From: Wilson@nowhere.invalid   
      
   On 2/6/2026 9:11 PM, Dude wrote:   
   > On 2/6/2026 1:46 PM, Wilson wrote:   
   >>   
   >> "An ordinance creating a reparations fund for Black residents in San   
   >> Francisco has finally been signed into law, but the program lacks an   
   >> identified source of funding. Mayor Daniel Lurie has stated that no   
   >> city funds will be used, (even though he signed the law!) emphasizing   
   >> the fund's reliance on private donations...none of which have been   
   >> received.   
   >>   
   > You just can't make this stuff up!   
   >   
   > San Francisco has formally established a reparations fund for Black   
   > residents. Except the City has a  $1 billion budget deficit.   
   >   
   > The ordinance was passed, but no immediate cash payouts for initiatives   
   > like $5 million per person!   
   >   
   > Wait! What?   
      
   It's fine! There's no problem! Just create a board of directors and pay   
   them a stipend to have a few meetings. There's no need to actually do   
   anything.   
      
   Progressive government programs are dysfunctional ideas living in a   
   fantasy land of virtue so they can say, "We did the thing!"   
      
      
   >> In other words, no one who pushed this preposterous idea forward has   
   >> pledged a penny toward its practical implementation. I refer   
   >> specifically to the philanthropists on The San Francisco Board of   
   >> Supervisors: The 11-member star chamber who unanimously approved the   
   >> legislation on December 16, 2025. More specifically, I refer to   
   >> Supervisors Chan, Chen, Dorsey, Fielder, Mahmood, Mandelman, Melgar,   
   >> Sauter, Sherrill, Walton, and Wong.   
   >>   
   >> The San Francisco Human Rights Commission is now tasked with   
   >> overseeing this fund, which is intended to accept private donations to   
   >> support recommendations from the African American Reparations Advisory   
   >> Committee. Again - no many has been contributed. Not a penny. But the   
   >> city has already spent approximately $217,000 on stipends for the   
   >> reparations committee members who developed the proposal.   
   >>   
   >> If you think the whole thing sounds merely crazy, consider the math.   
   >> The major cost component of the proposal is the $5 million payment for   
   >> each black citizen who is 18 years or older. The Census Bureau   
   >> estimates there are 35,445 individuals who are 18 years or older,   
   >> given the age distribution of the African American population.   
   >> Eligibility for the $5 million payments is very broad so we can assume   
   >> that all African Americans 18 years and older currently living in the   
   >> city will be eligible for these payments. Paying $5 million to 35,455   
   >> individuals totals about $175 billion. To put this in perspective, the   
   >> city’s budget for the current fiscal year is $14 billion, while this   
   >> proposed sum exceeds the current state budgets of all US states except   
   >> for California, New York, and Texas.   
   >>   
   >> Again, I’m not sharing this to start a conversation about the wisdom   
   >> or the folly of reparations. I’m sharing this to further illustrate   
   >> the rank hypocrisy of our elected officials, and their endless desire   
   >> to be celebrated by the people who voted them in. Today, those people   
   >> are congratulating themselves for establishing a fund that absolutely   
   >> no one is funding - including them."   
   >>   
   >> - Mike Rowe   
   >   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)