Racial Quotas On Lifeguards? Really?

The city of Phoenix, Arizona, has recently made public their decision to recruit minority lifeguards even if they don’t swim that well.  That’s right.  They’re more concerned about ethnic and/or racial equality in the lifeguard force than the safety of the patrons of the swimming pools.

In a staggering case of affirmative action gone wild, officials in Phoenix are actually recruiting minorities to be lifeguards at public pools even if they’re not good swimmers. It’s all in the name of diversity.

Officials are willing to compromise “effective services” at 29 public swimming pools spread throughout the city to diversify the lifeguard force.  Phoenix will spend thousands of dollars to recruit minorities even if they’re not strong swimmers, according to an official quoted in a news report. Blacks, Latinos and Asians who may not necessarily qualify can still get hired, says the city official who adds that “we will work with you in your swimming abilities.”

There’s a good reason the city is hiring lifeguards that can’t swim. Public pools are largely used by Latino and African-American kids, but most of the lifeguards are white and this creates a huge problem. “The kids in the pool are all either Hispanic or black or whatever, and every lifeguard is white and we don’t like that,” says a Phoenix official quoted in the story. She added that “the kids don’t relate; there’s language issues.”

So in the eyes of Phoenix officials, it’s more important that the kids of Phoenix be able to relate to the lifeguard at the pool than be safe.  I remember when I was a kid and went to the public swimming pool in my neighborhood.  We never even spoke to the lifeguard – we knew he/she was there in case one of us needed rescuing and didn’t much care what they did otherwise.  Has that really changed?  I doubt it.  This is just another liberal effort to push for racial equality regardless of the circumstances.  

I don’t know about you but I’d rather have a person who is a strong swimmer and trained in rescue techniques watching my kid than a person who was hired solely because of skin color or ethnicity.   But then… I’m considered a right-wing extremist because I’m an ex-military, Christian, pro-life, pro-gun, anti-illegal immigration conservative. Also considered racist by many because I oppose President Obama’s agenda, even though none of the reasons I profess have anything to do with his race or color.

If I was a parent in Phoenix I would keep my kid away from the public pools this year.  Until the government realizes that the best qualified person for the job should be hired as a lifeguard instead of a racial quota – my kid would swim in the back yard or in the bathtub…