Affirmative action does lead to best

How can using race as a factor in hiring give you the best qualified in ANYTHING. "I dream of a day when a person can be judged by the content of his character and not by the color of his skin." It's time to stop institutionalized racism, better known as affirmative action.

The only way to hire the most qualified or best applicant is do it based solely on their merit with no knowledge of color. Any preference based on color is discrimination by definition. Discrimination is not right for any race.

Billy, affirmative action doesn't guarantee the best, not even the best of a race or sex. It only guarantees that somebody else is going to be discriminated against because of their color or sex. 14PUTT and Sister Abdullah got it exactly right! The truth might hurt, but it's still the truth!

Having recently elected a "black" President, we have proved that Affirmative Action based on race is obsolete. But we should keep Affirmative Action. Only now, it should be based on poverty. Smart poor kids would get the same opportunity as smart rich kids. That's 'change' I can get behind!

Our affirmative action president will be another failed experiment in "fairness". Back to real life in four more years.

Affirmative Action only shifts the "discrimination" to favor a different group over another. While this may be good for the short term, it should never be considered the norm for the long term. All I see Affirmative Action doing is again favoring one group over another. If employers would be required to hire the best qualified by checking with E-verify, and hire without regard for race, religious beliefs, or national origin, the country would be much better off. That's what the Civil Rights Movement was really all about.

patriciathomas.... Get real!! You are the most racist person on this site. I have no respect for you and everyone knows you would never search for the merits of any minority because your first judgement is always about race. You would rather vote another eight years for a white failure at President for a black man regardless of his record because that's where your pathetic mentality feels most comfortable. Sadly, race is an issue in America and many blacks should not easily overlook the evidence that blacks and other minorities are treated indifferent simply due to race.

Racism has many victims... There are circumstances that Affirmative Action would benefit whites more than blacks & women. It is rather humorous to listen to whites on this site make racial insults all week long, then today pretend to be victims. If I didn't want to get my suit dirty, I would roll over in the sand laughing. In a national opinion poll whites shared a low opinion of blacks despite their education, employment, or economic status. Pretty much the whole basis for their opinion was racial stereo typing & myths. That doesn't sound like blacks have a problem, it is whites have work to do respecting blacks. Please don't think I am niave, blacks can be racist too. Some day whites have to acknowledge not all blacks live in the projects just like all whites were not raised in trailer parks.

If affirmative action was still needed then I say why must the standards be dropped lower than they were just to accommodate those applying for jobs now?...There was a difference back in the last century than today...People are equal now...People need to be hired for their skills...Not because they are deemed minority...It would seem to me to be degrading to grab a job you're not qualified...I believe a person's skills are reflected in that person without the government intervening...You either qualify for the job or you don't...It is as simple or as difficult as that...

Those vying for the best jobs probably resent affirmative action less than those who are only qualified for lower-paying positions. It really hurts to see a bunch of sorry racial stereotypes enjoying a position that you know you could perform just as poorly.

Just in case word hasn't made it down to Keysville yet, it's currently the year 2009 AD. Just so you know.

Atonement? Don't you mean entitlement Justus. That's as ridiculous a statement as PT's. You want to know why folks have a low opinion of blacks? Turn on the t.v.. A big difference between white and black folks is that whites will distance themselves from trash. Black folks defend other blacks no matter what, right or wrong it's always that way like that shooting in the projects last year. Newsflash: America has been trying to prop up black folks for over 40 years, some will stand and some won't. There is no conspiracy to keep the black man down, he does it to himself.

the wounds are slow to heal because people like justus4 continually pick at the scab.
even frederick douglas,supposedly a reasonably learned man , pointed out there were people who benefitted from continued racism back in his day.
these people in question ,indeed, were black

ThurstonHowell, I totally agree with you. I'm so tired of hearing excuses. It's time people stand up and take some responsibility. I don't deny the fact that black americans have been discriminated against but this is 2009 and it's time to stop living in the past. Atonement? How long must someone pay, is it until the black man feels he's ahead of the white man? Let's get real.....Until you take responsbility for your life and it's direction, you have no one to blame but yourself. We have too many successful Africian Americans in our society to continue to play this "I'm not treated fairly" game.

The funny thing is affirmative actions has helped white woman the most. And help asians, blacks, and hispanics about the same. But yet inchristlove only associated AA with blacks. And of course there are alot of sucessful black people. That doesn't change the fact that young black and hispanic men are call thugs even before they commit a crime. Sometimes just by their hair style or clothing some whites call them thugs. And then white people like the white kids who shoot up columbine. Commit crimes and still aren't call thugs. Do you think if black males, or hispanic males were doing these same school shootings. You wouldn't hear the word thug a 100 times. It would be nothing about depression just their animals and thugs.

