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Health & Fitness

Dems Discriminate Against Dem Lieu

 LA Times reporter Jean Merl reported on the rescinded endorsements of six Californa state legislators following State Senator Ted Lieu's move to shelve efforts to reintroduce state-sponsored discrimination into post-secondary education (SCA 5).

California voters in 1996 supported the end of state-sponsored discrimination in the public workforce, not just in higher education, but in all public agencies regarding employment, access, and acceptance.

One state senator, Edward Hernandez (D-West Covina) wanted to amend the constitutional amendment with SCA-5, which would have removed the restrictions on higher education, and thus reintroduce quotas back into the college admissions process.

Because Lieu responded to pressures from other immigrant groups, including Asian-Americans, plus demands from gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly, (Lieu helped to shelve the  offensive proposal), six state legislators have rescinded their support for Ted Lieu's bid to replace Congressman Henry Waxman.

The six legislators (senators Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens, Norma Torres of Pomona and Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles;  Assembly members Lorena Gonzalez of San Diego, Anthony Rendon of Lakewood and Jose Medina of Riverside) expressed the following:

"As lifelong Democrats, we support the core democratic values of inclusion and diversity and we expect the candidates we support will share these values. Our constituents depend on us to take even the most divisive issues and use our leadership to help bring people together and guide the path toward progress.

"At this point, we cannot in good conscience endorse a candidate who does not share that perspective."

LA Times reporter Merl points out that this letter does not indict Lieu directly for blocking Sacramento's efforts to reintroduce discrimination, but the fact that six lawmakers would pull their support for Lieu so soon after the end of SCA5 should raise more than eyebrows.

Conservatives should take heart. The division among different ethnic groups on "affirmative action"  may draw groups like Asian-Americans away from the Democratic Party to the GOP, the party which supports family values, business sense, a work ethic, and a need to strengthen communal ties -- but not through the government.

The Democratic Party supports tolerance and diversity in skin color, maybe, but not diversity of thought or ability, or freedom to succeed and fail, for which the Republican Party will well-known (perhaps too well-known through the divisive "mainstream media").

Inclusion should not exclude talent or academic excellence. Inclusion does not preclude the power of culture, bearing, and upbringing in the lives of youth. Chinese-Americans such as senator Lieu, and Asian-Americans in general have a stronger attachment to values such as family and education, and the children who excel in these cultures should not be punished for their excellence with fewer opportunities to enroll in post-secondary education.

Lieu did the right thing blocking the reintroduction of state-sponsored discrimination, and it is a disappointing shame that his fellow Democrats are hypocritically criticizing him for not supporting discrimination.

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