Rationale for supporting the General Assembly's regret for the institution and lasting affects of slavery.

A JOINT RESOLUTION expressing the general assembly's profound regret for the institution and lasting effects of slavery. (click this link to read the two page resolution)

I believe my decision to support the resolution was the correct decision for a variety of reasons.  While we are individuals representing citizens who are alive today, we are also part of an institution whose past members' decisions are woven into the fabric of the General Assembly’s legacy.  This legacy has many threads that are truly acts of greatness, but it also has some for which no reasonable person could be proud.  This resolution acknowledges past mistakes and frees us to move on.

The following summarizes my perspective on concerns raised by some citizens who criticized the decision to support the resolution. 

On this being a slippery slope to reparations 

This measure does not obligate legislative members to provide reparations.  A subset of the democrat majority has never ceased to propose legislation that is de facto reparations and they will continue to do so as long as they are in the majority.  Federal and State governments have redistributed trillions of dollars of wealth over the years by funding programs that are at least in part driven by their belief that we should provide additional reparations.  I believe there are several conservative democrats who are prepared join Republicans in OPPOSITION to measures that propose new entitlements and reparations.  However, a vote against the resolution would most likely eliminate any chance that we would to get support from more conservative members of the democrat party members to oppose such measures.  Consider the likelihood that 9 or more democrats would join Republicans in an attempt to oppose reparations measures if their leadership and their democrat colleagues openly attack Republicans for opposing it? 

On the notion that current members should not or can not apologize for wrong decisions of past members 

President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which apologized for Japanese American Internment (which began in 1942) during World War II.  The following is an excerpt from the 1988 federal act…

“The Congress recognizes that, as described in the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, a grave injustice was done to both citizens and permanent residents of Japanese ancestry by the evacuation, relocation, and internment of civilians during World War II ... The excluded individuals of Japanese ancestry suffered enormous damages, both material and intangible, and there were incalculable losses in education and job training, all of which resulted in significant human suffering ...  For these fundamental violations of the basic civil liberties and constitutional rights of these individuals of Japanese ancestry, the Congress apologizes on behalf of the Nation.”

President Reagan thought is was appropriate for Congress to apologize for past members on behalf of a Nation, and I believe the current members of the NC General Assembly can apologize on behalf of past members of the General Assembly.