Can a state’s citizens amend the state constitution to ban affirmative action programs in public universities, even if the Supreme Court has approved those programs? That is the question the court is facing this week in the case of Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action....
This case is another reminder of the threat to minority rights posed by ballot initiatives, which can be prone to abuse. That was surely true in Michigan, where the process of gathering signatures to put the amendment on the ballot “was rife with fraud and deception,” according to the federal appeals court. In some cases, voters were tricked into believing that the measure actually supported affirmative action. The methods used by the amendment’s backers, the appeals court found, “undermine the integrity and fairness of our democratic processes.”
But even if the initiative process had been pure, the amendment would still be intolerable. The Supreme Court has repeatedly said that race-conscious admissions policies may further a compelling governmental interest in educational diversity. While the court does closely analyze how such policies are designed, it recognizes that universities have “experience and expertise” in judging the need for a diverse student body.
Is this democracy at work?
False Equality in Michigan - NYTimes.com
I have very strong opinions about this, so I will try to not say too much. From the outside affirmative actions seems like an brilliant concept to bridge the inequality gap, but as someone who has seen the long term impact it has, I would say that it's at best a short term solution for a problem that merits a much more sophisticated outlook on it. As for this particular situation, democracy proves to be a big fail due to a lack of equal and unbiased distribution of knowledge and awareness among all citizens. It's a very slippery slope. However, the very fact that a group did freely raise their voice for their concerns, whether they're correct or not, points to a bit part existence of democracy
ReplyDeleteFriends all nice post I also share with you something. Make sure that the Accountant has previous experience of dealing with contractors. Ask him or her how many contractors he or she has on their books. There is a morass of legislation, like IR35, that is aimed specifically at freelancers and it is crucial that your Accountant is up-to-date with all the legislation. Make sure that the Accountant has previous experience of your sector. If, for example, you are an IT Contractor, it is very useful if the Accountant has good knowledge of the sector. Choose the size of Accountancy firm that suits you. Some people may prefer to go with a large organisation with vast experience of the business but where you may be dealing with someone low down the organisation. Others may prefer a small firm where you are dealing with the owner or partner of the Accountancy company. Meet up with several Accountancy firms and let them know that you are doing this so that you can get the best offer for the best service. Decide beforehand whether you want the Accountant to do all the admin or whether you are happy to do a lot of the book-keeping with the Accountant mainly giving advice and doing your end-of-year returns. Once you have decided yourself what you want to do and what you want the accountant to do you can then ask the price. Ask the Accountant for a full list of services that they can provide as you may not have though of everything.
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I also agree that affirmative action is a short term solution to a systemic problem. The real problem is that the institutions are systematically set up in such a way that a person of color is at a distinct disadvantage when applying. I think, that for this particular reason, affirmative action is actually advantageous in correcting some of the mechanism that has been perpetuated. I agree with the last statement of article in that the idea of equality should not be used as a means of removing instruments that provide opportunities for people who otherwise would not have the chance.
ReplyDeleteYou know, you can reply directly to the comment rather than to the article to keep discussion targeted :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that affirmative action is a short term solution to the problem. However, we have to start somewhere and to me affirmative action seems like a great start to correct the institutional racism and disadvantage minorities suffer. People have the preconceived notion that affirmative action is admitting incompetent students just because of their race. The reality is most of these students are extremely bright, talented individuals who contribute to the diversity of the campus and bring a whole new dynamic to class discussions. This post further proves that democracy is prone to corruption if left unregulated as the ballot was "rife with fraud and deception"
ReplyDeleteat least it is a step in the right direction. i see it as baby steps :)
ReplyDeleteIt does seem problematic to implement an inefficient mechanism over another. I agree that a case by case analysis would best inform the appropriate solution. One size doesn't fit all.
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