Proposition 16 – Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment

This coming November, Californians have several Propositions to vote for. Often times these are quite confusing so I thought I would explain this in layman’s terms.  For what it is worth I will also give my own reasoning on why I support or oppose these Propositions. To see the Propositions in their entirety you can go to www.ballotpedia.org

Proposition 16  will repeal Proposition 209 which voters passed as a Constitutional Amendment that ended Affirmative Action in California.

Affirmative Action is defined as a policy or program providing advantages for people of a minority group who are seen to have traditionally been discriminated against. It’s goal is to create a more egalitarian society through preferential access to education, employment, health care, social welfare, etc. as a policy or a program that seeks to redress past discrimination through active measures to ensure equal opportunity, as in education and employment. The use of such racial quotas and minority set-asides led to court challenges of affirmative action as a form of “reverse discrimination.” In 1978 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5–4) that quotas may not be used to reserve places for minority applicants if white applicants are denied a chance to compete for those places. Although the court outlawed quota programs, it allowed colleges to use race as a factor in making admissions decisions as they argued that Asian Students were “over-represented” and had an unfair advantage.

A “yes” vote supports this constitutional amendment to repeal Proposition 209 and, in doing so, would restore Affirmative Action, which says that the state cannot discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to persons on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, and public contracting.

A “no” vote opposes this constitutional amendment, thereby keeping Proposition 209 and blocking the reinstatement of Affirmative Action, which says that the state cannot discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to persons on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, and public contracting.

My Opinion: An Emphatic No Vote – Why? This is a form reverse discrimination, especially against the Asian community. What happened to putting your nose to the grindstone and working hard to achieve your own goals? Who wants to have a government policy stating who deserves something more based on their race? Affirmative Action allows less qualified people to receive scholarships, gain contracts or find employment. To quote legendary and Hall of Fame Basketball player, Rick Barry, “The only thing you are entitled to is what you earn.”

If lawmakers were truly concerned with higher education for minorities than they need start earlier, not at the college level but in our public schools. School Choice has been rejected by Democrats and Democratic run Teacher Unions for decades. That is where we need to start because School Choice allows equality for all ethnicities, both male and female.