Affirmative action describes many policies aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically, minority men or women of all racial groups) intended to promote its access to education or employment.
Let me and Maximus be the first one to say it. This institutionalized racism should be on the way out. If a black man--Obama--is voted in by a majority white population to the most powerful office in the world, then the argument this is a country where minorities need a codified advantage to get ahead is dead. We can understand the argument during the civil rights era. However, there is no reason to continue government sanctioned racism.
We live in a world that will always contain people who are racist -- from all colors. Now is the time to begin undoing this grievous inequity. We'll be the first to say affirmative action should be discontinued on January 20, 2009 - the same day Obama is (may) be sworn in as President.
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I'd even go further than Augustus. The fact here is that a major political party in America has nominated someone that is half black. That in itself sends a positive message to the rest of the world -- that America is finally ready to overcome some of the sins of its past and move on. Yes, there will always be racists, just like there will always be sexists and bigots, etc but a policy of compensation someone just because of their ethnicity is inherently racist and does not do a thing to bridge the gap of race relations in this country. In a global economy that is dominated by competition from all sides, we should be striving to put the best people based on merit in the best jobs in this country. Its the least we can do to invest in the future.
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