With respect to establishing a new ethic. individuals in public life have a responsibility to go out of their way to eschew racism and to advance in foreign as well as domestic policy the Jeffersonian precept that underlies our democracy: that all men are created equal. that they are endowed by a Creator with universally understood rights. Whether it be apartheid abroad or civil rights at home. we all must come to grips with our philosophical as well as melting pot heritage. In a society which is still of an immigrant nature. where the entering work force will be more than 40 percent nontraditional white within a decade. the American people have no choice but to throw aside the blinders of prejudice and open up opportunities for all through social healing. through universal access to education and quality health care. On a national basis. candidates should sign a pledge of tolerance and make a compact with the electorate not to divide society on the basis of race. religion. ethnicity. age. or place of national origin. I stress within this pledge the issue of age as well as the more broadly understood categories of prejudice for two reasons: First. age prejudice is more real than commonly understood. and second. it has been more played upon by politicians than many suspect.
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immigrant