But surely the correct solution is to remove bias altogether rather than replacing non-codified past bias with codified future bias, right?
Like, surely we should be trying to eliminate bias completely?
I’m sympathetic to those arguments that equality is not the same as equity, and that in some cases some form of reparation needs to be made to account for past bias. The issue is that, if that’s the line you take here, then you are in fact doing what the Republicans claim, and putting less qualified people into positions that could have major impacts on the lives of other people.
And maybe your stance is that that’s fine, and it’s not that big a deal to hire less qualified candidates if it helps fix systematic racial issues. But I think then that what the Republicans are claiming is in fact just true, and they are probably right that most Americans will find that unpalatable.