Why Affirmative Action Should Be Eliminated

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Imagine waking up tomorrow and reading in the local paper that the government was giving tax breaks to minorities in order to prevent discrimination. Congress insists that the deductions will “help level the playing field” in American society, claiming that diversity is necessary in creating an ideal nation, but is this attempt to prevent disparities and racism not an act of inequality in itself? By putting this policy into place, the government is giving advantages to minorities without showing the same generosity to Caucasians of the same economic backgrounds. Protests would be taking place around the country as citizens argue that the plan violates their Constitutional right to equality. Yet this is exactly the type of scenario seen in universities across the country. Colleges use race as a large factor in admissions in order to create “optimal diversity” among the students. However, this attempt at variety often comes at the expense of white and Asian students. For these reasons, affirmative action policies in college admissions should be eliminated in the United States. Affirmative action policies were created to help level the playing field in American society. Supporters claim that these plans eliminate economic and social disparities to minorities, yet in doing so, they’ve only created more inequalities. Whites and Asians in poverty receive little to none of the opportunities provided to minorities of the same economic background (Messerli). The burden of equity has been placed upon those who were not fortunate enough to meet a certain school’s idea of “diversity” (Andre, Velasquez, and Mazur). The sole reason for a college’s selectivity is to determine whether or not a student has the credentials to attend that school.... ... middle of paper ... ...ions, Facing a New Test by Justices.” The New York Times. Arthur Sulzberger Jr., 8 Oct. 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Messerli, Joe. “Affirmative Action.” BalancedPolitics.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. “Proposition 209.” The California Online Voter Guide.” California Voter Foundation, 1996. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Resmovits, Joy. “Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin Ruling Leaves Universities in Limbo.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 24 June 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Starkman, Ruth. “Confessions of an Application Reader: Lifting the Veil on the Holistic Process at the University of California, Berkeley.” The New York Times. Arthur Sulzberger Jr., 1 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. United States of America. U.S. Supreme Court. Legal Information Institute. Cornell University Law School, 1 Apr. 2003. 13 Nov. 2013 U.S. Constitution. Amend. XIV. Section 1.

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