Willie Brown
* In “Brown Presses His Case for Affirmative Action” (April 11) The Times once again falls prey to the ploys of this ultra-slick politician. While the circumstances of Assembly Speaker Willie Brown’s youth in Texas are undeniable, the implication of similar conditions existing in California, in any form, represents another instance of demagoguery a la co-Speaker Brown.
Affirmative action programs divide our state’s population into the “haves vs. have-nots,” a political strategy too often used by the Democratic Party on the state and national levels. Unfortunately for Democrats, their reliance on this approach has led the electorate to realize that such practices lead to more constituencies whining, while fewer are concerned about the viability of our state.
Mr. Brown, you’ve jerked our state around for the last 15 years with your political patronage whims, legislative trickery and love of big government. This time California isn’t buying what you peddle, it’s had enough and it’s still paying for it.
JOHN G. HERNANDEZ
Claremont
PAUL DUGINSKI, Sacramento
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