The latest census tells us that America is increasingly a multiethnic and multiracial country, and individual Americans, starting with our president, are themselves increasingly multiethnic and multiracial. It is untenable for citizens to be classified by skin color and what country their ancestors came from.
The playing field is not level, but there are people of all colors at both ends, and scholarships should not ignore that fact. A whites-only scholarship is stupid, but so are black-only, Latino-only and any other racially exclusive scholarships.
Roger Clegg
Falls Church, Va.
The writer is president and general counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity.
Your editorial concludes, "We don't begrudge any young men scholarship aid from the Former Majority Assn. for Equality. But we wish the organization would offer its largesse on a nonracial basis."
Apparently, it does not bother you that the scholarship excludes women, but it should.
Elaine Craig Segal
Los Angeles
It's unfair too
Re "Divorce can mean costly errors on Social Security," Business, March 6
The Times provides a lot of practical information about spousal Social Security benefits, but it neglects to point out that the same rules do not apply to all married couples.
I have no more claim on my wife's Social Security benefits than a total stranger has. It makes no difference how many years we've been married, how many years we've worked or how much money we've paid in Social Security taxes.
Until Congress repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, legally married gay and lesbian couples pay the same Social Security taxes as heterosexual couples but are denied the same benefits and the same opportunity to protect and take care of those we love.
Lynne Kirste
West Hollywood
Healthcare costs
Re "Up north, hospital bills are bigger," Business, March 6
Your article struck a personal chord with me, and not just because I live in Northern California. I wanted to hire three new employees this year but was able to hire only one because of the giant rate increase my company received for its health insurance.
Your article illustrates that the current business model of consolidation being followed by hospitals will result in higher healthcare costs for businesses. It's not a good forecast for employment.
If we want to reduce California's 12.5% unemployment rate, healthcare costs must be brought under control. Gov. Jerry Brown ran as an innovator, and I hope he is willing to try something new for healthcare. A single-payer system would be less expensive and more efficient.
Richard Fertell
Walnut Creek, Calif.
Bills galore
Re "A Capitol logjam: 2,323 bills," March 7
It is obvious no one in the Legislature really gets it. California is in a fiscal crisis, $25 billion underwater, and lawmakers want to debate olive oil and "Parks Make Life Better" month.
Perhaps dealing with fiscal crisis and balancing a budget is just too much to ask. Do I hear fiddle music filling the air in Sacramento?
Steve McNeely
Pasadena
