Get Rid of Affirmative Action

Many thanks to Pro for Round 2, and apologies for my glitchy presentation. I have reported these difficulties to the "DDO Bug Reporting" Forum thread.A full definition of Affirmative Action must always include the actual policies, and can't rely on the distorted views of opponents. The only acceptable definition of Affirmative Action law is the law itself, as enforced by the United States Department of Labor. Links to the actual AA regulations are provided below.What Does the Law Actually Say?In short, Affirmative Action states that contracts will not be awarded by the Federal Government unless an applicant agrees that they "will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex or national origin" [1] http://www.debate.org...Is Affirmative Action Needed?Affirmative Action is a policy by the United States Department of Labor that is used to help ensure that those who are awarded government contracts do not discriminate against eligible qualified job candidates based on superficial characteristics such as gender or race.Based on the criticisms of these nondiscrimination policies (as seen below) there are very good reasons to think that if contractors were allowed to do so, many of them would unfairly deny employment, career advancement, and recruitment to otherwise qualified candidates.For example, in his Round 2 Argument, Pro points out that the group "Judicial Watch" has decried such things as the "fair inclusion" of women and minorities in Federal programs. [*] The group also issued an outrageous diatribe against minority lifeguards, claiming that training minorities to be lifeguards would mean that poor swimmers would be placed in life-or-death situations. [**] Judicial Watch never explicitly states that minorities can never be trained well enough to replace white lifeguards, but their point is clear: Minorities should not receive training to become better swimmers. By opposing the fair treatment of women and minorities, and grossly distorting the goals of such things as lifeguard training programs, groups such as Judicial Watch and many others underscore the urgent need to prevent institutionalized discrimination. http://www.debate.org...Conclusion:Affirmative Action provides critical protections from discrimination for veterans, women and racial and ethnic minorities that are often the victims of prejudice. Groups such as those cited by Pro exemplify the deep undercurrent of bigotry that remains in this country, despite the strong progress that has been made in the past half century. If Affirmative Action policies were eliminated by the Department of Labor, some 26 million American veterans, women and minority workers and students would suddenly find themselves with fewer protections against this prejudice. American taxpayers would be required to pay Federal contractors who would be permitted to hire according to race instead of talent, and most Americans would find this to be unacceptable. http://www.debate.org...Affirmative Action Study ResourcesThe following links provide accurate information on Affirmative Action, and comes directly from the actual Dept of Labor regulations.Overview, description:http://www.dol.gov...The Law, as it is worded:http://www.dol.gov...The Regulations for contractors:http://www.ecfr.gov...[1]http://www.dol.gov...[2] http://www.dol.gov...-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------* Pro suggests that the "fair treatment" of women and minorities is a valid criticism of AA in the section that begins "Then we have the Dodd-Frank bill..."**Pro cites a claim by Judicial Watch that suggests that minorities that are "not strong swimmers" could never be trained to become good lifeguards, presumably because minorities can't, or should not be, undergo lifeguard certification training classes. Either way, this passage proves the need to maintain nondiscrimination policies, such as Affirmative Action.