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168 \f Th e Constitutionalit y o f Remedia l Affirmativ e Actio n couldn't spell potato, who bumbled hi s way through debates, who horribly mangled well-know n saying s suc h a s th e Unite d Negr o Colleg e Fun d credo, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste" (which Quayle converted int o "What a waste i t i s to los e one' s mind"). 126 An inarticulate , poorl y edu cated Africa n America n who was catapulted t o high national offic e owin g not t o his family's politica l connection s o r his suppose d abilit y t o appea l to women (as Quayle was) but to affirmative actio n and his ability to draw black votes would b e seen a s a vindication o f and a justification fo r ever y critique o f affirmativ e action . Jus t a s i t i s no t difficul t t o imagin e Jess e Helms saying , "Yo u see, this i s what affirmativ e actio n get s you," s o it is inconceivable fo r a politicia n o r talkin g hea d t o dismis s openl y a ma n such as Quayle with the words "You see, this is what white racial privilege gets you. " I woul d argu e tha t give n th e scrutin y tha t affirmativ e actio n has ha d t o withstand, thos e hired , promoted , o r admitted unde r affirma tive action programs are perhaps less prone to the Quayle phenomenon . No affirmativ e actio n polic y requires an y employer t o hire or promot e an unqualifie d worker . Non e require s a colleg e t o admi t unqualifie d students. But the law does require that federal contractor s take good-fait h efforts t o hire qualified minoritie s and women who are available in various occupational areas . Of course , ther e i s pressure o n employer s t o investi gate labo r statistics , determin e utilizatio n patterns , an d correc t problem s of underutilization . Bu t n o policy compel s an y employe r t o hir e person s without th e prope r training . Essentially , affirmativ e actio n goals are aspirational , not mandatory . None o f the argument s agains t affirmative actio n i s ultimately persua sive . It i s good polic y and constitutional ; without it , decision maker s will revert to the old way of doing things, with minoritie s and women gettin g only crumbs. RACIAL REALIS M Statistical disparitie s in the United State s between black s and whites still mirror thos e reporte d b y th e Kerne r Commissio n i n 1968 : we remai n a nation o f "tw o societies , on e black , on e white-separat e an d unequal. " And eve n thoug h ther e ar e many causes o f the disparitie s i n the live s of blacks and whites today, most experts believe that a central cause remains racial discrimination. 127 Black childre n ar e bor n t o unwe d mother s thre e an d one-hal f time s more ofte n tha n whit e childre n are . More tha n hal f o f black familie s ar e The Constitutionalit y o f Remedia l Affirmativ e Actio n \f 16 9 headed b y women , wherea s fewe r tha n on e i n fiv e whit e familie s are . And o f th e familie s heade d b y women, 6 0 percent o f th e blac k familie s live in central cities, but less than half that number of white families do . Blacks di e o f tuberculosi s seve n time s mor e ofte n tha n white s do ; blacks di e o f AIDS , meningitis , anemias , kidne y diseases , alcohol-in duced causes , infan t deaths , nutritiona l deficiencies , diabetes , an d drug induced cause s a t rate s betwee n tw o t o thre e time s th e whit e rates . Blacks di e fro m homicide s a t a rate si x an d one-hal f time s greate r tha...

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