Hard Work or Affirmative Action in 2009?

My parents always told me that to get anywhere in life, you have to work hard and support yourself. "Nobody gives you anything" my dad would always preach. I took those words as the truth and to this day, I still believe in these same values.

However, President Obama's nominee for Associate Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor just admitted that she was an "affirmative action baby." Shocker huh? Not to those who have been affected by the affirmative action movement.

Judge Sotomayor statements were pulled from a treasure trove of videos that she submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, as reported by the New York Times. It is part of the process a Supreme Court nominee has to go through when they prepare for their confirmation hearing. Maybe these comments will open up the debate on affirmative action and Sotomayor's potential appointment to the highest court in the nation.

On the videotapes, Sotomayor describes herself as "a product of affirmative action." She continues by admitting that she was acepted into two Ivy League schools despite scoring lower on standardized test than her classmates. She attributed this to "cultural biases" that are "built into testing."

Now, I have heard minorities use this excuse for many years. The tests that everyone takes is "racially biased." To this day I still have yet to hear how this is so. I have taken these tests throughout my education, including the LSAT's, and I have yet to see how they can be viewed as having "cultural biases."

It seems that those who believe in affirmative action also believe the need to use this excuse for failure. If it benefits them, it is great. If it doesn't, it must be biased.

How do other minorities, such as Asians and Indians, pass such tests? Isn't there a major cultural difference there? How did they fight through the "cultural biases" and pass at higher rates than other minorities? I would guess it was due to hard work. I know, that is not "politically correct" but the facts shall set me free.

I wonder if those individuals who believe these lies ever stop and take the time to think about this. The majority of education professionals and teachers are liberals and tend to vote for Democrats each election cycle. They are also the ones who make-up, approve and administer these so-called "racially biased" test and exams. So, they want minorities to fail so they can use the liberal created program of affirmative action? Sounds like a conspiracy to me.

So, while watching clips of the video on Fox News, I took notice about how Sotomayor seemed proud of the fact that she was a product of affirmative action. She had long-winded remarks about her experiences as an "affirmative action baby" and how her lower test scores were overlooked by admissions committees at both Princeton and later Yale Law School. What reasons did she give? It was because she "is Latino and had grown up in poor circumstance," as she stated.

In another video clip, Judge Sotomayor is seen discussing the issue of women in the judiciary system. In the clip she states this about the education affirmative action awarded her: "If we had gone through the traditional numbers route of those institutions, it would have been highly questionable if I would have been accepted." Why would someone brag about being accepted into college, not due from hard work or merit, but because of preferential treatment based on race?

She continues to bury herself with her continued remarks on the video. Sotomayor continues:"With my academic achievement in high school I was accepted rather readily at Princeton and equally as fast at Yale, but my test scores were not comparable to that of my classmates," she said. "And that's been shown by statistics, there are reasons for that - there are cultural biases built into testing, and that was one of the motivations for the concept of affirmative action to try to balance out those effects."

It was also reported in the New York Times that while at Princeton, Sotomayor was advised to read children's classics and to study basic grammar books during her summers. How do you graduate high school and not have a grasp of the English language and further more, how do you graduate from Princeton when your summer reading consists of children's classics such as "Little Red Riding Hood?"

Doesn't this fly in the face of those Liberals who claimed that her academic pedigree showed she was the best person for the position? It is no wonder why they kept pounding "her life-story" and ethnic background every time the camera was on. They knew that she owes her success to liberal social policies like affirmative action.

Why would someone take pride in the fact that if it were not for affirmative action they would have not made it into college or law school? I would've rather had to work hard for the education than have it handed to me based on my race or gender. In her case, she benefited from both.

I find myself wondering how I would feel being a classmate of Sonia Sotomayor in high school. Knowing that I worked hard during my four years of high school and made better grades only to learn that I didn't get into Princeton because someone with lower scores received a spot due to affirmative action. Yeah, I'd be extremely pissed off.

How about the students who were at Princeton with Sonia Sotomayor. Those who had higher grades and worked hard to obtain them only to see someone benefit from affirmative action and get into Yale Law School. Yep, I'm still pissed off.

Due to the bigotry, and that is just what affirmative action is, Sonia Sotomayor received an education she didn't earn. Others were passed over for her benefit. She is proud of this fact.

Pat Buchanan expressed it best. He said "This is bigotry pure and simple. To salve their consciences for past societal sins, the Ivy League is deep into discrimination again, this time with white males as victims rather than as beneficiaries. One prefers the old bigotry. At least it was honest, and not, as Abraham Lincoln observed, adulterated "with the base alloy of hypocrisy."

The White House also leaked out that President Obama had the choice of four women to appoint to the Supreme Court. We all know that Sonia Sotomayor was picked due to her being Hispanic. I just wonder how many other superior students and judges were passed over to advance Sotomayor's career?

I would like to see the other three women's SAT, LSAT and Bar exam scores. With her history, I'm sure Sotomayor got the nod once again. Not because of her outstanding scores but because affirmative action strikes again.

Affirmative action has affected millions of those individuals who worked hard and earned those higher grades. Giving individuals a pass because of their race and/or gender is discrimination itself. What happened to the standards of working hard to EARN what you want?

In today's society, it seems that hard work is not a value for many. Just be mediocre and irresponsible and let the government take care of you. This is a concept the liberals want you to have.

Affirmative action is race-based bigotry. The only reason there is no outrage is because it is aimed at white males. Its just another liberal double standard.

Would you rather achieve something on the hard work and dedication you put into it or have it handed to you based on race? Has the value of working hard to achieve goals you set in life become a thing of the past? Sadly, it seems to be the case for a minority of Americans.

How will an individual feel when they have to stand in front of a woman (Sotomayor) who believes race and gender put you above others? She believes someone's background should be taken into consideration when deciding a case...well unless you are one of the white firefighters from New Haven, Ct. All I know is that the position she is about to get is one she doesn't deserve.

Source: New York Times