Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utcsstat.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcsstat!ian From: ian@utcsstat.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: affirmative action: parallels Message-ID: <645@utcsstat.UUCP> Date: Fri, 3-Jun-83 12:01:43 EDT Article-I.D.: utcsstat.645 Posted: Fri Jun 3 12:01:43 1983 Date-Received: Fri, 3-Jun-83 13:03:57 EDT References: <357@sbcs.UUCP> Organization: U. of Toronto, Canada Lines: 13 Saumya Debray's comments on affirmative action have a more general application then was perhaps intended. Any time governments go around trying coercively to solve social or economic problems, the results are injustice, resentment, and (usually) an increase in the original problem. Since this *is* net.flame, one doesn't have to justify such generalities, but for another example look at the ways in which minimum wage laws discriminate *against* young people, who often lack work experience. Because of this lack of experience, they cannot be hired economically if they have to be paid a wage that is artificially raised by force (of law). Result: large unemployment of students. And so the spiral of government action worsening social problems continues to grow. Ian Darwin, Toronto.