Affirmative action is a plan to offset past discrimination in employing and educating women, blacks, and other minorities. It is the government's way of apologizing to ethnic groups for the injustices they have suffered. Affirmative action is supposed to preserve liberty and to improve race relations, but it is actually worsening them. It is not helping poor blacks; it is primarily helping well-to-do blacks. More effective programs should be implemented to take the place of affirmative action.

Minorities have been victims of the worst crime, the removal of God-given rights, but this country fought a bloody civil war to ensure those rights for all citizens. The Fourteenth Amendment gives all citizens the same privileges, but affirmative action gives preferential treatment to minorities. Minorities are citizens and should be treated as such; they should not be treated as dependent outcasts.

The government is forcing institutions of higher education to give up their demands of excellence in order to fulfill quotas. When admissions directors should be reading college essays, looking at GPA's, and reviewing recommendations, they are focusing on the applicant's gender or race. This is offensive toward all citizens. They should be judged on merit whether they are black or white, rich or poor, male or female. Minorities can be accepted into a college on merit, but fellow students will look down on them, thinking they have received preferential treatment. The same thing occurs in the workforce, antagonism builds toward minorities, and race relations worsen.

Affirmative action contradicts the Constitution and the American dream. The Constitution says everyone has equal privileges, and the American dream drives us to use those privileges to success. No American deserves something more than another. This country must say NO to affirmative action, or we will never be able to call ourselves a truly free society. ?