'a solution in search of a problem'

The Tacoma News Tribune published their opinion against amending I-200, the voter approved initiative which bars public race preferences in hiring and student enrollment consideration. I like what they have to say! Thanks to Matt Rosenberg for pointing it out on Sound Politics.

...right now it looks like a solution in search of a problem. Washington’s public universities have responded impressively to I-200 by expanding their minority outreach efforts, which the initiative does not forbid.

Minority enrollments fell after the initiative passed, but they have rebounded. The University of Washington’s 2004 freshman class, for example, included more African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans than the 1998 class, the last batch of freshmen admitted before I-200 took effect. Except for Latinos, each of those groups also accounted for a larger share of the UW’s freshman class.

The numbers suggest that I-200 has not prevented Washington’s public universities from welcoming disadvantaged minorities. Legislators should be wary of tampering with a popular initiative – and inviting a public backlash – without better cause.

Here here.

While I don't consider him the premier icon of credible conservatism, I can't help but wonder if Rush Limbaugh is right. The Democrats efforts to "fix what isn't broken" makes me take Rush all the more seriously when he says the Democrats will do all they can to make minorities dependant on government; that, of course, so they can offer handout programs to garner minority votes...something they have been getting less of lately.

What other reason can they have if all the evidence says we DON'T NEED race based profiling to have a minority collegiate population?