UNLESS congress, CNO, or whomever gets paid to make the big bucks says "make the percentage go up"... when this happens I assure you. Standards as a whole will go down and more qualified individuals will be shown the door in order to raise the female percentage.
I've seen it before and I will see it again... and I will see it again...
Long read and I’m sorry…Just venting.
I do not agree with “quotas” you’ve gotta be able to perform a job. It’s okay with me if you give free educations to minority groups so they can perform these jobs, but don’t lower standards. Give’um a leg up… not a free ride.
Since my departure from the navy back in the late 60’s I’ve been involved in heavy/highway construction as a project engineer. Well, back then the federal government instituted a “minority set aside program” and frankly it sucks! We are required, when federal money is involved, to give a certain percentage of the total contract to minority subcontractors. If I get bids from unqualified companies I have to jump through hoops with paperwork to prove the company might not be qualified. And… I ask why??? Lookit! You give me a bid, and are qualified, I don’t care if you’re brown, yellow, purple, or a female… If you’re qualified, and your company submitted a responsive bid you’ll get the job.
Here’s an actual example… Back just before the bicentennial the FHA wanted to upgrade the Baltimore-Washington Parkway from about Odenton right down to the DC line, make it look pretty for the visitors. Okay, no problem… The FHA made the project a “minority set aside” so my company, a very qualified company, couldn’t bid the project.
Out to bid the project went, bids were received by the “set aside” contractors and all were way over the “engineer’s estimate” above 5 million dollars. After the bids were received, and the FHA had met all the “set aside” requirements, the project went out to bid through regular advertisement. A joint venture “Contee Sand and Gravel and Arundle Asphalt” were low bidder at just over 3 million dollars. You do the math! And this shit happens every day with this “PC” crap. Even today! This is why I get upset a bout “BRAC” it’s not the actual idea it’s the money wasted by these programs during the construction process.
Okay… sorry… I’ll get off my soap box now and head on home. Bottom line… Set standards and keep “em.”
Steve