i guess you think that if you say this enough it will become true:
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"Affirmative action" doesn't "help" anyone
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having worked with a substantial number of businesses which qualified for 8(a) contracts due to their mnority (and/or gender), i saw many instances where those business owners were able to progress into the mainstream of their respective industries. a couple of those companies would have succeeded without the AA help, but their growth would have been much slower.
the contracting officers were as diverse as the general population. some procurement officials had a real problem working with African-American owned firms, and their arms had to be twisted to compel them to do so. that showed me that but for he AA requirements those minority companies would not have had an opportunity to sell to the federal government at that buying installation. slice it any way you want it, THAT denial of opportunity only due to race is unAmerican.
yes, majority-owned companies hate it that the pizza slices were now thinner so all could receive some. yes, a few unqualified minority owned companies were provided contracts that they could not perform ... but there are a great many majority owned companies who received federal contracts that they too, could not complete.
while there is a genuine need for an effective AA program, it desperately needs to be fixed. we should no longer qualify anyone for any AA program based on their race. the qualification should strictly be due to the individual's socio-economic condition. yes, a disproportionate number who qualify will be from African-American and hispanic persons, but it will exclude individuals who have significant means who would otherwise qualify for AA. it would enable those from the majority population who are without substantial means to qualify for AA assistance where they presently cannot.
members of the asian community qualify because of their minority status, yet when one examines that ethnic group's educational achievement and wealth attainment, many from that minority population are doing better than the average American. if the intent of AA is to assist those who need it to progress economically then the AA programs should screen out those who have no genuine need for its preferential programs. recognize bill gates does not have enough money because he strives to earn more, so no one who can qualify for a program that helps create more wealth is going to deny themselves access to it. which is why we find wealthy minority individuals qualifying for programs they don't really need while majority indivduals who could benefit from the assistance go wanting because of their ethnicity.
such change would conform with the supreme court's expressed requirement that AA programs be narrowly tailored; they now are not as there is no data being compiled to evidence ongoing racial disparity. AA is not supported by much of the majority population because its qualifications are racially based. if we remove the racial requirement and focus on the economic need, Americans from all quarters could be expected to then view AA as a positve mechanism to help the least among us elevate their economic condition.