I'm not sure that enforcing quotas is the way to end gender and race based differentials in the distribution of economic opportunities. While some of those differentials may have been due to outright racism and sexism, I'm not so sure that all of them are. What needs to happen is to find out how much of those differentials are the result of self-sorting. And find out why such self-sorting occurs. Most self-sorting in terms of education and occupational status occurs because of what a child sees when he/she is growing up. A little boy who sees Daddy get up in the morning and go to the office of his own company grows up expecting to one day own his own company. A little boy who sees Daddy get up in the morning and go to his college-educated job that pays from the neck up will likely envision himself doing the same. A little boy who sees Daddy get up in the morning and go to his blue collar job at the factory is likely to grow up wanting to be a blue collar man. A little boy who sees Daddy often out of work and working really crappy jobs when he does work grows up not expecting much in the way of economic status and attainment. As for little girls, arguably it depends upon what her female role models do for work (and I'm not saying that housework isn't work, just that it often doesn't pay so well as other options), though the mother's possibly lower economic status can be mitigated in its effects if she has the kind of father who assures her that girls can do anything. As for ethnic minorities, are they really discriminated against for the better-paying jobs or have they simply self-sorted based on economic expectations formed in childhood?

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Theodore Lamar Heiks
BA, History/Political Science, Western State College of Colorado, 1984
MBA, Entrepreneurship/Marketing, City University of Seattle, 1993

Very few take "Affirmitive Action" seriously. Right now it's seen as a birthright and usually the person who gets it doesn't take advantage of it and puts in little to no effort to justify it. It's seen as another free hand out. It's a shame really, if people would have used it to better themselves and their families maybe it would be worth the price to discriminate against more deserving people.

The window of opportunity has been open for years and with a new minority taking over blacks will be the odd man out. Mark my words, Mexicans will have no crocidile tears concerning black history. Once they take over the political situtation in the U.S. all those programs will either be scrapped or turned into a free ride for them.

"How can it be improved?"

By getting rid of it.

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Proudly a "South Park Republican"

community reinvestment act requirements imposed on banks?
busing mandates for schools (until they are found to be unitary)?
enrollment practices of colleges and universities?
contracting for women? for minorities? for the handicapped? for veterans?
and what entity is doing the contracting?
nothing I have read thus far in this thread speaks to anything about actual affirmation action practices but there are plenty of posts describing the forumites' appreciation of or opposition to an affirmative action concept.
so, what actual affirmative action practices are you for or against?

Make the playing field equal for all simple solution.

We agree, make the playing fields equal. How exactly that happens, therein lies the rub.

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All you need to know about the energy crisis:
ANWR Exploration Republicans: 91% Supported. Democrats: 86% Opposed.
Coal-to-liquid R's: 90% YES. D's: 78% NO.
Oil Shale Exploration R's: 90% YES. D's: 86% NO.
Outer Continental Shelf Exploration R's: 81% YES. D's: 83% NO.
Increased Refinery Capacity R's: 97% YES. D's: 96% NO

SUMMARY: 91% of House Republicans have historically voted to increase the production of America’s own oil and gas. 86% of House Democrats have historically voted against.

I put AA right there with welfare and any other state run "we will help you" program and policy... Time to dump those things that no longer work. The one thing I hate most of all is to hear someone say "I want it cause I deserve it" They forget sometimes that many who achieve greatness do so through hard work and sacrifice.

Okay, forget what I wrote. It seems that, despite my egalitarian inclinations, I have to support phasing out affirmative action because it causes more problems than it solves.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmericanMom";p=&quot I put AA right there with welfare and any other state run "we will help you" program and policy... Time to dump those things that no longer work. The one thing I hate most of all is to hear someone say "I want it cause I deserve it" They forget sometimes that many who achieve greatness do so through hard work and sacrifice.

I have heard many say AA is bad program, its time has come and gone, etc. Why was AA created? Has it actually helped those of whom it was designed to help? Who are the biggest beneficiaries of AA? What are the myths of AA? Is AA still needed today or do we live in a colorblind society where everyone is based on their merit and not their color? Answer these questions and we can move on.

Its definately doing something. They dropped AA in California a while back and minority college students plummeted. I think that it should be switched from race based to income based. A kid growing up in the ghetto who has a GPA of 3.0 and an ACT score of 24 is probably more likely to succeed then Sir Bush/Kennedy/Buchanan who went to prep school and got a 3.5 GPA and a 28 on his or her ACT.