Reply #18

who is most deserving or qualified to receive an Ivy league education and who is not, then why not acknowledge that money (and being born white) has been by far the most unfair advantage, historically speaking. And still is now imo, even with affirmative action considered.

Affirmative action only seeks to balance that unfair advantage and, while helpful, does not fully compensate for money and white privilege.

GWB is an excellent example of this. Despite the expensive prep school he attended (Andover), his SAT scores were at barely acceptable levels for Yale. GWB had already been given a leg-up with his childhood education (thanks to money). Unlike Barack and Michelle Obama, GWB had access to the best education (and probably tutors) that money can buy, yet came away from it w/only slightly above mediocre SAT scores.

Meanwhile, the Obamas managed to excel academically with none of that available to them in their formative years. I don't know what their SAT score(s) were, but I'm willing to bet that they both had scores far superior to GWB's. Seriously, if either Barack or Michelle were not qualified, then how can anyone explain why they both did so well in their college years, while GWB barely eeked by?

Yet, despite all of this, pre-affirmative action, the first couple would likely never have had the chance to attend an Ivy league college. You want to talk about fairness Ann? How is that "fair"???