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Show PAGE THE ZEPHYR APRIL 1995 lists ill companies who care to participate. The Utah Travel Council's database of the firms and individuals who request the Travel Guide is available to any outfitter who chooses to use it for direct marketing. I can understand that other outfitters aren't pleased with the ad as it may give some short-tercompetitive advantage to Meg St Sherri. Of course, they didn't spend the time and effort participating on die board that Meg and Sherri did. They also weren't approached by Harris St Love, and aren't photogenic women who own river running companies. They might prefer Meg St Sherri to spend long hours cm travel council business if travel council promotions benefit all outfitters equally. That way they can mind the store while Meg and Sherri are sitting in a meeting somewhere or travelling to one. From this observer's perch, an opportunity came to Meg St Sherri which they seized, like the smart, aggressive businesswomen they are. I found no concrete evidence they abused their position. Oldest T-Shi- & Framine Shop in Moab rt across from pcst m What's the lesson in all of this? Stiles and I need to face facts - different things cause tempests in our teapots. 31 FOUR CORIfRSr DESIGN (CENTER 39 RST ltio IviORTHMOflB. UTAH 84532' 801 zeke & marQlec.frOnds -- 259-7050 Another editor's note: Except for Mr. Rutter, the Zephyr believes than art citizen who serves on any publicly funded board should be extremely sensitive to avoid even the semblance of a conflict of interest..not to mention the blatant ones. AFFIRMATIVE DISCRIMINATION It's always interesting to hear a liberal's (or should I say "progressive's") gut level analysis on a divisive issue. Take the recent arguments made by Rep. Major Owens (D. N.Y.) in favor of affirmative action. Rep. Owens asserted that great harm was done to the African American community by the institution of slavery which lasts to this day. 1 should hasten to add that (though it is irrelevant) Rep. Owens is himself an African American. He argued that what causes the overrepresentation of poverty in African Americans On his view, too many illegitimate children and teenage pregnancies) was enculturated by the economics of slavery. He quoted the writings of former slaves who said that successful slave owners encouraged young female slaves to have children early and often by a male slave selected for the purpose of impregnating female slaves. Such a biological father could hardly be expected to be responsible, financially or otherwise, for his offspring. 1 le certainly could not be expected to be monogamous. The damage done by such an arrangement to an otherwise strong nuclear family would be devastating. Rep. Owens' point was that affirmative action was intended to remedy a great injustice an injustice which still causes significant damage today. Is Rep. Owens right? Certainly, slavery was a great injustice and perhaps it is linked to the high rates of illegitimacy and teen pregnancy found today in the African American community. That doesn't mean the wrong can be righted, or that affirmative action is the best way to do it. Mr. Owens' argument doesn't apply to certain groups protected by affirmative action - e.g. Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and white women who may have been discriminated against but who were never slaves. Confining our attention to African Americans - does s affirmative action help that community? The good news is that approximately of African Americans in this country have incomes comparable to the average white person. Certainly, numerous African American individuals have achieved prominence in government, business and the professions (although that may have occurred in the absence of civil rights laws or as a result of dvil rights laws other than affirmative action). The bad news is that the of African Americans have very low incomes - near or below poverty. The remaining of African Americans who are poor is much higher than the percentage of whites who percentage are poor (though there are significantly more poor white people than poor black people). Unfortunately, the percentage of African Americans in poverty has remained mare or las static the last two decades, even as the panoply of college admission preferences and the like have mushroomed. Affirmative action seems unnecessary for the vast majority of African Americans who aren't poor, and ineffective for those who are. It's just another subsidy that doesn't work. Like most subsidies, it Is exploited by the well informed and the well connected -like cable magnate Frank Washington who helped write the FCCs affirmative action program in the late 1970's and who has since amassed a S100 million fortune by diligently exploiting the substantial tax breaks given to encourage minority ownership of able systems and other broadcasting properties. Like most subsidies, it annoys those who don't benefit and who must pay for it principally the "Angry White Mala" you read about. If white mala are angry, it's because of affirmative action. Many white mala don't feel they have any advantage in today's society because of their race and gender - certainly nothing to match the benefits dispensed by the government to others because of their race and gender. Most white mala feel no more personal responsibility for slavery than they do for the I lokxaust the recent catastrophes in Bosnia and Rwanda. And why should they if they weren't involved? Because by chance they were bom a white male? Affirmative action was always intended as a temporary remedy for past discrimination. But one never hears its supporters say when it will end - only that any time in the foreseeable future would be much too soon. No wonder many white mala view affirmative action as a perpetual mortgage on their future. Of course, making white mala less angry is not a good reason for changing or eliminating affirmative action. Neither is making African Americans less angry a good reason for keeping it the same. The policy objective should be to hasten the day when Martin Luther King's dream bccoma a reality when people really are judged solely by the content of their character and the value of their work. In my view, affirmative action should be changed so that benefits are based not on race or gender, but on economic status. We can only eliminate racism when we acknowledge that poverty is at its root And, as Rep. Owens acknowledged, we can only eliminate poverty when we acknowledge that illegitimacy and teenage pregnancy are at its root. THE STORE FORi custom picpMatning: custom screenprintinjM moulding 'mOTboaraM-hiitsunifha- rea&npjiglare glass ts tiuck signs' jackets logos urafjflrnesg! prints ANfclE-UXlb- AN A bob ) EK DATIKS waLIcer SERENA SUDp lEfedCARd S commteika sports equipment gifts rugs books OPEN YEAR ROUND dosed Sundays two-third- one-thir- d s, a Cottonwood Cttdos CALL: KYLE & CARRIE BAILEY Full kitchen units Away from noisy Main Street in a quiet atmosphere. 801-259-88- 97 Or write: 338 East 100 South Moab, UT 84532 j |