Minority Contractors

So is Tony asking that they get an advantage in the bidding process?
Is this for minority owned business or for business that employ minorities?
Will the city also check into the legal status of the workers that are going to be getting the preferential biding status?

Just some thinks that Mr. Hankey would like to know.

So is Tony asking that they get an advantage in the bidding process?Is this for minority owned business or for business that employ minorities?Will the city also check into the legal status of the workers that are going to be getting the preferential biding status?

Just some thinks that Mr. Hankey would like to know.

-mr-hankey-the-d

Mr. Hankey the D,

Mr. Tony Stewart simply wants the City to actively involve minority contractors in joining the biding process, not to receive preferential treatment. In addition, this issue involves minority owned businesses, not businesses that employ minorities. Furthermore, the City is focused on ensuring that all City contracts are awarded to legal businesses, since it is a violation of federal and state law not to do so.

I don't live in the City of Anderson, but I'll go on record against "minority contracts" in any governmental entity. I'm not against minorities receiving government contracts, but they should not get special treatment. Government contracts should go to the lowest bidder who will do the best job regardless of the contractors' race or antyhing else.

I also think its comical that some of you can pull Kevin Bryant into any discussion especially those he has nothing to do with. It's a good stategy to keep the debate centered on him and not your status quo candidate, but I think the voters of Anderson County will be able to see past these political tricks in November.

MEMORANDUM
TO: All Minority Contractors for the City of Anderson

We are going to force you to bid on these projects weather you want to do this work or not.

We can not have our percentages this low as we appear to be unfair in awarding these contracts.

This is for your own good so please participate.

Sounds kinda stupid doesn't it.

You see Palmatto, The minority owned business don't get a fair shake because they may feel that even if they bid they will get overlooked by the man. We need to reasure them that this is not the case. By incuraging them to partisapate we not only make them feel welcome. we also make ourselves and the comunity better.

This is a win win for us all. The smaller minority owned companys need not fear the older larger good old boy companys any longer. The system needs to be fair and equel. Even if we must tip the scale ourselves to one way or the other to make it right.

-mr-hankey-the-d

You have lost your &#$^$*( MIND!!!!!!!!!!!

Spring,

Here's another pozer for you.   Why does ANY organization ( public OR private) reward any minority groups with  an exclusivity issue, when we as a nation are "supposed" to be equal and unbiased?  Is that not in itself racist?

As for the female issue, I would imagine it's all about that glass ceiling vs. equal work for equal pay.

-wyatt1sc

Ah, but equality is a concept, albeit the greatest of all, subject to interpretation, by the legal minds/laws of the land (majority of them men). If what you say is in fact true, this country had 'equality' when slavery was pervasive in the south, and the constitution was still fresh in the hearts of mankind. Your question is one for great philosophical debate. I Wyatt am certainly no philosopher, but I am a woman.

Having said that, women were not given the vote until the 1920's, after African American men, and were told how to dress, when and where they were welcome to go, etc etc etc. I am not a militant woman, but I am well educated and have a strong work ethic. I was raised by that rarest of Southern Gentlemen who told me from day 1 - you can do anything a man can do- you;re smarter than most of them and pretty enough to bend them. Always remember that'. God bless him- I miss him every day.

I have been very fortunate in my career in that I've worked in a male dominated industry pretty much my entire life, and have primarily been afforded the same opportunities as men in my field. Quite frankly I can be relentless and a real ball buster- but then I learned that I had to be in order to compete. I have worked my ass off and raised children as a single parent the majority of my life while I climbed the corporate ladder. Let me note that I graduated from college with my undergrad in 1981..That was NOT the case for the majority of women attempting to break into my field however. I watch Mad Men , set of course in the early 1960's, and it struck me as funny/sad on Sunday's episode that Don Draper's new assistant was told on her first day' you've got a college education so you should be able to jump in and learn how to file and answer the phones with no problem'. That to me is indicative of how women in the work place have been treated. In my business there is no such thing as a large land planning firm, AE firm, construction firm, etc owned by a woman. It's a shame as there are many talented women out there who if given an opportunity could make tremendous contributions....stepping off of the soap box now:)

I understand from this perspective the essence of affording minorities (women considered one based on history and their career opportunities over the years), yet now they no longer are afforded that opportunity, along with African American Men, etc? Doesn't make sense to me. Possibly the affirmative action issue years back impacted women's opportunities?

U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2006:

United States Population as of end of 2006:

Male 144,188,000

Female  149,647,000

By what possible definition would a subset that outnumbers the next largest subset by more than 5 million in a total set of 294 million be considered a "minority?"

I'm an English major, but, c'mon, even I know the definition of "greater than" (>) and "less than" (<) in mathmatics. And from a purely numerical standpoint, MEN, not women, are the minority gender in the United States.

(Petunia, Blogger, Springs-sprung, Virginia ... slap me if you can catch me ...) [image]

-jdtippett

'Atta boy, J.D. You cut the Gordian knot with the best of 'em, eh?

Maybe we should just be a little more capacious in our understanding of "minority." You and I both know that even a cursory survey of the prevailing accounts of U.S. history --- to say nothing of revisionist and alternative histories, e.g. Howard Zinn --- will indicate that, for a very long time in this country, women didn't receive a fair shake. The residual effects of this subordinate status and treatment arguably continues in various forms today. But anyways...

On the subject of minority contracts in the city of Anderson, it certainly seems a bit more complicated than it seems facially, but I'm proud of Councilman Stewart for broaching this issue.

I'll register a bit more later. My better half is demanding my laptop...

Oh JD! You just made me so happy! ;)

I have absolutely no idea what happened to Mr. Gordius' knot, Homo-rhetoricus, but I used to be pretty good at tying shoelaces together when classmates dozed off during boring philosophy lectures. Sometimes, they'd have to cut 'em with a knife to get 'em apart.

It may surprise you to know that I fully support this particular non-invasive, non-punitive type of affirmative action - not so much because it addresses the residual effects of discrimination (it doesn't - that can be addressed only by "reverse" discrimination) so much as because it addresses the ongoing insidious kinds of discrimination many still face daily in our society. Too many people still fool themselves into thinking we are truly a society of equal opportunity. We are not. Yet.

Don't tell anybody what I just said, Homo-rhetoricus. I need to keep my Republican credentials intact at least until after the Presidential election in November. And you know how these affirmative action types are: Give 'em an inch by agreeing with one relatively benign policy like this one, and the next thing you know they'll find a new and creative way to keep you out of medical school because some other applicant happens to fit into a cooler demographic category. [image]

-jdtippett

Fair enough, J.D. My lips are sealed. :)

JD, I respectfully but completely disagree. There is so much equal opportunity in our society that minorities and women are often more equal than white males. White southerners have been discriminated against since the Civil War and still are in areas outside of the South. We are automatically assumed to be stupid if we have an accent, don't speak "proper English" (whatever that even means), or have traditional moral values. We are the only demographic that it's ok to discriminate against now, but we're not marching in the streets or demanding our equality. I know personally that I would much rather be discriminated against than receive special treatment from someone because I have a little bit of pride. In fact, I would be insulted if I thought I got special treatment because of my sex or race.