(no subject)

[coldblossom.livejournal.com]

Just something I saw in my local paper re: affirmative action -

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is close to ending a set of contracting standards that helped minority- and women-owned businesses open shops and restaurants in its terminals.

The City Council's four-member Downtown, Aviation and Economy Subcommittee last week unanimously approved a proposal to ensure small businesses, regardless of the gender or race of the owner, are candidates for concessions contracts. The proposal would effectively end special consideration for minority- and women-owned businesses in food and beverage contracting.

[...]

Transportation agencies have been re-examining race- and gender-conscious contracting policies because of a 2000 lawsuit, Western States Paving Co. vs. the United States and Washington State Department of Transportation.

Western States Paving argued that the WSDOT's contracting goals were unconstitutional after the agency rejected the company's low bid on a federally funded highway project in favor of a more-expensive bid by a minority-owned business.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found in 2005 the WSDOT goals for minority contracting started without proof of discrimination in contracts.

[link]

Of course its the 9th Circuit that decides that giving favorable treatment to someone on the basis of their race or sex is "not discriminatory." That court seriously needs to dust of their dictionary and look up the word "discrimination." If all the courts would do so, we'd be rid of affirmative action forever and we'd all be equal.

I underlined this as an example of how affirmative action also costs us more as taxpayers, as consumers, etc as the lowest bid was rejected in favor of a more expensive bid just so the airport could met some artificial quota and make everyone "feel good" about themselves. Except for the owners of the bid who got rejected, of course, just because they weren't a minority or female.

I am glad that Sky Harbor is getting rid of affirmative action policies. It is long overdue. I wonder what the long-term impact on prices at the airport will be, now that the airport doesn't feel compelled to spend more than it really needs to to get the same work done.