Ballot Initiative in Michigan Passed
How Did I Miss This?
My husband mentioned this initiative to me yesterday, and then this morning I found this article in Real Clear Politics, Will Michigan Vote Mean More Race Ballot Questions?
It was a vote to end to ban affirmative action/racial preferences programs in college admission and state government hiring and contracting. And the initiative didn’t pass by just a smidgen, it passed by a 58-42 percent margin. A breakdown of the vote showed that it passed in all groups, except among blacks (who opposed by a 72% margin) and voters with postgraduate educations of whom only 51% opposed it.
Last week I wrote about Juan Williams latest book, Enough and his views (and those of Bill Cosby) that blacks have not taken advantage of the opportunities provided to them by the Brown decision of the 1950s. I don’t know how Williams feels about this ballot initiative, but I can’t help but feel that banning affirmative action and racial preference programs means that the state of Michigan is no longer going to be an “enabler”.
I believe that true affirmative action is color blind and it should be that the most qualified individual is chosen for a job or a slot in a college. If there needs to be any affirmative action at all, it should be based on socioeconomic status rather than race. In accepting students to college, I have never understood why the son or daughter of someone like Michael Jordan should get preference over the child of a single white school teacher who makes $30K a year. (I made up the situation just to make my point.)
The RCP article suggests that this may be the kind of issue that Republicans can take to the states to bring out the voters IF they dare. We risk being called racists by the Democrats if we do, but is it really? Who are the racists? Those who discriminate or those who don’t want to support it any longer?
Posted by COgirl
November 20th, 2006 at 11:14 am
You missed it because the MSM ignored it.
I heard it mentioned one time on Fox News. Fred Barnes pointed it out.
November 20th, 2006 at 11:15 am
It matters naught, as any one non elected left wing judicial oligarch, can rule the whole exercize invalid with the stroke of a pen. The supreme court has already approved of Michigan’s reverse discrimination policies.
Judicial fiat will rule the day on this one unfortunately.
November 20th, 2006 at 11:18 am
We need to remember the rage we had at Judicial activism we had in 2004 and repackage it for 2008.
November 20th, 2006 at 11:25 am
IP, there may be hope. Here’s a quote from the article.
BAMN is an organization called By Any Means Necessary.
I can’t help but wonder if the end of affirmative action isn’t somewhat like the implementation of welfare reform that we had in the 90s.
November 20th, 2006 at 11:28 am
I can’t help but wonder if the end of affirmative action isn’t somewhat like the implementation of welfare reform that we had in the 90s.
Comment by COgirl —
That so called reform is mostly smoke and mirrors, as we are still spending billions on welfare anyway.The welfare sate is alive and well, in spite of the “reform”.
November 20th, 2006 at 11:30 am
IP, I agree, but there are a lot of people who are off the welfare rolls that would still be on w/o reform.
November 20th, 2006 at 12:02 pm
Michigan Voters approve measure to end Racial Discrimination in college admissions
Michigan Voters approved by a margin of 58% to 42% a measure that would eliminate the use of race as a factor in determining college admissions. Achieving racial diversity in institutions of public education is a noble goal. How we go about meeting …
November 20th, 2006 at 12:02 pm
Michigan Voters approve measure to end Racial Discrimination in college admissions
Michigan Voters approved by a margin of 58% to 42% a measure that would eliminate the use of race as a factor in determining college admissions. Achieving racial diversity in institutions of public education is a noble goal. How we go about meeting …
November 20th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
I’m still reading William McFeely’s biography of the great Frederick Douglass (a man who surely belongs on Mount Rushmore). Douglass, the great abolitionist and reformer, would be aghast at affirmative action, and would abhore it. My proof? His own words:
“Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do with the Negro?” I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us. Do nothing with us! If the apples will not remain on the tree of their own strength, if they are wormeaten at the core, if they are early ripe and disposed to fall, let them fall! I am not for tying or fastening them on the tree in any way, except by nature’s plan, and if they will not stay there, let them fall. And if the Negro cannot stand on his own legs, let him fall also. All I ask is, give him a chance to stand on his own legs! Let him alone!”
(from What the Black Man Wants, 1865)
November 20th, 2006 at 3:25 pm
How apropos today!
November 20th, 2006 at 4:57 pm
There was a time for affirmative action, but that time has passed. It was needed once, but not any more. The law school I went to had a better alternative. Students who needed a head start, mostly Native Americans, started a law school preparation program in June for the Fall semester. None of those students flunked out. They were given an student mentor from the 2nd or 3rd year class who helped teach them how to study in law school. Getting used to the Socratic method can be daunting. There was no racial preference, but my school had the National Indian Law Center so we had a lot of Native American students. We generally had 1200-1500 applicants for 110 spots. You had to have high grades and a high LSAT score to get admitted.
November 20th, 2006 at 5:25 pm
I have always been against Affirmative Action of any type, however, one based on economic ability would be OK.
Any that is based on Race or Gender is not OK.
November 20th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
I think we always had affirmative action based on economic status IF you had good grades. My parents were deceased when I went to undergraduate school and I got through in 4 years on grants, scholarships, work-study and a part time job. I only managed a 3.3 GPA, however. I might have done better if I wasn’t working 40 hours per week, but 3.3 was respectable under the circumstances.I don’t think my admission was racially based. I was a member of the Honor Society in high school and got a good score on the ACT, which is now something different–the SAT, I think.
November 20th, 2006 at 8:57 pm
Good for you, David. You certainly had a lot to overcome and you have really done well. I suspect the difficulties you had to overcome made you a better person.
FYI, there are 2 different tests — the ACT and SAT. They’re somewhat comparable. The SAT is used mainly on the east coast and CA. ACT is used most other places. Both are accepted everywhere.