Florida Initiative has come into action and there have been many opposing
opinions towards this plan since The Board of Regents approved it. Some might
say the plan has split Florida in two. Many Florida citizens who support One
Florida argue towards opposing positions to give the plan a chance. These
supporters believe this state needs a change because of the numerous problems
within our school system. Opposing sides argue that they might consider part of,
which is the plan that grants schools money towards scholarships and mentoring
but their position is that affirmative action is not a problem. Supporter of One
Florida Initiative believe that the plan could not have come about any later
than it did because we needed some action done fast. While opposers believe that
this plan was voted on too fast and the governor didn’t give citizens enough
information or time to do anything about it. The initiative to help diversity
among college admissions was a well thought out plan supporters argue. They
believe One Florida will work if we give it some time. Once we get used to the
plan we will see how well it is working we while will learn more about.
Supporters are sure that this plan will improve the way Florida works and that
we will influence other states to do the same. “Bush’s plan would replace
the state’s affirmative-action policies, which have been used with mixed
success, in university admissions”(Porter 1). Opposers of One Florida ask what
is he replacing it with? He is not replacing it, he has just eliminated it and
this is a form of equivocation. Citizens who oppose the governor’s plan argue
that “Affirmative action has only been around for 30 years. It’s too soon to
get rid of it”(Kennedy A1+). Affirmative action was a plan that opposing sides
did not want to do away with, and they believe that this plan is not as
beneficial as affirmative action. Affirmative action grants equal rights to
minorities and women in both education and labor, so it is not surprising that
47% of women support it while 41% oppose it. A telephone poll was taken by
Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. on March 7th and 8th, and it asked 621
registered voters in the state of Florida if they approved Governor Jeb Bush’s
performance. The statewide poll concluded that 54% support One Florida, 37%
oppose it, and 9% are undecided (GriffinA1+). I believe that those who oppose
the plan should continue to fight for what they believe in, but if they are not
heard then Florida citizens are forced to wait until there is some sort of
conclusion towards whether the plan works or not. The question is are Florida
citizens willing to wait around to see what is going to happen with minorities
and women in Florida. Some say that if they do wait they might be too late to do
something about it later. For those who are for the initiative, I hope it does
work or they are going to have a big problem on their hands.
