by Emily Badger //Wonkblog - Washington Post
This is the work that truly matters – because policies that disenfranchise specific groups are more pernicious than hateful rants. Proposals that feed uncertainty, question the desire of a people to work, and relegate particular Americans to economic despair are more malignant than intolerant public statements, no matter how many eyebrows the outbursts might raise. And a criminal justice system that treats groups of people differently – and punishes them unequally – has a much more negative impact than misguided words that we can reject out of hand.
Eric Holder should get a lot of credit for saying this. But he gave only a few of the most obvious examples of the "more hidden, and more troubling" patterns and policies that he's talking about. He cited "zero-tolerance" school discipline guidelines thatdisproportionately punish black boys. He mentioned criminal sentencing disparities, and "new types of restrictions" on voting that have the effect of disenfranchising more minority, poor and elderly voters in the name of fighting "voter fraud."
'via Blog this'
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