That’s discrimination, Mr. President…

Last night, among the many suggestions Bush made in his lame duck state-of-the-union address, was the proposal that employers give preferential treatment to the spouses of military personnel. In other words, Bush suggested that when it comes to hiring, let’s give first pick to those who are married to soldiers. Now, it’s possible I heard that wrong, but just in case I didn’t, I’ll tell you my concern with such a suggestion. It’s discriminatory. That has nothing to do with my Quaker beliefs concerning war—instead, it addresses a very basic issue when it comes to jobs. Is it fair to give anyone preferential treatment? Now, you may argue that folks with college degrees get an advantage all the time, and while that may be so, I feel that offering a job to someone simply because they married the “right” person is more problematic than considering a person to be more qualified for a position based upon continued education credentials. There are a plethora of reasons why a person may not serve in the military, and thus be unable to offer their spouse that certain military “edge”: religious beliefs (which apply to many Quakers), physical limitations, mental issues, etc. The point is, jobs are difficult enough to come by without the president encouraging discriminatory hiring practices.