But I don't see that putting women and minorities in charge of affirmative action programs would lead to anything other than business inefficiencies and increased government involvement in the business sector.

Promotions into the executive suite or upper management are seldom based on test scores. At this level, there are no tests... not written ones anyway. It most often comes down to your professional/social network, or your contacts. By the time you get that far, your college GPA and SAT scores have been long forgotten. The smartest guy/girl or the most qualified on paper does not always get the job. As an (anecdotal) example: the management job that I just got... three other people were also in the running. It's an engineering related position, but I don't have an engineering degree. One of the other people did. One of the others actually had more years in management than I did, as he was older. What was in my favor was that I am well traveled and I know a lot of people in the industry. I took a tour of the facility and shook hands with the supervisors and managers. I played politics and made myself one of the boys from interview #1. I had the job before the others had even interviewed. I was negotiating salary, benefits and bonus by the time they got their rejection letters. If the other applicants had been women and/or minorities, I'm sure they could propose a claim of a rigged game and/or discrimination. I'm not saying that someone else couldn't do as well or better than I have thus far. But as much as I don't care about fitting in... I can fit in nearly anywhere - if you are paying me enough. I've seen that some women and minorities resent facing that realization. It is unfortunate, but in a corporation, you cannot remain 100% your own person. That's why some people go into business for themselves. Corporate life is not for everyone.

A government mandate would not make an unwanted applicant fit in or do a good job. We're not talking Brown vs. The Board of Education. I mean simply: someone who wants a position, doesn't get it... but can't accept or learn how the system works. That person will probably never learn how the game is played, if Big Brother has to give them the job. Someone who is thrust into a position, but will then have to work within a social network (which is all a corporation is) will have an uphill battle from day 1. Is it fair? Very seldom is it fair. I do not believe in exclusion. But to be included, you have to be prepared to fight your way in and be ready to fight to stay. When/if you eventually conclude that a particular fight is not worth the potential gain, it is time to leave. That is the decision that I recently made.

In short, I don't see how shareholder value would be served by this. And that is the actual and expressed purpose of a corporation.

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"Tweeter was a Boyscout before she went to Vietnam and found out the hard way... nobody gives a d@mn."