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May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
May 3, 2007
/ 15 Iyar, 5767
Under-reported story: Preferential policies fading state by state
By
E. Thomas McClanahan
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Eleven years ago, California voters approved a ballot issue banning racial preference by state government. Now a campaign for a similar measure has begun in Missouri, Colorado, Arizona and Oklahoma.
What's interesting about this new effort, announced last week, is the ho-hum reaction it generated. The story drew only dutiful coverage and any buzz was brief -- a far cry from the sparks that flew during the original campaign in California.
It's as if the nation is following an unspoken consensus, a tacit agreement that the time has come to roll back affirmative action to some still-unspecified extent, very slowly.
The issue rose to the top of the national agenda in the 1990s, when the Clinton administration faced pressure to deal with the bizarre trends apparent in civil rights policy.
Three examples suggest how radically the nation was veering from the lodestar of judging people by "the content of their character."
- Companies faced government lawsuits for failing to hire minority workers in proportions that precisely mirrored the racial makeup of their available labor pool, based on Byzantine calculations by federal bureaucrats.
- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that employers could be held liable even for failing to hire ex-convicts in numbers the government deemed appropriate. The argument: blacks and Hispanics had higher-than-average conviction records, therefore refusing to hire ex-convicts could contribute to racial disparities.
- In California, the legislature twice passed laws essentially creating a racial entitlement to a college degree. The bills said state-university graduating classes had to reflect California's overall racial makeup.
Those California bills were vetoed, but they sparked a movement that began nudging policy back toward the original intent of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which barred preferential treatment.
The California Civil Rights Initiative provided a model for successful campaigns in Michigan and Washington state, and it will serve as the model for the initiatives in Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma and Arizona.
Another thing that's changed over the years is the nature of the debate. Publicly questioning affirmative action is no longer quite the taboo it once was, even among black people.
A quarter-century ago, racial preference had few black critics willing to make their arguments publicly.
Thomas Sowell was perhaps the most well-known. Later came other voices, such as Glenn Loury, Shelby Steele and John McWhorter. Ward Connerly, who is multiracial, helped lead the original campaign for the California initiative. Connerly is also behind the campaign in Missouri and the three other states.
These critics were uncomfortable with the unhealthy co-dependence bred by preferential policies, which tend to cast black people in the role of helpless victims and whites in the role of benevolent benefactors.
Black people still overwhelmingly support affirmative action, but these days more blacks are willing to question it. More are uncomfortable with, and vocal about, the downside of racial preference - namely its assumption of inferiority.
Even the distinctive language that envelopes race preference is demeaning. You hear people say, "We need more women on that board," or "We need more black employees here" - a way of speaking that echoes how we describe faceless, interchangeable units of some commodity. It's become so routine, no one bats an eye.
If a Missouri Civil Rights Initiative makes it onto the 2008 ballot, it would probably have a good chance of passing.
President Clinton, in his famous speech on affirmative action, promised to "mend it, not end it." The mending process began in California. Now it is spreading, gradually, to other states.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
E. Thomas McClanahan is a member of the Kansas City Star editorial board. Comment by clicking here.
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