High court to take new look at affirmative action

Published - Feb 21 2012 10:09AM EST

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will once again confront the issue of race in university admissions in a case brought by a white student denied a spot at the flagship campus of the University of Texas.

The court said Tuesday it will return to the issue of affirmative action in higher education for the first time since its 2003 decision endorsing the use of race as a factor in admissions. This time around, a more conservative court is being asked to jettison that ruling and outlaw affirmative action in the university setting.

A federal appeals court upheld the Texas program at issue.

The case will be argued in the fall.

http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article/rr/...ive_action

How can affirmative action be legal anywhere in USA? The federal government, and every state, have passed multiple laws that prohibit admittance
or hiring practices where discrimination based on ethnicity is a no no. Once again state and government institutions allow themselves to discriminate based on ethnicity, Public Universities, Police and Fire departments can do it but ABC Insurance can't do it.

Texas Workforce Commission
http://www.twc.state.tx.us/twcinfo/equal...unity.html
Equal Opportunity is the Law Notice

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), as a recipient of federal financial assistance, must provide the following notice that it does not discriminate on any prohibited ground.

It is against the law for this recipient of federal financial assistance to discriminate on the following bases: against any individual in the United States, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation or belief; and against any beneficiary of programs financially assisted under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), on the basis of the beneficiary's citizenship/status as a lawfully admitted immigrant authorized to work in the United States, or his or her participation in any WIA Title I-financially assisted program or activity. The recipient must not discriminate in any of the following areas:

Deciding who will be admitted, or have access, to any WIA Title I-financially assisted program or activity
Providing opportunities in, or treating any person with regard to, such a program or activity
Making employment decisions in the administration of, or in connection with, such a program or activity

(02-21-2012 11:13 AM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  How can affirmative action be legal anywhere in USA? The federal government, and every state, have passed multiple laws that prohibit admittance
or hiring practices where discrimination based on ethnicity is a no no. Once again state and government institutions allow themselves to discriminate based on ethnicity, Public Universities, Police and Fire departments can do it but ABC Insurance can't do it.

Personally, I can't wait until I'm a minority. Of course then they'll change the laws immediately.

(02-23-2012 08:53 AM)Coopdaddy67 Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 11:13 AM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  How can affirmative action be legal anywhere in USA? The federal government, and every state, have passed multiple laws that prohibit admittance
or hiring practices where discrimination based on ethnicity is a no no. Once again state and government institutions allow themselves to discriminate based on ethnicity, Public Universities, Police and Fire departments can do it but ABC Insurance can't do it.

Personally, I can't wait until I'm a minority. Of course then they'll change the laws immediately.

Yes because one thing we don't notice is minorities have significantly higher poverty rates, rates of incarciration, don't live as long, make significantly less money, less people that make it to college.... We white folk just have it the worst.

Punishing me because the color of my skin isn't so awesome.

(02-23-2012 09:03 AM)Coopdaddy67 Wrote:  Punishing me because the color of my skin isn't so awesome.

How have you been punished? There is a far bigger advantage to being born a white male. All the data shows it. Is there a sense of entitlement that it should always be this way?

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

(02-23-2012 10:24 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(02-23-2012 09:03 AM)Coopdaddy67 Wrote:  Punishing me because the color of my skin isn't so awesome.

How have you been punished? There is a far bigger advantage to being born a white male. All the data shows it. Is there a sense of entitlement that it should always be this way?

Not true, especially for your generation Mark. White women graduate from college and get graduate degrees at a higher clip than white males. They make more money also.

State universities should not consider race or ethnicity as criteria for admittance, it is wrong.

(02-23-2012 10:24 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  How have you been punished? There is a far bigger advantage to being born a white male. All the data shows it. Is there a sense of entitlement that it should always be this way?

I believe that everyone should be judged on their own merits. Being white doesn't mean I should be put at a disadvantage all things being equal because I'm white and the other person is black.

(02-23-2012 10:37 AM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  State universities should not consider race or ethnicity as criteria for admittance, it is wrong.

Agreed.

Being black would have been awesome during the scholarship application process. A couple of my friends cleaned up.

(02-23-2012 08:59 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(02-23-2012 08:53 AM)Coopdaddy67 Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 11:13 AM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  How can affirmative action be legal anywhere in USA? The federal government, and every state, have passed multiple laws that prohibit admittance
or hiring practices where discrimination based on ethnicity is a no no. Once again state and government institutions allow themselves to discriminate based on ethnicity, Public Universities, Police and Fire departments can do it but ABC Insurance can't do it.

Personally, I can't wait until I'm a minority. Of course then they'll change the laws immediately.

Yes because one thing we don't notice is minorities have significantly higher poverty rates, rates of incarciration, don't live as long, make significantly less money, less people that make it to college.... We white folk just have it the worst.

Hmm Asians are minorities, and they make more money, have lower incarceration rates and live longer than "majority" white people.

Must not be simply a "minority" thing then, right?

Perhaps you should allow for the fact that well intentioned intervention like affirmative action might now be hurting more than helping.