Wednesday, October 26, 2011

State Representatives and Senators on Affirmative Action

As of now, the Oklahoma House of Representatives has approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would eliminate affirmative action in state government. It had already passed the Senate and will go to a vote of the people next year.

Rep. T.W. Shannon says,
“I believe discrimination exists, I don’t think affirmative action has been as successful as we like to believe.”

Rep. Sally Kern says,

“We have a high percentage of blacks in prison, and that’s tragic, but are they in prison just because they are black or because they don’t want to study as hard in school? I’ve taught school, and I saw a lot of people of color who didn’t study hard because they said the government would take care of them.”

President Obama supports affirmative action but questions its effectiveness. When addressed on the topic he says,
"Diversity enriches education. As America grows more diverse, it is essential that students be exposed to diversity in all its forms and learn how to effectively communicate, collaborate, and compete with people of all backgrounds."
My Thoughts: In Representative Shannon's eyes, affirmative action has failed. But he himself has failed to see how much good affirmative action has done to the minority in Oklahoma. Rep . Sally Kern undermines women and colored people by saying that they either do not work hard enough or that women usually spend most of their time at home. In my opinion she comes off as a racist person by saying that minorities do not earn equal pay because they are not hard-workers, and have less initiative.

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