Affirmative Action has increasingly become the subject of debate and tension in American society. However, the debate has become entangled in silly arguments of equality of opportunity versus the equality of results. "The purpose of Affirmative Action is not simply to avow good intentions but to register results (Cousens 126)." On one side, however, there are the con-Affirmative Action types who raise ethical and moral issues over the use of such a system; while on the other side there are those who support the system, but use race as a privilege. The participants in this debate have over examined the ethical and moral issues that affirmative action raises while forgetting to scrutinize the system that has created the need for them. All too often, Affirmative Action is looked upon as the cure for the virulent disease of racial discrimination. The program works as it should by allowing for groups of a greater equality of opportunity to further advance themselves by bypassing inequalities that impede their overall effectiveness. Affirmative Action is a temporary, partial, and flawed remedy for past and continuing discrimination against historically marginalized and disenfranchised groups

NCPA Affirmative Action Black Cultural Values and Affirmative Action. 1 Jan 1995. NCPA. 3 December 2000 <

Last year, Florida banned the consideration of race in State University admissions; therefore, this ended Affirmative Action programs that gave special considerations to minorities. This plan is known as the Talented Twenty Plan. The plan guarantees admissions to one of the public universities to the top twenty percent of the graduating public high school class. The only condition is that students must have completed a minimum number of academic classes and had two years of a foreign language. Governor Jeb Bush eliminated the recent plan of preferential treatment to minorities because it is only logical to accept the most qualified individuals. "If minorities are admitted to an university while they are under qualified, they will not be academically prepared for the material at the University (Enrollment)."

Hacker, Andrew. Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal. New York: Ballantine Books, 1995.

"Civil Rights." Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Seattle: SoftKey Multimedia International Corporation, 1996.

Cousens, Frances Reissman. Public Civil Rights Agencies and Fair Employment: Promise vs. Performance. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Publishers, 1969.

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Approximate Word count = 2138
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)