Affirmative Action originally had merit. The problem with the policy was that people had to hire minorities, and they did it whether or not the person was truly qualified. Knowledge, skills, and abilities SHOULD never be forsaken in order to create a diverse workplace. Qualified blacks needed a fair chance to be hired. This fair chance was distorted to hiring blacks just to keep up appearances. The worst part about it is that many whites now believe that if a black person has a decent job, then they got it because they were black, and that they are unqualified. I have seen it happen, even in the military (which does have affirmative action programs, but by the time you are done with training and education, you had better be up to par). Whites who feel that blacks are not qualified to be senior to them sometimes become insubordinate. Unfortunately, the senior black person has to prove their worthiness for the position in order to be respected. Affirmative Action was good for it's time, but should expire like everything else. Maybe then whites won't think unqualified blacks are taking their jobs.

While AA may have been useful in its day but just like unions, that system has outgrown its use, witness our current president. There is another way for employers to discriminate. Black children, especially girls, are often given first names that will immediately identify them as being black and may well be passed over for that reason when sending resumes. Parents should take that into consideration when naming their children.

Mgroothand, the naming argument is a bust. Justification for it being nonviable is that there are so many people from other countries who have difficult to pronounce names now working in America. Companies don't care about names. If they feel you would be an asset, and increase profitability, then they will learn to pronounce your name or any derivative thereof that you deem acceptable. I'm sure Condolezza wasn't an acceptable name 50 years ago, but that didn't stop Dr. Rice, who happened to have been black, from becoming a very powerful woman. A person's name doesn't qualify or disqualify them from a job.

Good points King James.

If you dress and look like a thug, people will think you are a thug. No different than some hick with a big belt buckle and boots on. That's called PREJUDICE. You assume how they will act based on their appearance. Has nothing to do with race. , and everything to do with culture. But for some reason that concept is impossible for many people to grasp. Government has no right to force PRIVATE businesses to hire certain races of people. It's stupid and only serves to help perpetuate tension between races, just like the race pimps(black and white). Bleh.

Funny how so many point to our new President as proof AA is no longer needed. Wonder if he would have gotten the same educational oppurtunities if AA never existed. Hmmm

I laugh as I read each GOP response. All of you are bold face liars if you say you believe in hiring the best qualified. Any chance of consideration of that argument was squashed on Nov. 4, 2008. You put aside your intellect and voted for a failed man -- a man that graduated near the bottom out a class of nearly 800, a failed pilot, a failed husband (cheated on first wife) and scandal tainted (found to be in "poor judgement"). A man who is weak in his knowledge of economics. That man was far, far, far from qualified. That man is John McCain. The McCain/Palin ticket would have put two dunces in charge of the disaster created by Bush (another dunce). You voted for McCain instead of a man who was unquestionably better qualified. Barack Obama -- Magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and president of the Harvard Law Review. Obama -- a man successful in all endeavors, a loyal family man and scandal free. Stick your argument against Affirmative action and your statement of seeking the "best qualified" in the trash can. It can never be taken seriously again.

Damn... Whats wrong w/ being raised in a trailer park.. Oh thats right. Its your basic stereotype..

I work in a architect-engineering office. I am a black male with an engineering degree. I wish some of y'all would remove these non-degreed or degreed (but not in engineering or architecture) from my suite. The majority of white men and my office are not qualified. They know nothing about physics and multi-variable calculus and its applications yet they work on the same projects that I work on. I guess best qualified doesn't really matter for whites huh? It only matters for blacks, asians and middle eastern folks (I say that because ALL of the so-called minorities in my office have engineering or architectural degrees).

JG, people are saying that AA is no longer needed. The President was educated during a time when some thought there was a need for it. No one has said it shouldn't have existed. Most seem to think that it has served it's purpose and should be done away with. Afterall, the only color a true professional thinks about is green, as in Dollar Green. Bobby, I disagree with you on some of what you said, mainly because I wore corn rows for 2 years. I didn't do baggy clothes and hats, though because I'm tall and it's hard to find my inseam length in pants. But the point is people should not decide that someone is a thug until they prove themselves to be one. Sometimes all it takes is their speech and mannerisms, but not just their appearance. You should realize that to many "thug" is a fashion choice, and not a subculture or lifestyle. BTW, my hairstyle did not prevent me from being sent all over the country to represent my company. Although I had corn rows, my appearance was and still is always professional.

B 4 I come a slave I'll be buried in my grave, then I'll be free. Unless you have truly walked in the shoes of the repressed then you will not know how they feel. Underqualified equals no job, Over qualified equals no job, and if it does you are not getting paid what you are worth or should be compared to others in the same position. So, affirmative action leveled the playing field for some. Ones merit, don't always cut the mustard either, I've been there, done that, and bought the shirt so go figure. Until justice flows like a roaring stream and hatred is no more, then and only then will we become great citizens and a nation.

Bcs2k, I have the opposite situation. I work in the technology industry, but have a BA in Business Admin, Health Services Management. I was hired because of my Navy experience with medical and dental information systems. I was promoted because of my willingness to learn other things. I am now the configuration manager for my office. The folks in your office should try to increase their worth by learning more about what the professionals in the office do, even if it means they have to take classes. Personal development should also be a goal your firm promotes.