To the Editor:

Gov. Bill Ritter is to be applauded for his forthright stance opposing Amendment 46. Don't be fooled by the deceptive language of Amendment 46. At first glance, Amendment 46 looks like it is aimed at fighting discrimination. To the contrary, it would actually ban any form of public affirmative action designed to remedy past discrimination or provide equal opportunities to disadvantaged Coloradans based on gender, ethnicity or race. It is designed to change Colorado's constitution in a way contrary to U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

Amendment 46 is not about quotas. Quotas are already illegal. Amendment 46 would halt even modest public outreach programs to women and minority group members to provide information on opportunities in education, employment or contracting. We need to keep options open for Colorado to continue to work to level the playing field for women and members of minority groups.