Affirmative Action

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mployment hiring and promotions. In all our discussions about Affirmative Action, there is one thing that is almost universally omitted, but is crucial when bearing in mind the question of whether Affirmative Action involves a violation of equal rights. That thing is the phrase, "the best qualified."
Even opponents of Affirmative Action seem to ignore the significance of that phrase, as if it were irrelevant to the discussion of fairness and equality. But it is our position here that it is not only relevant, but it is related to the very essence of justice and equality, and is indispensable to the foundations of a free society. The phrase that we used "affirmative action" was first used in a racial discrimination context in Executive Order No. 10,925 issued by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. This executive order specified that federal contractors should take affirmative action to ensure that those who are job applicants and employees are treated "without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." The civil rights legislation of the 1960s followed basically in the same stratum. Kennedy's executive order disguised equal access and nothing else. The system that has evolved since is a caricature of the original intent of affirmative action. (Malamud, Deborah C 1996)
Another problem that is caused by affirmative action is that it places a stigma on grou...