The free market is the best solution for racism and discrimination.

Thank you again. Firstly I am going to get a little off topic and defend one of my arguments. Although I am unaware of my opponents level of education or if he has ever ran his own business before, but he makes the claim that you cannot put a dollar sign on an employee as compared to another. This is incorrect. Many businesses and government departments employ what is know as the "Cost/Benefit Analysis" to predetermined actions to decide whether an action will either benefit them, in the form of money, or cost them money. It is also wildly employed when screening for new employees. Simplified, the Cost/Benefit analysis subtracts the cost of an action from the expected benefit, resulting in a positive or negative outcome.This type of calculation typically includes a payback period calculation, which shows how long it will take for the benefits of the course of action to repay its costs. Things that are included in this analysis are background checks, training, medical histories, staffing, etc. Now I will admit there are weaknesses to this system, as this calculation relies on the expected earnings of profit, however it is a widely used gauge for determining the risks in hiring a new employee. Secondly, my opponent made the claim that "even *if* I could prove that there is such a method existed, ... that does not mean that every employer has to have the pure goal of making money." Can my opponent point me in the direction of this selfless employer? Where is this do-gooder of justice and equality? Do they work for non-profit organizations or unions, where their lobbying efforts thwart millions of taxpayers dollars into their pockets? Or maybe they are the teachers who, while paid moderately, are subject to pricey retirement packages - of which are often subsidized by taxpayers via unions. The profit motive is the keystone to our economic foundation, you wouldn't have a healthy economy without it. I could say to my opponent that if he didn't like the profit motive, he could move to a society that neglects it like North Korea or the former U.S.S.R, but I wouldn't wish those economies on my worst enemy. The free market is the best to to discourage discrimination. Opponents of this way of thinking generally believe that the free market encourages discrimination and that massive government intervention is necessary to correct the "natural evils" of the market system. Simple evidence weakens that argument. Even in South Africa during white rule and apartheid policies limited the employment of blacks, white employers in competitive industries often hired blacks in greater numbers than the law allowed.(1) The claim that government intervention is needed is not supported by the actions of these government policies. Affirmative action policies, or quota's on the employment of certain groups only exasperate problems. Imagine if an African man was given a job or promoted solely on the color of his skin and not of his merit, and a number of more experienced white men where passed over. Not only did the less qualified person get the job, which hurts the company, but this policy actually hurts race relations between the "protected" race and the other races! Some of these polices have the effect of "reverse discrimination" where the "protected" races have an extreme advantage over others and, as a result, the other races are discriminated against. Also I think it is apt to point out that discrimination is carried out in great and better practice by government, as opposed to the alleged "evil" free market. Just look at the Nuremburg laws of Nazi Germany or the atrocities occurred during China's Cultural Revolution. All of these acts were carried out by the orders of government policies. The free market has never came close to that level of discrimination and injustice. With one last example I will end my rebuttal. Imagine that an owner of a basketball gym was a racist, and the NBA wished to host a game at his gym. Would the owner refuse to host the NBA? Would his "natural" racist tendencies overcome his desire to earn a profit? Would he only admit white basketball players into his gym? A challenging task considering over 3/4 of the NBA population is African American. Or, more importantly, would he pass over the thousands of dollars he would earn in profits from advertisements and revenue? Common sense says no. I have made the argument that the free market is the best way in discouraging racism and discrimination in the marketplace, and that government intervention is not the answer. It is often the problem. In our market based economy we cannot undermine and criticize the profit motive, as it is the likely the most important aspect of our economy. A simple comparison of the standards of living of societies where the profit motive is secondary reinforces that fact. Discrimination will always be a problem, people are human after all. This being said however, the best way to deal with discrimination is to allow humans to be human, and not force decisions that would harm businesses, income, and individualism. Thank you, I look forward to my opponent's final response. (1) Merle Lipton;Capitalism and Apartheid:South Africa, 1910-1984,Pg.204.