Father Of I-200 Ward Connerly Will Testify In Person At Thurs, 8am Joint Hearing In Olympia
Father of I-200 Ward Connerly will testify in person at Thurs, 8 am joint hearing in Olympia – join us and meet Mr. Connerly, an American hero.
Thursday, April 18, 8-10am, O’Brien Bldg, House hearing room A, House Judiciary and Senate Gov Ops joint hearing on I-1000, Chairs Laurie Jinkins & Sam Hunt
I am thrilled that an American hero will be in Washington state on Thursday. Ward Connerly, the father of voter-approved I-200, will testify in person at Thursday’s joint hearing and his statement below explains why he so strongly opposes I-1000.
There will be many voices heard in House Hearing Room A. 3 former governors headline I-1000’s proponents – Ward Connerly headlines I-1000’s opponents. He is a truly historic figure whose courage, conviction, and commitment is truly inspiring. See you on Thursday.
Tim Eyman, 509-991-5295,https://mailchi.mp/1054d02256f7/fbpvzbgg2u-227895(background info on I-1000 and the 3 governors)
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Statement by Ward Connerly in anticipation of Thursday’s hearing on I-1000:
“The voters of Washington had a great debate in 1998 – should the government have the power to discriminate against its citizens? Proponents and opponents of Initiative 200 extensively discussed and vigorously debated that central question over a two year period. Newspapers, businesses, unions, and people loudly expressed themselves during that time. And when the vote was held, over 58% of voters (https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/results_report.aspx?e=10&c=&c2=&t=&t2=5&p=&p2=&y=) responded that they oppose giving that much power to the government.
“Now, 20 years later, the forces in favor of government sponsored discrimination are back to see if voters now support government sponsored discrimination.
“Thursday’s hearing on Initiative 1000 is an opportune time for us to reflect on the role of the government in our lives. It is the people who are sovereign. And it is the people who overwhelmingly supported I-200 which asked: ‘Shall government be prohibited from discriminating or granting preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public employment, education, and contracting?’
“It is a fundamental principle in our country: you have a right to be treated equally by your government regardless of what box you check on an application form. The right to equal treatment under law. And for 20 years, that’s exactly what we’ve had in Washington: state and local governments have been forced to treat citizens equally and that’s what voters want.
“What offends me most is the twisted, deceptive language used by I-1000 supporters. Let’s be clear: I-1000 gives the government the power to discriminate against citizens based on their skin color. Promoters of I-1000 should be honest and acknowledge that they are promoting an initiative that empowers the government to discriminate.
“Washington state, California, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Hampshire, Florida, and Texas share the distinction of prohibiting government from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to anyone based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin, the immutable characteristics of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. These states have embraced John Kennedy’s clear principle: ‘Race has no place in American life or law.’”
“People across the nation are repeatedly rejecting the odious policies of discrimination. The courts have become increasingly skeptical about discrimination even when it’s called affirmative action or diversity (Ward Connerly “The next battle over affirmative action is about discrimination against Asian Americans: https://tinyurl.com/ybnsppbw).
“I’m very proud to have played a positive role in the passage of I-200 in Washington state and look forward to defending it during Thursday’s hearing on I-1000.”
Ward Connerly can be reached here:tobeequal.wc@gmail.com Picture of Ward Connerly:https://tinyurl.com/y9xbzxnu
Background on Ward Connerly: http://acri.org/about-ward-connerly/
About Ward Connerly
Ward Connerly is founder and President of the American Civil Rights Institute – a national, not-for-profit organization aimed at educating the public about the need to move beyond race and, specifically, racial and gender preferences. Mr. Connerly has gained national attention as an outspoken advocate of equal opportunity for all Americans, regardless of race, sex, or ethnic background.
Mr. Connerly is author of Creating Equal: My Fight Against Race Preferences and his new release Lessons from My Uncle James: Beyond Skin Color to the Content of Our Character. One part memoir, one part moral guide, Lessons from My Uncle James is a touching, funny and ultimately a philosophical book about living a principled and productive life regardless of skin color. Lessons illustrates how Mr. Connerly arrived at the ethics that have guided his life and is a new starting point for the discussion about character that America must have in order to move beyond race for good.
As a member of the University of California Board of Regents, Mr. Connerly focused the attention of the nation on the University’s race-based system of preferences in its admissions policy. On July 20, 1995, following Mr. Connerly’s lead, a majority of the Regents voted to end the University’s use of race as a means for admissions. He was appointed to a 12-year term as UC Regent in March 1993.
In 1995, Mr. Connerly accepted chairmanship of the California Civil Rights Initiative (Proposition 209) campaign. Under his leadership, the campaign successfully obtained more than 1 million signatures and qualified for the November 1996 ballot. California voters passed Proposition 209 by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin.
Mr. Connerly also led the efforts to pass initiatives in the States of Washington, Michigan, Nebraska and Arizona that were patterned after California’s Proposition 209, to require equal treatment under the law for all residents in public education, public employment and public contracting.
Mr. Connerly has been profiled on 60 Minutes, the cover of Parade magazine, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek magazine, and virtually every major news magazine in America. He has also appeared on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Crossfire, Hannity & Colmes, Meet the Press, Dateline, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and C-SPAN.
Mr. Connerly is President and Chief Executive Officer of Connerly & Associates, Inc., a Sacramento-based association management and land development consulting firm founded in 1973. He is regarded as one of the housing industry’s top experts, possessing a comprehensive knowledge of housing and development issues. He has been inducted as a lifetime member into the California Building Industry Hall of Fame and has been a member of the Rotary Club of Sacramento for over 15 years.
Mr. Connerly now lives in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.