Any serious opinions on affirmative action? Facts- why you support or are against it. thanks?
598041
I'm against it. Racism in a "positive" way is still racism. People should be chosen based on qualification, not based on race.
1062707
I'm not sure I understand your question.  Here's the definition of affirmative action in general:\n\nAffirmative action (U.S. English), or positive discrimination (British English), is a policy or a program of giving certain preferences to certain (usually under-represented) groups. This typically focuses on education, employment, government contracts, health care, or social welfare.\n\nThere is much debate concerning claims that it fails to achieve its desired goal, and that it has unintended and undesirable side-effects. There are also claims that the practice is itself racist or sexist.
762321
No! We never should have had it . Affirmative action is fighting discrimination with discrimination.
902363
As a black woman myself, I can say with complete confidence that I think black people are some of the most racist idiots alive. \n\nThat said, UNCF exists in order to provide scholarships to black teens wishing to attend Historically Black Universities. So if you're the first in your family to go to college and through sweat, blood, and years of hard work you manage to get into Harvard or Yale and all you need is the money to support you, you're out of luck. As far as UNCF is concerned, your education is worthless if your college of choice isn't black enough.\n\nDon't even get me started on affirmative action.
1110996
Affirmative action is beginning to give the minority groups an unfair advantage over non-minorities.  Perfect example: Employment,  most government agencies hire based on a points system.  The applicant with the most points gets the job.  Points are awarded based on interviews, exams, etc., but most employers automatically give minorities a few extra points just for being a minority.  When you look at it like this one can see that affirmative action is really nothing but racism, which is what it was meant to eliminate.
1010534
Affirmative action is not here to "pay back" previous discrimination but to prevent current discrimination.  Whether it exists or not in large amounts (there will always be at least one person in America who is racist and in a position of power) is somewhat difficult to determine to say the least.\n\nSome would argue that racists whites established themselves in positions of power early in this country's history and do everything they can to make sure racist whites stay in power, so even now they are at the top and affirmative action is there only to ensure a more equal chance for minorities.  Others argue the point of affirmative action was to equalize it out and now that it has been in place for many years it has done its job and it is now time to quit before it equalizes "too much."  \n\nI'm not sure myself if it is right (I'm Hispanic), especially since I don't like it being attributed to affirmative action when I get a decent job.  But I have seen it happen already too many times that I did lose a job because somebody felt I should go back to Mexico (I was born in the United States and I'm around 6th generation in from my Mexican ancestry, 3 generations in from my European ancestry, and native from my Native American ancestry).  I think it is helpful and needed but I do understand why whites (especially the males) would feel it unfair.  Sometimes they lose the job even when more qualified because of it.
751632
Yes, affirmative action should be eliminated from the entire country. It does not promote integration, it only serves to promote rascism by people objecting to the notion of being forced to integrate. Integrating and equal rights can only be done over the course of time. It will not happen over night and people cannot be forced to believe in something. As long as there are more than three people in t his world, rascism and prejudices of all types will occur, it is natural human behavior and no law can stop it.
434512
These Democrats: ABSOLUTELY nothing!\n\nBlacks in this country are disinfranchised, however that is a societal problem.\n\nAffirmative Action apparently isn't working. And, need I remind my friends that is was a Republican Congress that approved Affirmative Action and minority-based higher learning scholarships.\n\nWe shouldn't rely on one party to help one race within our country. That is ignorant. Parties help people. No party helps the blacks. (It's not the job a any particular party to help them). We are Americans.\n\nI'm half african-american and half arabic. I was a democrat orginally, because I thought they fought for the quality of lives of miniorities, however the older I got - the more I read.\n\nThe current (and for the past 30-35 years) Democractic party wants votes. They offer no real advantage. And, when they have a suggestion - it's bad policy and it's bad for the healing of our nation.\n\nAli A. Akbar\naliunt @ yahoo.com
127961
The way affirmative action is generally done is total crap.  The intent is to give underprivildeged kids a chance, but race is not a valid measure of priveldge.  Why should a rich black kid from a private school be admitted to a college simply because he is black?  Hasn't he had more opportunities than a white kid living on welfare?  College admissions and employers should take applications in the context of the socioeconomic background of the student, not his race.  Race-based affernative action is supposed to be an answer to racisism, but it effectively implies that people of racial minorities are somehow inherently inferior and should be held to lower standards.  Admission and empolyment decisions need to be entirely race-blind and take into account relevent socioeconomic details instead.
