State voters to decide fate of Affirmative Action ( Ward Connerly in Arizona )

Capitol Media Services ^ | June 23, 2009 | Howard Fischer

[george76]

Arizonans will decide next year if they want to outlaw affirmative action programs and any special programs or preferences for women and minorities.

the Senate gave final approval to a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit preferential treatment or discrimination by government on the basis of race, sex or ethnic origin. The measure, which already has been approved by the House, now goes on the 2010 ballot.

It will be the first time Arizonans get to vote on the issue. A similar initiative drive in 2008 failed when backers did not get enough signatures.

But Californian Ward Connerly, who helped craft this measure, said that does not mean Arizonans don’t want the language in the state constitution.

He said it reflected instead on the difficulties in getting measures on the ballot. And Connerly said the fact that other issues managed to qualify and some actually were approved is irrelevant.

The measure is aimed at any law, rule or regulation that would give any group preference in public employment, contracting or education.

[NEMDF]

This was done (repeal affirmative action) in Nebraska last November.

[heiss]

Hopefully the Ricci case and the nomination of openly racist “Wise Latina” Sotomayor gives this initiative more publicity.

Sotomayor was not intelligent enough to get into the University. She herself admitted that she is the product of “affirmative action”. If we had an opposition party in this country, it would highlight in the hearings that somebody (say, poor immigrant from China or poor female orphan from Kentucky) was denied the place in the University solely because of the race. Most Americans would say this is wrong/

[kjo]

Also done in Michigan three years ago; though the major universities in-state are finding ways around it.