Preference in hiring issue may still go to voters

An effort to give Arizona voters the opportunity to vote against "affirmative action" went down to defeat in the Arizona House last week. But the issue could still be on this fall's ballot anyway.
 
Affirmative action or preferential hiring is one of those hot button issues that has strong adherents on both sides. Those who feel that certain groups, usually minorities, have been treated unfairly in the past believe preferential hiring balances the scale. But opponents feel it is simply discrimination in reverse.
 
Government bodies have often been leaders in applying preferential hiring. Goals have been set for hiring of some groups and preference has been given to minority contractors. As would be expected, this has angered those who have been cut out of the process by the preferences.
 
Those who consider preferential hiring to be discriminatory and unfair are fighting back. One of them is Arizona Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, who introduced legislation this session to put the issue on the ballot. The measure would amend the state constitution to prohibit government from considering race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in employment, contracting and education.
 
The bill was rejected by a 32-27 vote in the House, bringing a protest from Pearce that "it's pretty outrageous when we think the government has the power to pick winners and losers, when the government has the right to decide you get something based on who you are and not (because) you've earned it."
 
Most people would probably agree that hiring should be based on merit. Giving preference, even in the good cause of trying to correct past injustices, runs counter to this concept. Our nation has been known as a land of opportunity where anyone, whatever their background, can be successful if they have talent, intelligence and the willingness to work hard. Merit is considered the basis for success, not favoritism or status.
 
Of course, we know there has been unequal application of the merit standard - something that is inevitable in a free society. There has been discrimination, mistreatment and unfairness - along with the recognition and reward of merit.
  
Trying to make things fairer by overlaying a government system of preference for some groups brings the same results as the original mistreatment. How is that an improvement?
  
A citizen initiative drive identical to the measure rejected by the Arizona House is underway in the state, according to the news service Capitol Media Services. It is based on a measure passed in California in 1996.
 
If the measure had been approved in the Legislature it would have gone directly to the ballot - avoiding the need to collect initiative petition signatures to put it there. Backers predict they will collect enough signatures by the July deadline to put it on this fall's ballot.
 
So Arizona voters may still get a chance to vote on this issue.