Subject: Re: Shameful Policy
Merit assumes equality of circumstance and opportunity. The reality is that circumstances of birth, upbringing, and social and economic condition are not equal, hence opportunity is not equal.

Personally, I believe addressing economic inequality, especially as it is manifest in the lives of children, would go a long way toward improving equality of opportunity for economically disadvantaged children of all races. Unfortunately, racism is a demonstrably independent variable contributing to inequality in our society.