Affirative Action Ban Heads for Ballot in 5 States

[rpannier]

Come election time in November, voters in five states might have a decision to make as big as whom to elect president.

Ballot initiatives have been proposed in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma that would give voters the chance to decide whether they want to do away with affirmative action in government-funded projects and public schools.

Ward Connerly, who heads the American Civil Rights Coalition -- a nonprofit organization working to end racial and gender preferences -- and the main backer of the ballot initiatives, says the 37 word initiative would read: "The state shall not discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting."

"It would forbid any state or local agency or special district from engaging in preferential treatment," Connerly said

link:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/07/affirmative.action/index.html#cnnSTCText?iref

[bluestateguy]

1. Why must Ward Connolly stick his nose in other states business?

Someone needs to tell him to butt out.

[Thurston Howell III]

2. True.

[MaryCeleste]

3. Same was said of the Freedom Riders in the 60s

Fight him on the merits, not his state of residence. Does anyone have any polling data from those states yet?

[Elidor]

4. Ugh, they're calling it the "Civil Rights Initiative"

These things should all come in a plain-brown wrapper: call it Overturn Affirmative Action. Let's not kid ourselves what this is about.

WC is GOP.

[kevinbgoode]

5. Hmm...could this backfire on the GOP if passed?

I mean, given the preponderance of the straight white male minority presence in business, education, and government positions, couldn't the state be sued by just about everyone else in just about every department?