Posted on 07/21/2005 11:52:22 AM PDT by hildy123
The Board of State Canvassers met yesterday to consider approval for a ballot measure that would end affirmative action in Michigan. The meeting was clearly one of the most cantankerous to have occurred in Lansing in years as protesters gather outside the House Office Building to defend affirmative action. In the end, the Board was deadlocked on the issue even though its sponsor, the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI), submitted 65% more signatures than were needed to put the question on the ballot. A court challenge is expected.
We will defer analysis of the legal merits to the legal challenge for those with a law degree. From a political perspective, however, we can be confident of two things.
First, if and when this initiative makes its way onto the ballot it will serve as a catalyst for driving up voter turnout throughout Michigan. We can’t predict what kind of an impact this will have for everything else on the ballot since it isn’t clear when it might make its appearance.
Second, the fact that this initiative is headed to court for a second time would indicate that more and more of MCRI’s funding will be dedicated towards legal expenses. This, in turn, means that they will have less and less money for advertising and other campaign related expenses. Since the Board of State Canvassers will be represented in court by the Michigan Attorney General, those opposing the initiative will not have to devote as much of their resources to the courtroom challenge.
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission passed a resolution condemning the proposal. It is available on-line at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/aarelease3_86196_7.pdf
You can't discourage racism by promoting it. Affirmative action is racist to blacks.
Citizens vs. the State Government.
"Affirmative action is racist to blacks."
It's everybody but white males. White males must be punished.
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Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick weighs in on anti-affirmative action proposal
Washington - Today, the Michigan State Board of Canvassers issued a split decision on whether to certify the so-called "Michigan Civil Rights Initiative" (MCRI) for the 2006 ballot.
"The so-called MCRI, a campaign to effectively roll back the promise of equal opportunity, as reinforced by the Supreme Court decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, reminds us that we must remain vigilant in our opposition to Connerly's efforts. He continues to blatantly manipulate language from the 1964 Civil Rights Act and engage in misleading tactics to trick Michigan voters into supporting his efforts to roll back programs that promote equality in employment and higher education," said Henderson.
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In March 2004, Connerly's attempt to place the MCRI on the November 2004 ballot was weakened when a Michigan judge ruled that the initiative was "blatantly in direct conflict" with the Michigan Constitution and did not fully inform voters of its effect on the Michigan State Constitution. In May 2004, Connerly ended his anti-affirmative action ballot initiative campaign because of the court decision as well as his failure to garner enough resources to collect the requisite number of signatures.
Connerly's efforts are opposed by a broad, bipartisan coalition of organizations and individuals including One United Michigan, Michigan Catholic Conference, Business & Professional Women, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Michigan Education Association, NAACP, Detroit Renaissance, ACLU, Michigan Federation of Teachers, American Association of University Women, National Council of Jewish Women, YWCA, AFL-CIO, and AFSCME, among others.
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