Affirmative action, stem cell votes: wins for limited government
One wonders how the Republican candidates would have fared if they had run (and voted) as conservatives or libertarians?
Michigan proposition two would ban affirmative action for public employment, education or contract work. This is a long-needed change. It is long past the time that we started treating people as equals. I expect liberals to subvert this law the way they have subverted right to work laws, though.
Missouri amendment two would not only allow for expanded stem cell research, it would place such funding in the state Constitution, making it beyond the reach of the state legislature. This was a horrible idea and it was correctly voted down. Funding issues should be decided by the legislature, and we should not demote research and science to a popularity contest.
Update: Late results (*cough*) on the Missouri issue have given the "yes" votes a slight lead of about 45,000 votes with 98% of the precincts reporting. The Michigan issue, with a 500,000 vote lead, appears safe from "late results". Current Mood : happy Tags : 2006 election, affirmative action, elections, stem cell research Location : Home
Supporters of racist and sexist hiring practices are suing in federal court to stop a voter initiative that would end such practices in state hiring:
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Opponents of a proposal that would ban some affirmative action programs in Michigan filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to stop the measure from going to voters in November.
The ballot proposal would end the use of race and gender preferences in government hiring and university admissions. But the lawsuit claims supporters tricked voters into signing petitions needed to qualify for the ballot by claiming the measure would support affirmative action.
I wonder what those same groups would be saying if white males were the beneficiaries of such "affirmative" action?
I am against the notion that any gender or race requires government intervention to succeed in school or employment. Current Mood : annoyed Tags : affirmative action, hypocrisy, michigan, racism Location : Home
Affirmative action is frequently defended as a way to get minorities into places that have previously been closed to them, whether by design (i.e., racism) or chance.
Yet I frequently see affirmative action further subdivided into minorities which are "over represented" (Asians, mainly) and those who are not (Hispanics and Blacks). I find this ironic since there are many "majority minority" institutions where Blacks and Hispanics are concerned but none (to my knowledge) where Asians are concerned.
Since Asians are a much smaller minority than either Hispanics or Blacks, and Asians face many of the same problems with discrimination, what is the reason to disfavor Asians in affirmative action programs?
Are Asians "too smart" for affirmative action? Is that implying that Hispanics and Blacks (and Caucasians) are not as smart as Asians? Is race really a determinant for things like intelligence and success? Current Mood : curious Tags : affirmative action, immigration, racism Location : Home
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