Socioeconomic affirmative action (Replacing one form of discrimination with another)

Anchorage Daily News ^ | June 30, 2003 | MATTHEW MOON

[AlaskaErik]

On Monday, the Supreme Court upheld the University of Michigan Law School's affirmative action program due to its compelling interest for getting a "critical mass" of underrepresented minorities. Simultaneously, they struck down the undergraduate process, which automatically distributes 20 points, or one-fifth of the points needed to guarantee admission, to all underrepresented minorities. Many arguments have been tossed around from proponents and opponents of affirmative action. As an opponent, I believe there is a better alternative to racial preferences: socioeconomic affirmative action.

[AlaskaErik]

Redefining the parameters of discrimination is not the solution. Ending racial, or any other types of quotas and/or preferences is a start.

[redbaiter]

Ultimately, socioeconomic affirmative action programs are a more balanced and constitutional method of guaranteeing students of all backgrounds the opportunity to achieve as much as they possibly can.

More self-contradictory redistributionist flapdoodlism. If you discriminate against A in favor of B, then you are preventing A from achieving as much as he (or she!) possibly could have in the absence of your interference. Duh.