I
S The Michigan Doily
Vol. XCV, No. 14-S
95 Years of Editorial Freedom
Managed and Edited by Students at
The University of Michigan
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the
Daily Editorial Board
Taxing dilemma
FOR HIGHER education, Reagan's new tax
seems to meet the goals of fairness and simplicity.
According to James Baker, Secretary of the Treas
79 percent of the nation's taxpayers will owe less than
owe now or the same. If all goes well, the provisions to
tail tax deductions would take effect January 1 whil
cuts in the tax rates wouldn't occur until July 1, 1986.
Reagan properly decided to reject the Treasury De
tment's recommendation to end deductions for charit
contributions. Colleges and universities rely heavily
these contributions for capital campaign programs,
the University's Campaign for Michigan. Repealing
deduction would have been devastating to the Universi
Charitable contributions should not be looked upon
special interest deduction because those contribut
serve the American public as a whole and not just a sr
group of individuals.
Reagan's decision to repeal the income tax waiver
scholarship grants where such grants exceed the tu
payments is also fair. The burden to students should n
great.
The deduction for shifting taxable income to child
trusts will be reduced. This will make it harder for s
families to save, but the majority should be able to
tinue to save for the children's future education.
One proposal, however, that university and co
faculty find hard to swallow is the elimination of
deduction for education travel. Under the current tax
teachers can receive tax deductions for trips taken du
sabbaticals and the summer months if they can prove
educational value of the trip. It is a given fact
teachers as a whole are under paid for their work. Bu
tax simplification plan is going to work, then stand
must apply across the board. No special interest shou
exempt. The battle for fair teaching salaries needs b
fought on the college and university level not in the fe(
tax code.
Reagan is heralding his tax plan as the second Amer
Revolution, which will provide opportunity for everyo
pursue their dreams in economic freedom. Well, it
seem to be an improvement and Reagan, like any
politician, is drawing on the positive side of this pl
lessen the publicity of other issues such as Star Wars
Central America.
The current tax law is so complicated that most pe
need to hire an accountant to prepare their tax forms.
If Congress will not succumb to all of the special inte
groups running around Capitol Hill, the simplified tax
should help the average American sleep more soundly
April 15.
OPINION
Friday, June 7, 1985 Page 5
AffirmativeAction is bad policy
ticular position can be primarily traced to differences in
By Jonathan Bokor education in early life. Minority children, who usually
Equal opportunity is a worthwhile goal to pursue and come from socially and economically disadvantaged
should be the aim of all governments. Affirmative Action backgrounds, often live in neighborhoods which are
however, is a bad principle and should not be the policy economically depressed and which have low local income
which the United States government pursues in its quest tax revenues. Since these tax revenues are the primary
for equal opportunity. This is true for a number of source of funds for the local school system, it should not be
reasons, but primarily because Affirmative Action in- surprising to learn that the quality of education offered to
fringes upon personal freedom, demeans those who it at- these children is usually poor. Since this is the foundation
tempts to help, and will not be effective in achieving oppor- upon which further learning must be built, minority
tunity or in assisting minorities in the long run. children are subsequently handicapped in their effort to
The distinction between equal opportunity and Affir- obtain a high school education and a diploma. As a result,
mative Action as not always clear, so it will be necessary many minorities find themselves underqualified for a job
to make this distinction explicit. In a system in which or to go on to college, and this makes it very difficult for
equal opportunity prevails, any person who applies for them to compete with whites. Unless something is done to
some sought after position is evaluated based on their correct this inequity, it will persist. Affirmative Action
qualifications and personal merits. All factors which do cannot and will not solve the problem. The only way to
not directly relate to their expected performance are truly solve it would be to equalize tax revenues across all
ignored, including race, color, creed, veterans status, sex, communities through some sort of revenue sharing plan.
plan and in most instances, age. Under these conditions, it That way the amount of money spent on each student
would be reasonable to assume that the number of would become more equitable and minorities would
minorities who obtained these positions would not receive abetter education.
