Keith Devens .com

It's a simple calculation...

work out how much racial minorities are discriminated against by society in general.

Balance the discrimination out by some other means.

Once the first discrimination is gone then theres no need for the second.

I mus admit I think it should be 'opportinities' that are engineered, not scores..

Terrific point, Keith.

Tim, what's "simple" about making such a calculation? "Total discrimination?" There's nothing at all quantifiable there for you to calculate--nothing at all. In fact, such a calculation would be so complex and arbitrary, that it would literally be impossible to know whether it was in aany way an accurate reflection of reality. You may just as well try to calculate the total amount of joy experienced by society as a result of Beagle ownership, as opposed to riding rollercoasters.

Affirmative action is just one more way of evading the disease in the hopes of disguising the symptom. As long as blacks and hispanics continue to underperform academically, they're going to have fewer chances for achievement in life, period, end of story. AA does NOTHING to repair that, since a moron who goes to Michigan instead of MSU is still a moron. It's a formula for perpetual failure, and anyone with half a brain ought to know it.

The only people who should celebrate affirmative action are the teachers' unions, since it means they can go right on failing in every concievable way to educate our kids, and "society" will continue to get the blame. Oh, and my wife too, since she's not too long ago been denied admission to a graduate program in favor of a "diversity" applicant. I suppose that's what passes for justice in the minds of your average leftist, to whom people are abstractions anyway.

Except there is a significant difference in graduating magna cum laude from a Bronx public school as opposed to graduating magna cum laude from Exeter.

Have you lost a job because of a woman or a minority? Who are these groups of people that are suffering because of Affirmative Action (AA) policy? It seems that everyone who is against AA policy comforts themselves with the thought that if a woman or minority has a GOOD job, then it's only because of AA. In other words, a woman or minority (especially a minority) could never have gotten a job because they are intelligent.
I remember hearing how in the past it used to be said that if Blacks were given rights then they will take "our White women." Never mind that Black women were being raped by White men. Those that are leading the fight for AA's end seem to be relying upon the same old reasoning of the past - scare tactics. Scare this Nation into believing that Whites (males) are losing good jobs to women and minorities because of AA.
On the one hand your reasoning is scary. On the other, its just plain sad. I did not realize that White's feel so threatened by my existence.
You use conjecture to scare your audience.
I work among Whites, who do not necessarily wear their polical beliefs on their sleeve; however, the work that some are involved in shows that they care about people - PERIOD. Regardless of color. They are not scared that I, as a Black woman, will rise up and take their jobs some day.
My God, what kind of conversations do you folk have at the dinner table..."the Blacks are coming, the Blacks are coming, and the women, too?"
I am glad that while many will buy into your scare tactics, many more will understand where such a poisonous root has sprang from.

Cynthia Weathers
One Black Woman Who Really is NOT Trying to Take Your Job!

Cynthia, you missed the point. Affirmative Action is a racist policy, pure and simple. It's silly for you to call my reasoning "scary" when you didn't even pay attention to what my reasoning was, and instead attributed to me an argument I didn't make. Frankly, your race baiting is what scares me.