The City of Tucson's blatant 7 percent bid preferences are now over. The concept commonly known as "affirmative action" in America has a noble beginning. Originated during one of the most tumultuous periods in American history - the "civil rights" era - affirmative action was launched in 1961 to usher in a policy of nondiscrimination. By the mid-1960s, affirmative action had been transformed into a series of policies and programs whose purpose was to increase the number of "minorities" in the public workplace, in public contracting, and in public college enrollment. Throughout its history, it has been widely acknowledged that...