Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Michigan Civil Rights Initiative Ballot Draft Language Released

In the Article Ballot Truth The Detroit Free Press Reports that the
State Elections Director Chris Thomas has developed a fair description of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative [as follows:] "a proposal to amend the state Constitution to ban affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes."

Interestingly the Freep points out that this is the first time such a proposal mentions banning both affirmative action and preferential treatment, the Free Press editorial notes that
The brief history of such proposals is that when they mention only ending affirmative action, they fail; when they mention only ending "preferential treatment," they pass. Michigan would be the first state to combine both aspects.
Of course, the Freep can't fail to get in a snide remark at the Michigan Civil Rights Initiaive, calling it "deceptively named". How ending government discrimination based on sex, race and ethnicity is somehow not a civil rights initiative is unexplained by the Free Press Editorial. Now that is deceptive on the Free Press' part.

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