AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: GOVERNMENT MIGHT NOT ALWAYS RIGHT

As evidenced by the responses on today's Perspectives page, John C. Cozad struck a nerve when he spoke at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast recently about affirmative action. In his talk, Cozad said he believes affirmative action is immoral and based on a lie. He said it is immoral because it judges people by their color, and the lie is that the marketplace discriminates.

It is easy to attack the messenger. Obviously, several readers of the Southeast Missourian believe Cozad is something of a monster for holding his particular views on affirmative action. It is less easy, however, to attack the message with logic and reason, both of which Cozad says have led him to his thinking on affirmative action.

There are some who think Cozad is racist, based on his remarks. But look closely at what he said. Many listeners -- not all -- at the Chamber breakfast were nodding their heads in agreement as he spoke. These were men and women who in their own business lives have confronted many of the illogical realities of government-imposed regulations and quotas involved in making hiring decisions to comply with the federal government's affirmative action policies.

Cozad is a lawyer who has served with distinction on the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission and the University of Missouri Board of Curators. He is well-known for his direct, professional speaking style and the topics about which he chooses to talk. One of his current topics is the U.S. Constitution. If you think his views on affirmative action are radical, you should hear what he has to say about the document that is the foundation of our democratic government. As a matter of fact, it would be useful and educational to invite Cozad back to Cape Girardeau just to give that speech.

In addition, Cozad's views are heard daily on a network of radio stations. He is considering having those same opinions published in newspapers too.

When Cozad gave his affirmative action talk in Cape Girardeau, it was a case of a white man talking to a business group that was almost, if not entirely, 100 percent white. This has led some to wonder if Cozad might have expressed himself differently if he had been talking to people of color. A close look at his speech reveals nothing that couldn't or shouldn't be said to any audience. As a matter of fact, the chords in Cozad's speech harmonize with the main points of the well-received speech given by the Rev. Benjamin Hooks during the Black Family Reunion. Hooks' audience included blacks and whites. It is too bad Cozad and Hooks couldn't have been in Cape Girardeau the same weekend to visit and exchange their ideas.

Just because someone questions the status quo and makes blunt comments about government activity that happens to involve race issues is no sign of racism. Quite the opposite in Cozad's case. He is passionate about the opportunities for anyone in America to achieve the dreams on which this nation was founded. What he doesn't like is government's dictating the process, particularly when government's rules and regulations are onerous and unrealistic.

Much of the jaundice Americans perceive in their federal government is based on exactly the same concerns: Too much government is an attack on the liberties of responsible citizenship.

Have there been abuses of these liberties? Yes. Has government intervention to correct these abuses produced favorable results? Not very often. The massive affirmative action machine is riddled with loopholes and exceptions that put business in the position of finding ways not to comply.

The real question is this: Can Americans -- and U.S. business in particular -- be trusted with the responsibility of unfettered liberty? The answer to this for anyone who believes in the American dream ought to be an unqualified yes.