Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[sylvester80]

NEWS: Microsoft & Intel b*tch slap Bush [ed: Double Ouch! <gg>]

http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?T=marketsquote99_relnews.ht&s=APk0mGxXcTWljcm9z

Microsoft, Lucent Urge Affirmative Action, Mercury News Says
By Samantha Zee

Redmond, Washington, Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. and Lucent Technologies Inc. plan to urge the Supreme Court to preserve affirmation action in the University of Michigan admissions case, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

The technology companies say they're concerned about their ability to recruit workers from diverse backgrounds to help them compete globally, the paper said. They will join companies including Boeing Co., Intel Corp., 3M Co. and Nike Inc. in filing a legal brief Tuesday arguing that race should be considered in college admissions, the paper said.

The move comes amid controversy about whether the University of Michigan's admissions policy of awarding extra points to black, Latino and American Indian undergraduate applicants is permissible under the U.S. constitution. President George W. Bush has spoken out against the university's policy, the paper reported.

Technology companies say their workforces are mostly white and Asian because of the scarcity of Latino and black engineering and computer-science graduates, an obstacle to achieving diversity in the workplace.