Reparations? When Pigford Flies

Investors Business Daily:  “Congress has OK’d nearly $5 billion for black and Native American farmers who claim they were discriminated against. This is redistribution of wealth in the name of environmental and social justice. Reparations have begun. . . . Pigford v. Glickman was a class action lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture alleging discrimination against black farmers in its allocation of farm loans between 1983 and 1987. . . . One of the fruits of this lame-duck session has been the approval of $1.15 billion to the black farmers and $3.4 billion to the American Indians to settle the two lawsuits. At last count, more than 94,000 black farmers have signed up for payments under the settlement.”

“At last count, more than 94,000 black farmers have signed up for payments under the settlement.  Based on census data, however, there were only 33,000 or so black farmers in existence during the period in question. Based on that number and the number of denied applications, the department had originally estimated that only 2,000 such claims would be filed.”

• “Pigford Witness Report: Applicant Claimed Discrimination by Nonexistent Chicago USDA Office, Was Paid Anyway“

• “Number of Black Farmers Who Will Get Payments from $1.25 Billion USDA Settlement Tough to Determine, Attorneys Say” – ““We’ve already paid out compensation to 16,000, and now we’re giving out $1.15 billion to an additional 94,000 claimants, there is obvious fraud here that can’t be accounted for”