Presidents and citizens of the United States have debated affirmative action for the past forty years. Supporters say that affirmative action has never made use of quotas, it simply sets flexible goals and is a useful way of measuring the employer's adherence to The Reorganization Act of 1978 (Detlefsen 35). Supporters also believe that affirmative action provides equal opportunity for blacks and women in an effective manner. I am arguing against affirmative action because it is a racial and gender quota system, prejudicial of whites, and unfair repayment for past oppression. Affirmative action has infiltrated our society and in some way influences everyone.

Supporters of affirmative action say that the Reorganization Act of 1978 helped in the hiring of blacks into many different occupations but did not provide equal opportunity in other places (Chafe 137). “Had America worked from the 1960’s on to educate blacks to the same standard as whites, had it truly labored to eradicate discrimination, there would be more virtue or power on both sides of the racial divide today” (Steele 442). Supporters also believe that until discrimination is ended, affirmative action should b

Since the Bill of Rights says we are all created equally, it is unconstitutional to hire on the basis of color. The Equal Employment Opportunity Committee (EEOC) developed an act with racial quotas, rather than hiring on the basis of test performance, as its true goal (Detlefsen 35). “The EEOC Chairman was, in effect, telling employers across America, ‘Just hire the right proportion of black, brown, and female bodies and we won’t bother you.’” (35). In 1977, 11 percent of a sample of people agreed that to make up for past discrimination, women and members of minority groups should be given preferential treatment in getting jobs (Rosenberg 2). At the same time, 81 percent agreed that jobs should be determined by test scores (2). Also, 77 percent of black Americans did not believe that race should be the main consideration for employment (3). Most Americans believe that mandatory preferences mean quotas. Quotas are a violation of the American ideal that people should be judged as individuals, not as members of a group.

Affirmative action is reverse discrimination against whites. An example of this occurrence was shown in the Bakke case of 1977 (Bundy 9-15-2000). Alan Bakke, a white man turned down for admission to the Medical School at The University of California, claimed his rights were violated when he did not receive an opening even though his grades and test scores were higher than the minorities (9-15-2000). “The Justice Department contended that applying such standards constituted reverse discrimination against white males” (Ashmore 311). Affirmative action should not admit a minority based on color or gender but rather

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