Data collection on race is wrong

I found it interesting that the editorial staff of the Herald considers Proposition 200 a “threat” to our state. (August 8 “California’s race initiative could threaten our state”). The argument goes that without the “race” category on government forms, it will be impossible for us to gather data necessary to alleviate inequities due to race.

Today we are preoccupied with race as never before. I remember when race discrimination was considered an evil that had to be abolished. Back then, civil rights organizations fought against the use of race in hiring, access to public schools, and university admissions. Today, civil rights organizations fight for the use of race in hiring, access to public schools, and university admissions. The desire to “build diversity” and to practice the “politics of inclusion” has become an excuse to discriminate, and it is just as wrong as it ever was.

Collection of data by the government on people based on their race is wrong because there is no other use for this data except to treat people differently because of the way they look. Current efforts to redress inequalities invariably involve government re-allocation of resources, which necessarily involves winners and losers because the government has no resources of its own. Further, this re-allocation of resources in effect implies a collective guilt on the part of the “loser” group, an unfair and very un-American concept. We are not groups we are individuals. We are more than our skin color or our ancestor’s homeland. Yes, there are still inequalities in America, but no American should be expected to pay a debt that he or she did not incur, nor should any American be entitled to start life with an advantage as a result of skin color or ethnic background.

Progress toward genuine equality is slow, but sure. Let’s not dishonor these gains by promoting the very evil we strive to abolish. As President John F. Kennedy said in 1963, “Race has no place in American life or law.”

Bothell

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Wednesday, Feb. 12

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

CNA Nina Prigodich, right, goes through restorative exercises with long term care patient Betty Long, 86, at Nightingale's View Ridge Care Center on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Boost state Medicaid funding for long-term care

With more in need of skilled nursing and assisted-living services, funding must keep up to retain staff.

Welch: State Democrats’ bill would undermine parental rights

The bill would allow kids as young as 13 to make mental health decisions without notice to parents.

Kristof: Child malnutrition lost in politics over aid cuts

A young journalist describes the scene in Madagascar where a nutritious porridge provides a lifeline.

Comment: Trump sticks with NOAA official who bent to his ego

We haven’t seen the last of Trump’s Sharpie-amended reality and it’s destabilizing effect on scientists.

Dowd: Musk’s ‘Lost Boys’ join Trump’s ‘Mean Girls’ ethic to gut it all

Neither man shows any concern for the damage they threaten against individuals here and abroad.

bar graph, pie chart and diagrams isolated on white, 3d illustration
Editorial: Don’t let state’s budget numbers intimidate you

With budget discussions starting soon, a new website explains the basics of state’s budget crisis.

Curtains act as doors for a handful of classrooms at Glenwood Elementary on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Schools’ building needs point to election reform

Construction funding requests in Arlington and Lake Stevens show need for a change to bond elections.

FILE- In this Nov. 14, 2017, file photo Jaìme Ceja operates a forklift while loading boxes of Red Delicious apples on to a trailer during his shift in an orchard in Tieton, Wash. Cherry and apple growers in Washington state are worried their exports to China will be hurt by a trade war that escalated on Monday when that country raised import duties on a $3 billion list of products. (Shawn Gust/Yakima Herald-Republic via AP, File)
Editorial: Trade war would harm state’s consumers, jobs

Trump’s threat of tariffs to win non-trade concessions complicates talks, says a state trade advocate.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Tuesday, Feb. 11

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Sentencing reforms more complicated than column described

I read Todd Welch’s Jan. 29 column. He is certainly entitled to… Continue reading

President Trump running nation like his failed businesses

We’ve seen it before; President Trump will do or say anything to… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.