Affirmative action goes both ways

The following letter appeared in the Sunday edition of the Herald-Mail:

To the editor:

I just feel like I got punched in the stomach over Sen. John McCain’s loss. It’s no secret that the economy was the most important issue in this election, and despite this setback, I still feel that Barack Obama’s solutions are not solutions at all, but will undoubtedly make things worse.

I served in Kuwait last year with the military and before that, I earned my B.A. in Computer Graphics.

I joined the military so I could serve my country and have a decent-paying job. Ever since I returned to the states, I’ve had extreme difficulty getting a job despite the fact that I have a B.A. degree and have served honorably in the military. One employer – a local college – asked me what my race and gender was, and this is because of Affirmative Action policy that “Mr. Change” Barack Obama said he still supports.

The way to improve the economy is to put people back to work, generating income that creates jobs, not spending more on welfare.

Let’s find out which Mr. Obama intends to do. His ideas are old, failed ideas, but apparently the nation has taken a chance on the future of our country with a slick-talking politician who has barely three years of experience in government and zero legislative accomplishments.

The ball is in their court now, and now we’ll wait and see if their solutions work or will just make things worse.

One thing that is certain, Affirmative Action/reverse discrimination must end so that there is at long last a true level playing field for all despite Mr. Obama’s never- changing support of it. This is a problem that must not be ignored, but dealt with head on.

Christopher Krieg

I feel bad that this military veteran is having a hard time finding a job in his chosen profession. I don’t have a bachelors degree in computer graphics, but I do have an associates degree in avionics. After getting out of the Air Force 14 years ago, I learned fairly quickly that my chances of finding a job working in avionics was going to be difficult. I was able to refocus my efforts on finding a job working in electronics and I haven’t looked back since. Maybe that’s what this veteran needs to do.

I don’t know if I’ve ever not gotten a job because I was white, but I do know for a fact that I got at least one job that I wouldn’t have got if I was black. I once worked for an individual who would often brag about not ever hiring a person of color.

I think it’s also important to remember that affirmative action isn’t only confined to the color of one’s skin. John McCain, the same man this military veteran supported for President, benefited from the fact that both his father and his grandfather were Navy admirals. He never would have gotten into the Navel Academy on his own merits. Was this affirmative action? The better qualified candidates that were passed over for selection who didn’t have the family connections would probably say that it was.

I would agree with them.