907607
two reasons\n\n1. there are a lot of people who didn't like it.\n\n2. the way things where worded when this ban was advertised made it sound like it was to keep affirmative action.  so if some didn't read the ballot closely they might have vote against AA when they wanted to keep it.
566330
Yes.......as a white Southern male I've seen and experienced racism, myself. I've been excluded, leered at, screamed at and taken advantage of. I've felt fear and have had to protect myself. I've been taxed unfairly to pay for racially-motivated legislation. My work AND home neighborhoods have been targeted by minorities to rob and vandalize.\n\nMy city has suffered the ravages of bus sing and unfair teacher retention based on race. I have been discriminated  against in employment because of my race and high level of education and general achievement.\n\nAlthough my race is TEMPORARILY in the majority, here, I cannot take my grievances to any court because the majority is not "protected"..........while the minorities are protected in court as a "persecuted minority".\n\nThe State University that I was attending was totally disbanded and then occupied by court-order by an historically minority university that has deliberately thumbed its nose at the friendly courts and refused to integrate the requested 27%.....and until this day has decreased its population of white students down below 9%.\n\nHowever, I am not bitter. I love it here in my city and hope that any/all minorities that have misunderstood the majority stance on these subjects will come to some common-sense reassessments of their positions.\n\nI hope for peace and prosperity for all of my fellow Southern citizens.......with plenty of happiness and health thrown in for good measure.
844047
In respect to the ban on affirmative action, many leaders in the minority community support this.  They believe it hurts schools and businesses as they are forced have to meet quotas of minorites in their employment, not getting the best candidates based on merit.    \n\nSo if you have to have 10 spots open and you need 8 minorities, you hire the people based on the quota's you have to meet, not choosing the best who applied.  You are just filling spots.  You can't hire a white man because you need one more woman or mexican person to comply with the law or face fines.   Or you don't hire a black woman with an MBA because you have your quota of blacks, so you hire a white woman with an associates degree.   Discrimination is discrimination and it works both ways.  \n\nAs for the school funding initiative, where is the funding going to come from?  The state would of had to fund minimum requirements of 565 million per year.  With this state losing so many jobs and the lottery obviously not covering education funding, what are they going to get the money to fund the shortfall?   You can't just print money!  So will there be an increase in taxes for gas, cigarettes, sales, businesses, or property in the future?  Increase DMV fees, tags, start toll roads, \nwhatever they can?  \n\nMichigan is at 7.1% unemployment whereas the nation is at 4.4%.  We citizens cannot afford to spend more to fund a mis-managed government.
901971
Affirmative action is used in many modern societies (although everyone always thinks it only happens in their own). I don't think it is a good idea, since any form of discrimination is unjust to some degree, but if people decide to adopt this as a temporary measure, I think it has a certain amount of validity. It should have a definite time limit, after which the matter should be consider rectified, and everyone moves on.
34192
Affirmative Action is an imperfect solution to a real problem.  There is clear discrimination in the work force and education system.  America needs a mechanism in place to combat these problems.  While not perfect, I believe that Affirmative Action is an acceptable alternative to having nothing. \n\nI am white, and I do not believe that AA is reverse discrimination.  Lets face it, it sucks to be born black.  Look at the statistics, the average white person is born into a much better socio-economic position than the average African-American. \nI am not saying that it sucks to be black, but the simple truth is that a white baby has a much better chance of socio-economic success than an African-American.\n\nAffirmative Action is needed to create an even playing field. \n\nI currently attend a top 20 law school, it is obvious that the rich white kids have it much better than the average minorities.  I have no compassion for rich kids who never struggled, we should award those who have more to overcome, and affirmative action is the only option available.
99393
i think they are pandered to - just because and that affirmative action has little or nothing to do with it- I think that Amaricanisim needs to be put forth as a culture- without regards to race , color or religion.  We need to realize that whatever our country of origin- we all live in this one now and we need to work to make it better-
755142
No. A better question is: Should there be "affirmative action" at all?" I say no.
851051
The original concept of affirmative action was simply to actively search out bright and promising young minorities, and help and encourage them to seek some higher education.  But when the pols got through with it and added "quotas" as a measure of compliance, it did become very much a matter of reverse discrimination.  The really sad part about it was that many young people were put into extremely competitive schools, way over their heads, became frustrated and dropped out.  Better to get a 4 year diploma from "Middling U." than drop out of Harvard after 1 semester.  So no, not only is it not fair as a matter of reverse discrimination, it has been self-defeating from the viewpoint of its original intent.  Hope this helps!!