"President Obama Signs into Law Largest Civil Rights Settlement in U.S. History "

[FrenchieCat]

"President Barack Obama signs into law Wednesday a multi-billion-dollar measure that provides settlements to black farmers and Native Americans, ending years of litigation on charges of racial bias and mismanagement.

Although the Senate passed funding the black farmers' payment without opposition, most Republicans opposed it in the House.

Rep. Steve KingRep. Steve King, (R-Iowa) likened the black farmers pay out to "modern-day reparations" for African-Americans and argued, along with Rep. Michele BachmannMichele Bachmann (R-Minn.), that the claims process is fraudulent.
The $1.15 billion allocation in the bill to black farmers represents the largest civil rights settlement in U.S history. The federal government was accused of a decades-old practice of denying and underpaying loans to black farmers because of their race.


Black farmers originally filed a lawsuit against USDA in 1997 and reached a settlement agreement in 1999. Even though thousands filed claims in the settlement, many more were unaware of the deadline. A second deadline was set for September of 2000, but only a small percentage of those farmers filing claims were declared eligible for payment.

The government already has paid out more than $1 billion to about 16,000 farmers, with most getting payments of about $50,000. The new money is intended for people who were denied earlier payments because they missed deadlines for filing."

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7563301-president-obama-signs-into-law-largest-civil-rights-settlement-in-us-history

[mstinamotorcity]

1. You know if Rep. King and Rep. Bachmann were

not so damn funny I would be crying tears of sadness instead of tears of laughter. Do those fools actually think they can ever give the African American or Native American people REPARATIONS for all the INJUSTICE,DEATH,PAIN,STRUGGLE,GENERATIONAL THEFT OF EDUCATION AND PROSPERITY,INVENTIONS,AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTIFACTS,NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIFACTS,POETS,AUTHORS,and CONVICT LEASING???????????

The two duly noted Representatives of the House know they insult us when they say it.But I will be glad to see them get insulted,I want to put them in a unemployment line.

[Brewman_Jax]

2. The repubs don't quit, do they?

like said in another post, it IS reparations, but for a long-time and specific injustice done by the federal government. The repubs can't acknowledge anything for THOSE people, since scapegoating black people has been their only campaign tactic since the 1960's.