Yes, and for decades minorities would be penalized and effectively rendered ineligible for government contracts just because they were minorities.
And that has done long-lasting damage to their communities. And they weren't guilty of anything, either! You're absolutely right, decades of systemic racism were utterly inimical to a free and healthy society, and minorities bore the brunt of that for a very, very long time.
Systemic racism created a very un-free and un-healthy situation. A lot of blameless people suffered through no fault of their own, generation upon generation.
Couldn't agree more, racism is bad, &c &c.
This small attempt to undo that--preferring minority-owned businesses for a certain amount of government dollars spent--doesn't really seem to be affecting white-owned government contractors, and it does seem to have a pretty positive effect at starting to undo the effects of all that (utterly inimical to a free and healthy society) discrimination.
Again, you can cling to that flag of "all racism is bad!!!" and that's fine. I'm at least somewhat satisfied that you went so far as to acknowledge that there has been discrimination in the past--a lot of people who sound like you are reluctant to even admit that there's ever been a problem. So, well done you.
In terms of outcomes and fairness and justice, however, there are probably better principled stands to take than the one against minority-owned/woman-owned contracting preference programs.
And that has done long-lasting damage to their communities. And they weren't guilty of anything, either! You're absolutely right, decades of systemic racism were utterly inimical to a free and healthy society, and minorities bore the brunt of that for a very, very long time.
Systemic racism created a very un-free and un-healthy situation. A lot of blameless people suffered through no fault of their own, generation upon generation.
Couldn't agree more, racism is bad, &c &c.
This small attempt to undo that--preferring minority-owned businesses for a certain amount of government dollars spent--doesn't really seem to be affecting white-owned government contractors, and it does seem to have a pretty positive effect at starting to undo the effects of all that (utterly inimical to a free and healthy society) discrimination.
Again, you can cling to that flag of "all racism is bad!!!" and that's fine. I'm at least somewhat satisfied that you went so far as to acknowledge that there has been discrimination in the past--a lot of people who sound like you are reluctant to even admit that there's ever been a problem. So, well done you.
In terms of outcomes and fairness and justice, however, there are probably better principled stands to take than the one against minority-owned/woman-owned contracting preference programs.