Prop 107: Ending public affirmative action programs.

I'm 80% supportive, I encourage a YES vote.

What it does
o Ends all preferential treatment based on race, gender, color, ethnicity, national origin for public employment, public education, or public contracting
o Legislature referred this one.
o 2008 was tried, but not enough signatures

For
o Affirmative action is unnecessary and unfair.
o All men are created equal and should be judged by the content of their character rather than by the color of their skin.
o Aff. Action tells minorities/women that they can’t compete equally
o Stigmatizes all beneficiaries and even non-beneficiaries as less able.
o Made sense in the past, but not today.
o Look at the groups against it: American Association of University Women, League of Women Voters, Urban league, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Bar. All have vested interest in maintaining racial/gender identity.
o Equality is sometimes more equal for some than for others.
o Redistribution on the basis of gender/race contrary to merit.
o Who has power now that feels threatened by this?
o The only way to get to a discrimination free society is to stop discriminating at some point.
o Supporters
--Arizona Farm Bureau Federation,
--American Civil Rights Coalition,
--Clint Bolick (director of the Goldwater Institute's legal arm),
--National Association of Scholars and
--Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio.

Against
o It makes us look like racists to the rest of America
o Good Old Boys network.
o Outsider groups
o Anti-equal opportunity initiative.
o WISE—Women in science and engineering, would go away.
--Why are women underrepresented in these fields?
o Opponents
--League of Women Voters of Arizona,
--American Association of University Women Arizona,
--Arizona Education Association,
--Greater Phoenix Urban League,
--Arizona Public Health Association and
--Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.
--Hispanic chamber of commerce
--Hispanic bar

Questions
o How many other states have done this or are considering it?
--We would be the fifth state to have this.
--California, Michigan, Washington, Nebraska
--Failed in Colorado
--Failed to get signatures in Missouri, Oklahoma

o Why do we need this?
--Aff Action programs are pretty weak these days.