by Joel VanDixhorn | The Wolverine State takes a bite out of injustice.
As the November midterm elections grow closer, the candidates work to clarify their positions and smooth over any rough spots that surely arose over the course of each campaign. However, many voters will not only be choosing representatives and senators, but they will also be voting on ballot initiatives. The elimination of bail for serious felons and the development of casinos are just a few of the initiatives that voters will get a chance to vote on. With regards to the effect on the general populace, few can rival the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI).
Once again, the state of Michigan will be subjected to the firestorm that surrounds affirmative action. In 2003, lawsuits against the University of Michigan made national headlines and eventually reached the Supreme Court. In a controversial ruling, the Supreme Court limited the viability of the “law school’s admissions process that took race into consideration” and ruled that awarding points to minority undergraduate applicants was unconstitutional. In November, voters will be able to ban preferential treatment of women and minorities in hiring for state jobs and admission into public universities.
While critics bemoan the supposedly outmoded initiative, supporters can point to precedent as evidence that Michigan is not representing an isolated school of thought. In 1996, 54 percent of California voters amended the state constitution to prohibit discrimination based on race, sex, or ethnicity by state institutions; effectively banning affirmative action. Following California’s example, Washington passed a similar act. In each case, one of the most vocal supporters was Ward Connerly. Connerly, who is black, was a member of the California board of regents and eventually became the chairman of the California Civil Rights Initiative Campaign, which was vital to the success of the ballot initiative in California. Spurred by his success, Connerly created the American Civil Rights Institute to address the problem of affirmative action on a national level. Since accomplishing his goal in Washington, he has moved his focus to Michigan.
While there is strong support within Michigan for the MCRI, opposition is mobilizing quickly. Two groups, One United Michigan and By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), vow to “defend affirmative action.” These groups have gone as far as comparing this ballot initiative to September 11 and Hurricane Katrina. They claim that the elimination of affirmative action is a “national disaster headed for Michigan.” Without a cogent argument, these groups are forced to resort to illogical analogies intended to play strictly upon emotion.
Since the elimination of affirmative action in California, some interesting trends have been discovered. The year after affirmative action was abandoned, the number of Asian-Americans who enrolled in California Universities increased substantially. It may have gone unnoticed that white applicants were not the only demographic that suffered while affirmative action was employed. Clearly, equality of opportunity was hindered by a system that considered race a viable tool for gauging deserved admission. While Asian-American enrollment increased, there was initially a marked decrease in black and Latino enrollment at University of California schools. However, each year black and Latino numbers increased to the point where they currently are comparable to the days of affirmative action. Critics point out that select schools such as UCLA still have severely low number of blacks attending. However, black students throughout the University of California system can be proud of the fact that they were admitted based solely on academic merit without the help of an outdated legislative construction.
Regulating race has too many unintended consequences to be considered useful. Society as a whole benefits when production is maximized in each social exchange. A university is better off when the students it admits are more qualified to withstand the rigors that it will offer. A school needs teachers who are able to engender students with a sense of yearning for knowledge. In each of these cases, society as a whole suffers when the best applicant is not chosen.
Furthermore, affirmative action provokes an “us against them” mentality that fosters hostility towards ethnicities that otherwise would have suffocated under societal pressure. Society has worked hard to eliminate arenas in which race is applicable. Barriers have been deconstructed in sports and the business world. Success, whether it is defined by the accumulation of money or victories, is the overriding factor; mitigating the impact that race has in the aforementioned instances.
The racial and cultural differences that comprise America’s citizenship make it great. However, affirmative action has proven itself an outdated practice, which society will gradually eliminate. Citizens like Ward Connerly recognize the futility of a system that arbitrarily grants advantages to specific racial groups. This November, Michigan can provide more momentum for the anti-affirmative action crowd and eliminate discrimination disguised as diversity.
Mr. VanDixhorn is a sophomore majoring in Political Science.
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