Beyond Labels

Affirmative Action: A concept whose time has come and gone?

July 16, 2013 Scott Miller

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This topic was discussed on November 18, 2013.

Are affirmative action programs inherently discriminatory?
Have they successfully served their original purpose?
- If not, what criteria should be applied in determining when to end these programs?
How should the Supreme Court have ruled in the University of Texas case (if not sent back on narrow procedural grounds)? Why?
On what basis (if any) should affirmative action be applied?
- Race?
- Gender?
- Economic status?
What does this imply about the notion of “disparate impact” (in which no intent to discriminate is proven, only an adverse statistical relationship) in applying civil rights law?

Here is a recent NYT article on at least one aspect of the issue:

July 16, 2013 Scott Miller

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This topic was discussed on July 15, 2013

To what degree did race play a role in the Zimmerman trial?
Would/should the outcome have been different if the roles were reversed?
Was the prosecution case effective or defective?
To what degree was the outcome defined by which side “put on a better show” for the jury? What might that say about the concept of a jury of peers vs. a decision by a judge (who might be less swayed by a “show”)?

July 16, 2013 Scott Miller

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What should the role of the Federal, state and local governments be in regulating food safety?
Should local jurisdictions be able to supercede Federal or state regulation?
To what degree does relaxing the rules for small farmers’ local sales put food safety at risk?
How will the general population “know” whether less-regulated local products are safe until there is an issue?
Assuming support for local farmers is a key objective, are such ordinances fair to those farmers who follow the rules?
Does this issue cut across traditional ideological lines, aligning “conservative libertarians” with “organic liberals?”