allen said...

I don't believe in Reparation because it is putting a price o someone's life. If this person went to war for his or her country and died, they should have some sort of re-embersement but in a different way. I would have to agree with Brian's example of the 9-11 insurance because after a war there should be some sort of settlement between the two countries and they should go about there business. If this money is going to be used for anything, it should beused for schools because they have no real harm against attacks as a rebuilding city would if the money went in that direction. It is just a good idea to use reparations to further our country's knowledge and allow us to support people who are looking to better the world instead of lead it to it's demise.

Lady HCC said...

I don’t agree with reparations. I think that war is war, and it shouldn’t have all of this money involved in it. It’s a sad and devastating situation, but putting price tags on all of the damage isn’t going to fix anything either. The reparations definitely cannot replace any lives. It’s only going to continue putting a barrier on many things and keep other countries from economically blooming. I don’t think they should continue to pay out the reparations and I don’t agree with people being given money or other forms of reparation. I think we should all continue to help avoid new wars.

crguy73 said...

I do not agree with reparations in anyway. Giving people a large sum of money for something that happened to their grandparents or great-grandparents is pointless. What is money going to solve? Is it going to make those people feel better? Grow up!!I think that these people that are seeking reparations are just looking for an east way to get money. I think that these people should stop dwelling in the past and move on with their lives.

Okay so your ancestors were enslaved 100 years ago and subjected to poor living conditions but are you living like they were? Not even close!! Get over it grow up and move on. There are always going to be mistakes but we must be able to forgive and move on. It is frivolous to dwell on past problems when we have much bigger problems to deal with today.

Unknown said...

I do not believe in reparations for the most part. I think reparations used for rebuilding civilian homes is okay. Reparations are sort of a way to buy people’s forgiveness, which is impossible. There is no way to repay a person for destroying their lives and killing their loved ones. Also, the people who get stuck repaying the reparations usually were not even involved in the conflict or situation. I think reparations are pointless and only makes it ease the conscious of the guilty parties. It seems like a waste of money and time because there is not one nationality who has not had something horrendous happen to them, either by war, genocide, or slavery.

mp88 said...

I think that reparations are a bad idea because people are getting money for something that they had nothing to do with. I think that families who have lost loved ones should get reimbursed, but the income that they would have made should not become a factor in deciding how much money they should get. Because it's not fair to everyone else, and I think that they should get paid equally if they were to get reimbursed. I don’t think that people should get reparations because they are just asking to get reimbursed because of something that happened a long time ago. I think people need to move on because the economy isn’t getting any better and that money can be used towards something that everyone can benefit from.

ppolo8 said...

I am pretty neutral on the whole reparations deal. some say there is no amount of mney that can be paid for the damages made but i dont agree with that. i do think that some reparations should be paid i just dont think they should be this ridiculous number that gets paid off in like 100 years. one thing that i dont agree too much on is reparations for people. for example like the us having to pay reparations to families of those who died in 9-11. dont get me wrong its horrible that it happend but it was not the U.S.'s fault so why should we be paying these reparations also why should someone who was makng a lot of money get more money for their families than someone lower in the company? i think it shoudl be a standard reparation for all those killed if there is going to be given one. and as for reparations for slaver that is obsurd. thats like saying if all of a sudden we legalize marijuana and all those who got arrested for using it before demand a reparation because they lost opportunites in jail. slavery was more of a law ( not saying it was good at all i do believe slavery was very wrong) that after the war was abolished. Not only that but it was so long ago why should our generation pay for somethign that isnt even an issue now. i think personally reparations if any should be made for the damages that the war made and the resources used to keep it up. Forcing reparations is not blaming anyone for wars or such things like that because if you look at it, without these reparations some things would not ever be rebuilt because no one would a want to waste the money to fix it.

sally soltau said...

I am on the fence with this topic. Although it's true that money cant bring those people who died in war back, but it does help rebuild the damages created. The money can be used to also burry those who died. These countries know very well about the riks of repartions when they went into war. HOwever at the same time, those countries who have to pay the reperations have also lost lives and damages. It should depend on the war and how extreme it was. The US dropped Hiroshima on Japan, and thus have to pay reperations. These reperations are somewhat of an apology to their people. As for giving reperations to the people of black decent, i believe that that time was over and laws have changed and although its always ingraved in their hearts, money wont change history.

Frogger said...

Reparations over the long hall only cause more trouble than they solve. I do not see a problem with asking a country to pay for their mistakes, there should be consequences. But when those consequences last generations all you are doing is promoting resentment. I also do not think that you can ask for reparations from our generation for something that our great great grandparents did. As for the 9/11 victims I think the money should be split equally a life is a life and all the children left behind need to have a chance to attend college, not just the rich.

Alaine said...

Should people be given money or other forms of reparation? Yes, that’s where I support reparation to a certain extent. A lot of victims have suffered due to damages caused by wars, abuse, slavery, conflicts etc. I think they should probably get a certain form of compensation, or reparation or something. This might not bring back everything to them, it might not mend their heart, or bring back their love one, but it can surely help improve their life quality.
However, you have to think about the appropriate form of reparation, a fair distribution, and the amount. Cause you can only afford to reparate just so much.
But when it comes to countries paying reparations to other countries due to wars, I don’t support it. Germany went through an economic crisis after all that reparation due to the world war.

Rose said...

I believe that countries like Germany and Iraq should not have to pay reparations, because right now they themselves need the money to rebuild their own lives. As the bible says, the love of money is the root of all evil. Nevermind that these people cant afford to to pay back these reparations. Its a shame after all these many years that countries are in debt to one another because they are trying to pay back all these reparations. Is it really the peoples fault, when in actuality, the passed leaders of the country made unwise decisions, that now in future times while those leaders are dead and gone that the country is left in debt.
911 was very stragic and heart felt. I believe reparations should be given to those families that truly need it, and are trying their best to stay on there feet. But as usually some people who are very well off will argue that they too should receive some sort of reparations for their lost. Its a sad time we live in, when the rich are getting rich, and the poor are getting poorer.
African Americans are being paid reparations but in the form of organizations like the United Negro College Fund. It may not be the cold hard cash people are loking for, but atleast its a start. Nothing really can ever repay for the cruelty Slaves lived through, no matter how much reparations are given out.