REPARATIONS? A MODEST PROPOSAL

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Around five years ago, writer Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote an article in The Atlantic entitled “The Case for Reparations”,  promoting the idea that the legacy of slavery in America has been so destructive and long lasting that only some kind of reparations given to African Americans can truly end that legacy.  It's an idea that has been kicked around on the left for years, but has never really entered the mainstream of American political debate.
But the notion has never completely gone away, and lately, some Democrats in the running for the presidency are discussing some form of reparations.   Most Americans oppose the idea overall (according to a recent Marist Poll, around 70% of Americans do), but it is popular in the African American community, where the voters are a  crucial part of any Democrat's road to the nomination. 
It is clear that discrimination against African Americans still exists, with our judicial and educational systems heavily slanted against them.  But should every black American just get a check from the government?  Why kind of reparations are really needed, if any?
I think the answer to that lies in our past: look at the 1950's, when the income tax rate on the wealthiest Americans was a whopping 90%.  Flush with cash, the government spent large amounts of money on education and infrastructure, and the result was the largest increase in the middle class in our nation's history.
So what does that have to do with race?  Sadly, a lot: with all that government money pouring in, city planners would draw lines on maps to designate where the money went.  (A process literally called redlining) And guess who lived in the parts of the city that got little to no funding?  That's right, African American communities were held behind while white communities got better infrastructure and schools, leading to superior opportunities for the families living there.   The long term effects of this have been devastating to inner city communities, where little education and job opportunities have led to high crime rates and poorer education.
So, I think what the country should do is raise taxes on the rich (not back to 90%, but certainly higher than they are now) and use that money on infrastructure and education where ever it is needed, especially  in every poor neighborhood in the country.  Hire people in the neighborhoods to rebuild them or work in the improved public schools.  Make sure that no child is ever exposed to lead fumes, or any other serious environmental dangers.  The improvement in the neighborhoods will lead to more businesses opening there, which will lead to better job opportunities and increased quality of life, not to mention better relationships with the police. 
Not only is improving our inner cities the right thing to do morally, it's also economically sound in the long run: remember that less people going to jail results in less tax dollars being spent on them.  Add to that the fact that improving public school education results in more people getting good jobs and putting money in the economy, making things better for the country as a whole in the long run.  This plan shouldn't be seen as  radical; in fact, as I just pointed out, it's already happened!  We just need to have the same economic priorities that we did in the 1950's, without the evil redlining.
If you look at the great modern entrepreneurs in this country, they almost always tell stories about how they were nurtured and encouraged in their childhoods not only by friends and family members, but also by their teachers and  community; right now, the next potential Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos could be living in a poor inner city neighborhood, not being given the proper support to reach his or her dreams.  What a waste.