Letters Extra: Voice of the people not always the answer

Whether affirmative action is a proper remedy for past racial discrimination is open to debate. However, the decision to overturn it should not be left to a popular vote as Charles Krauthammer and a majority of the Supreme Court contend ("Court gets 'Schuette' right," April 28).

Among the reasons the founders rejected direct democracy was that it could allow for a tyranny of the majority. Subjecting the rights and needs of minority groups directly to popular opinion is a recipe for persecution.

Would desegregation and civil rights have happened in the South if voters at the time had been given a say?

Bill Fanshel

, Bryn Mawr, wfanshel@hotmail.com