I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
The dream that Martin Luther King Jr. expressed over forty years ago was not just his dream, but it was the American dream. It is the dream of every decent, hard-working American to be judged by their character, given an equal opportunity to make themselves into whatever they want to be. America should never be a place where an individual is judged by something such as skin color or gender. Every individual should be judged on their own merits and accomplishments, not some demographic they might belong to. This is why I and many conservatives have such a hard time accepting Affirmative Action.
Giving something to someone based on their skin color or gender does not alleviate discrimination, it only furthers it. Just as it is wrong to deny something to someone based on their skin color or gender, it is just as wrong to give somebody something on that same basis. You can't fight fire with fire, nor can you fight discrimination with more discrimination. It is insulting to give a minority something on the basis of their minority status, for we tell that person that they cannot obtain that thing through their own merit. This discrimination only makes inequality worse, not better. To get rid of discrimination in America we need a solution that doesn't include discrimination.
Giving something to someone based on their skin color or gender does not alleviate discrimination, it only furthers it. Just as it is wrong to deny something to someone based on their skin color or gender, it is just as wrong to give somebody something on that same basis. You can't fight fire with fire, nor can you fight discrimination with more discrimination. It is insulting to give a minority something on the basis of their minority status, for we tell that person that they cannot obtain that thing through their own merit. This discrimination only makes inequality worse, not better. To get rid of discrimination in America we need a solution that doesn't include discrimination.
To increase the amount of opportunities that minorities have we need to increase the quality of their education, not simply focusing on the poverty that afflicts minorities, but poverty as a whole.
Many families who live in poverty become stuck in poverty because they cannot afford to take their children out of the porous, failing schools they are stuck in. Poor education only furthers the cycle of poverty, as well as making it necessary for those who live in it to require special privileges to get into universities or get jobs. By improving education among those below the poverty line we will give them the chance they deserve to go out and compete for good paying jobs, improving their quality of life. The best way to do this is to give parents with children in failing schools the choice to take their tax dollars and put their child in a school that fits their needs.
By insuring a good education among all classes, we can finally see the day when everyone can be judged by the content of their character instead of the color of their skin or their gender. To do this would be to finally realize the dream that Dr. King expressed decades ago, and it would finally put an end to the hideous practice of discrimination.
Many families who live in poverty become stuck in poverty because they cannot afford to take their children out of the porous, failing schools they are stuck in. Poor education only furthers the cycle of poverty, as well as making it necessary for those who live in it to require special privileges to get into universities or get jobs. By improving education among those below the poverty line we will give them the chance they deserve to go out and compete for good paying jobs, improving their quality of life. The best way to do this is to give parents with children in failing schools the choice to take their tax dollars and put their child in a school that fits their needs.
By insuring a good education among all classes, we can finally see the day when everyone can be judged by the content of their character instead of the color of their skin or their gender. To do this would be to finally realize the dream that Dr. King expressed decades ago, and it would finally put an end to the hideous practice of discrimination.
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