ury, correspond to the percentage of the total population which YET MINORITY children are not the onlysgroup who
thy their group makes up. This would be due to the fact that need to be educated in order to solve this problem.
y they are usually less qualified than their white counter- Another group which we must target are employers and
cur- parts. However, if minorities were just as qualified as admissions officers. Those who persist in using
e the whites, we would expect them to obtain these positions at discriminatory practices in their hiring and admissions
a rate about equal to their percentage of the population decisions must be shown that minorities are not inheren-
Under Affirmative Action this would be a necessary con- tly less qualified than whites. These attitudes must be
par- dition even if minorities are not as well qualified as changed by educating these decision makers about how
able whites. Quotas would make sure that a certain minimum effective minorities can be. This could be done by showing
number of minorities are chosen. This type of policy is them examples of minorities who have done well in other
y on based on the premise that certain benefits can be ac- companies or universities, and encouraging them to give
like crued from the assignment of rights from one group to some minorities a chance.
this another. Such a system would cause well qualified people Another problem that Affirmative Action advocates
ty. to be passed over in favor of others who are undeserving must face is the question of whether the program would
based on their qualifications alone. really help the people who it provided jobs for. The key
as a WHETHER OR NOT benefits can be gained from point here is that too often minorites are hired simply to
ionS assigning rights in such a way is debatable. Yet an even meet a quota and are not qualified to fill the position. It is
mal more important consideration concerns whether such not unreasonable to assume that many minorities would
mall assignment is morally or legally correct. While thercourts find such a situation to be demeaning since they could not
have ruledthat it does not violate the Constitution, it cer- perform their tasks well and would be viewed unfavorably
fr tainly seems to be violating the spirit of that document. by their coworkers.
r for The Constitution declares that all men are created equal, Therefore, we must question whether we would want to
ition and that each has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit put these people into such a situation. Their supervisors
ot be of happiness. In the process of trying to extend these will be forced to either accept their inferior work and
rights to minority groups, Affirmative Action would deny keep them as a piece of "mandated extra baggage", or
them to whites. Although we would be rid of one form of fire them and bring in a new person. In either case,
dren discrimination, it would be replaced by another. nobody is being helped. The administrator is forced to ac-
ome This dilemma points out the most significant problem cept inferior work, and the minority is put in a demeaning
con- associated with Affirmative Action. That is, it attacks the situation which is not really helping him to improve his
symptom of the problem rather than the problem itself.ley
This becomes clear when we examine the economic incen-Ht
llege tives faced by employers in the business world. Since However, this is not to say that Affirmative Action can
the minorities can be hired at significantly lower wages than never havewany positive effects. Surely quite a few
law, whites (this being the main effect of discrimination), em- minorities would be properly placed and would be a
la, ployers have a strong incentive to hire minority workers positive addition to the organization they joined. But how
ring fhey are just as qualified for the job as whites. By many would turn out this way? Of course it is hard to say,
e the doing so they could save money and still have the best but in evaluating Affirmative Action it is important to
that qualified person for the job. However, most minorites are keep in mind that its disadvantages are numerous and easily
t if a not as well qualified as are whites, and this is the main identified while its advantages are few and hard to quan-
lards reason why they have difficulty obtaining positions when tify. With all of these factors in mind, it is logical to con-
dbe competing with whites. Affirmative Action does not at- dlude that Affirmative Action should not be our gover-
Ad be epengwtwhnsefimteAtindsaBd nment's guiding policy in attempting to achieve equal op-
tack this problem. Instead, it attempts to put a "Band net' udn oiyi tepigt civ qa p
to be Aid" over it. In order to get to the root of the problem we portunity for all. In order to achieve that goal, we should
deral must attack this inequity in qualifications. use education rather than quotas.
Differences in how well people are qualified for a par- Bokor is an LSA senior.
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