The case for paying reparations to US blacks for slavery and oppressive racist laws.

The book Inequality by Design, by Claude Fischer, explains how forcing a group into second-class citizenship affects their descendants too. Thus, I believe the US owes reparations to the descendants of people who suffered a racist denial of equal rights. My ancestors did not participate in doing this, but the reparations must be paid by Americans of today. That includes me.

Of course, the reparations should come mostly from the rich.

Starbucks announced a "scholarship program" for its employees, but it turns out that Starbucks is contributing no money to this, just extracting publicity from it.

Peru has given thugs a license to kill protesters.

It is superfluous for right-wing politicians to tell the unemployed to feel ashamed of being unemployed, because they do so anyway.

I can't understand why anyone is ashamed to be poor or unemployed, unless it is that person's own fault. For instance, if it is the fault of a system that inflicts poverty on many, why be ashamed of that? It's the culprits who ought to feel shame. Don't feel ashamed, organize!

Fortunately for me, I have never felt the slightest need to base my self-esteem on being seen to spend money. I don't care if I can treat people to drinks, return a financial favor, or give a "suitable gift" to meet a silly social obligation. I reject the holidays that businesses have converted into occasions when one is supposed to give gifts. When I have a birthday party, I ask people to bring food and desserts for all to enjoy, not gifts for me.

I suggest that poor people feel equally unashamed, so they can organize instead.

While around 16% of Americans were poor when surveyed in 2012, most of them are poor for periods of months, not for years.

Almost 1/3 of Americans were poor for a period of months in the last few years.

We ought to provide the help needed by those who are temporarily poor, and also help for those who are poor for years.