America is a competitive, free-enterprise, Democracy. Hard work, taking initiative, and determination are eventually rewarded. That’s how it is, and I believe that is how it should be.

My friends on the left, and 63 % of all Americans, believe race should be factored into college admissions decisions in order to benefit historically underrepresented races and ethnicities. More accurately stated, 63% of Americans, depending on how you word the question, favor some form of leg up for Americans of predominantly African descent in order to ameliorate the historic income and wealth disparities still lingering 160 years after the abolition of slavery.

My friends on the right, correctly point out that any attempt to “level the playing field” by proferring advantage to one race or ethnicity will automatically create a disadvantage for some individuals in every other race and ethnicity.

The most important ideals in America are equal opportunity and equal protection before the Law. The question before us is this: How do we uphold the ideal of Equality when any objective analysis reveals that Equality has not always been the Rule?

The burden of correcting the disparity cannot land in the lap of College admission Boards. Because the number of seats in colleges and other academic environments are finite, the admissions processes must be blind and based on merit in terms of high school grades and admission tests. They cannot disproportionately favor one race or ethnicity over another.

Neither, as I have said many times, can the American government give disproportionate advantage to one group of citizens over any other. The American government, on behalf of the American people, cannot do that, but absolutely must do that! My apologies for the apparent contradiction. We live in a world guided by our ideals, but our ideals must in turn be guided by the reality in which we find ourselves.

Proposed: For the next twenty years, some portion of American tax revenue should be designated to subsidize Merit-Based Scholarships for high-achieving African-American high school students. I believe high school tutoring should also be funded specifically for deserving and motivated African American high school kids to apply for and receive a bit of a leg up.

It is time for us to pay back the debt we owe.