"You do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and then say you are free to compete with all the others, and still just believe that you have been completely fair."

The words of Lyndon B. Johnson in a response in 1965 to Affirmative Action being passed. This is a debate that has been going strong ever since about 1972 to present. What is your opinion on Affirmative Action, is it reverse descrimination by defenition or a means of "leveling the playing field" as so many liberals tend to say it does?

I find it to be reverse discrimination. As shade said, things like jobs and college admissions should be done solely based on ability.

First, it's demeaning to the minorities. Why do they need the government's help to succeed? Their own merits should be enough.

Second, it's unfair to disenfranchised members of the majority. A poor black kid is more likely to get financial aid for college than a poor white kid, even though they both need the aid equally. Not only that, but a rich minority family could benefit from affirmative action even when they don't need any of those benefits.

A truly level playing field would require punishments for discrimination, not for failing to make a minority quota.

Ah, well that's retarted. They should be hired or admitted based on ability ( but they shouldn't be descriminated against either, before or after the initial fact ). I'm discriminated against at my work, but it didn't stop me from getting the job in the first place ( though it could have ).

Affirmative action began as a corrective measure[2] for governmental and social injustices against demographic groups that have been said to be subjected to discrimination in areas such as employment and education. The stated goal of affirmative action is to counteract past and present discrimination sufficiently that the power elite will reflect the demographics of society at large, at which point such a strategy will no longer be necessary.

Wikipedia defenition. Basically hiring minorities because of race not qualification. Same for addmissions to college.

I'm not quite sure what it is.