The divisiveness that the reparations argument causes is warranted – it’s usually presented on racist grounds. The ideas that a huge population should be punished for the sins of a few, or that a great-great-grandson should be punished for the sins of an ancestor, are combative. Those charges are not compelling in the system of law that most people acknowledge.

On the other hand, the federal government of 1776 and the federal government of today are a single entity. That government acted as a facilitator of chattel slavery in the US. On an individual level, when a person escaped conditions that violate any understanding of natural rights, they would be dragged back to those conditions by federal agents.

This action by the federal government (and similar actions by state governments) cannot be construed by any reasonable person as actions without consequence, or in legal terms, without damages.

Recognizing that fact, it’s hard to imagine that this unique set of damages doesn’t impact that person’s descendants in economic terms.

The problem here is not that this descendent isn’t being compensated for the imposition, which would be another conversation that I’m less interested in having, but that if they choose to work for a living they will be forced to pay this organization that acted against their interest for supposed services rendered.

I imagine a class action lawsuit, against the United States of America, that could be settled by an agreement to a limited tax exemption status. The per person damages could be agreed upon via argumentation and the final figure could exist in an IRS account. Any person who can prove lineage from a chattel slave, by very loose standards in recognition of the difficulty of that task, would be exempt from taxation up to that figure.

It would be a solid lawsuit against any entity, other than the state, in today’s climate. As much as I’m disgusted by taxation in general, it seems especially cruel and vicious to demand payment from the descendants of slaves to fund the institution that ensured their ancestor’s servitude.

To all libertarians listening, this agreement might lead to all manner of rational objections. “The Chinese Exclusion Act,” “WW2 Japanese internment,” “WW2 Italian internment,” “my grandfather’s conscription in WW2,” “my father’s conscription in the Vietnam War.” Perfect. This is the real conversation. The state drinks a lot more blood than it pumps. If every person is confronted with this question they might reconsider their assumptions. If not, at least someone doesn’t have to pay these assholes.