Joe Louis, did America let him down?

America jus had that slick lateral movement

 

They could have been lenient to him after all he did donate his purse and was an American Hero. If anyone deserved a break it was him. Funny thing was Frank Sinatra and Rocky Marciano helped get their hero a classy job in Vegas and he used to sit and watch all the fights and shake hands with the elite gamblers but the action may have made things worse for Joe.

 

Where exactly is he racist here? Perhaps unsympathetic, but I don't see where Louis' race comes into play. And again, I feel Louis was pretty well shafted in regards to the donations. However, if he was truly in arrears regarding earlier purses, though, that just ain't too smart.

 

I dont think Ive said anything even remotely racist. If believing that Joe Louis deserved to pay his taxes (and I would hold to that statement whether he were white, black, or purple) makes me a racist then I guess Im racist but I think those throwing that accusation around based on my stance need to go back and look up the definition.

Had Mike Jacobs, who also donated his take to charity, gotten himself into the same fix Joe Louis did I would have as little sympathy for him as I do Louis. The fact is that Louis knew his tax burden, thats no longer in dispute as far as im concerned, and yet rather than address it he continued to spend like his gross income was actually his net income. You wouldnt have any sympathy for me if I did that, why should I have sympathy for Joe Louis for doing it? Basically it amounts to a guy spending beyond his means and thats not anybody's fault, the government included, but Louis.

The argument has been bandied about in Louis' defense that he was in such a high tax bracket. Which is true, but Louis wasnt the only wealthy person in that tax bracket. He wasnt the only person who was chased by the government for tax evasion either. Yet somehow because he was an icon he was supposed to get a free pass and that I dont agree with at all. John D. Rockafeller was an icon and donated far far far more to charity than Louis ever dreamed should we give him and his family a pass? Where does that end? Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are icons, you wanna argue that they dont have to fulfill their tax burden? I realize some of you are fans of Louis and hate to see your heroes go through that but this mentality is a pretty slippery slope and frankly its pretty illogical.

Yet Im called a racist because I argue against and some on here think he should get a pass because he was a black icon who was supposedly too ignorant to manage his finances... But Im being racist...

 

It is a well known fact that not only did Joe Louis live way beyond his means, he also
lost tons of dough gambling on the golf course throughout his glory years and beyond.
There is no one who was a greater devotee of the immortal Brown Bomber than I, but he for whatever reason's not the fault of the government, never put money aside ,to pay for his taxes, at the end of each year. Today, we call it estimate taxes. All the unpaid yearly taxes, and compounded interest's put Joe Louis in dire financial straits, and he truly had no one to blame , but his financial adviser's,and ultimitately himself...
Aside from this quandry, Joe Louis was the most beloved heavyweight that ever lived, and my favorite decent human being in the fight game....

 

Are you saying what Klompton wrote on the first few pages of this thread was not showing a racial prejudice?

I accept to a point, that Americans are naturally more Conservative, so there has to be a bit of give and take, but there comes a breaking point, and IMO Klompton hit that point.

 

But using the screw political correctness formula is just as bad.

If Klompton had just gone along the lines of:

As an American I believe all my fellow countryman should pay every penny of their tax, no matter what the circumstances.

I would not of agreed with it, but fair dues it is a valid point to many people.

But Klompton wrote that and then tried to strengthen his argument by implying that people give Louis an easy ride because he was an African American, and then started writing about his negative experiences with positive discrimination.

To me that was not right, so I have called him on it.

99 times out of 100, I would not of wasted my time, as, as mention there can be quite a bit of pettiness on this board. But I respect Klompton so I actually have gone though the hassle of doing it. What Klompton wrote is wrong.

 

Bull****. Go back and read this thread from the beginning. I merely responded to others who brought up Louis' ethnicity as a reason why he was supposedly shafted:

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Those three quotes are what started the discussion on race and economics and had absolutely nothing to do with why Louis got into trouble with the IRS yet if you read those posts they either state outright or imply that BECAUSE OF LOUIS' ETHNIC BACKGROUND he should have gotten special treatment i.e. a pass on his taxes. If disputing that is racist then I guess I am a racist.

 

When I looked at this thread -- 'n whenever I've heard this issue discussed (because Joe Louis was a GIANT to me, 'n it broke my heart) -- all i can think of is ON THE WATERFRONT. Terry Malloy's words to his brother in a cab :"Charley, Ya shoulda looked out for me"

 

Well said.

 

Affirmative action is a program in which blacks who are equally qualified, are given favor in earning a position. Perhaps it's his ignorance to how affirmative action works that makes comments like this come off as racist...

And again...

Once again, affirmative action only considers cases in which the candidates are equally qualified. It is not like there is a position in which one needs a bachelors in accounting and they give the job to a black guy with a GED. He is incorrect, his stories are fabrications and they are racist.

Essentially what he is saying is that people who are equally qualified for a position, are not really qualified and we can only assume it's because they are black and he is a racist. I have friends who post the same argument. They are ignorant to how affirmative action works. We are talking about equally qualified people here.

 

Its not racist to quote a statement of fact. That being said, even if you disagree with whether or not it is fact I have as much a problem with poorly skilled or experienced white workers getting positions over minorities simply because they are white.

As I said, its the implementation of the program, not its aim, so again, explain to me how anything I said, even when you misconstrue it, is racist?

 

This isnt even close to what I said. Even when you misinterpret what I said based on a knee jerk reaction your interpretation of my words still isnt even close what you just stated above.

How can you accuse people of being ignorant of how affirmative action works when youve been quoted two seperate examples from two seperate people who have actually seen it implemented and arent merely debating its merits in an ethics classroom as you seem to be so fond of.