FAQ

Q: What kind of organization is "The 80-20 Educational Foundation?"

A: 80-20 EF is a national, nonpartisan cyberspace organization that is registered with IRS as a tax exempt organization. It is dedicated to using educational means to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity in workplaces for Asian Americans (AsAms). It has a sister organization in 80-20 Political Action Comm. The 2 orgs. share the same goal but use very different methodology and are operated independently.

Q: Don't we have equal opportunity already?

A: No. Based on publicly available government statistics, AsAms have the least opportunity to enter management when compared with blacks, Hispanics and women; the slowest rate of progress toward equal employment opportunity in spite of having the highest educational attainment. See a full-page color ad in Washington Post on this matter which contains the complete documentation. It has been read into the Congressional Record by Senator Thomas Carper of Delaware.
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Q: What does "80-20" mean?

A: The name 80-20 was chosen as indicating what proportion of votes is the most effective to achieve our goal. We want to unite 80% of APA voters in each Presidential election to support one presidential candidate. See below for information about how a voting pattern of 80 to 20 will work to gain us equal opportunity and political influence.

Q: What is 80-20's Strategy?

A: To form a bloc-vote supporting the presidential candidate of a political party, based on his/her past record and specific written pledges of future actions in helping AsAms achieve equal opportunity and justice.

If 80% of AsAms vote for and donate to the 80-20 endorsed presidential candidate, our collective votes will become a political force that cannot be ignored.

However, EF being an educational organization does not endorsement political candidates.

Q: How does the 80-20 idea work?

A: Here's how it works. Its goal is to win equal opportunity for us and our children. That means an equal chance to get good jobs, high salary increments, and significant promotions. APAs voted slightly in favor of Bush in '92 and slightly in favor of Clinton in '96. So long as an immigrant "underclass" votes roughly 50-50, no politician will bother to help the group win equal opportunity. To politicians, paying attention to a small constituent group that votes roughly 50-50 is like entering a small business deal with a puny margin of profit. On the other hand, courting a small immigrant group capable of delivering 80-20 is like chasing a small business deal with a huge profit margin of 60%. (The 80% vote obtained by the courting politician minus the 20% vote taken by the opponent yields a net gain of 60% of votes of our community.) Hence, if we united to vote 80-20, a very different picture emerges.

APAs are strategically located. We represent 8% of the voters in CA -- the state with the largest Electoral College votes and early primary in the presidential election of 2000. CA is a must for any presidential candidate in year 2000. Winning the March 2000 CA primary creates so much momentum that it may be tantamount to winning the party nomination. Furthermore, CA has 54 electoral votes -- 20% of what's needed to be the next president.

If we'll unite to swing to either political party at an 8 to 2 ratio, our block-vote will represent not only a business deal with a huge profit margin but also the deal that gives the winner a 51% controlling interest of the entire market. Our bloc vote shall be courted by politicians of both parties immediately, and with that we can win equal opportunity for us and our children!

American immigrants have traditionally relied on the political process to win equal opportunity. That was how the Irish did it. That was how the Polish, Italians and Jewish Americans did it. Recently, women and blacks flexed their political muscles and won their rights to good jobs.

As individual communities, our voices have not been heard. Together we shall overcome. We and our children will benefit. America, our beloved nation, becomes "a more perfect Union."

Q: What are the main issues that 80-20 is fighting for?

A: (1) To enforce Executive Order 11246 (EO 11246). Executive Order 11246 that was signed by President Johnson in 1965 to ensure equal opportunity in workplaces for minority and women. This law has been enforced for all Americans except for Asian Americans. When this law is enforced for us, there will be about 500,000 Asian American manager within 10 year.

(2) To get more Asian Ams. appointed Federal judges. Currently, only 0.6% of our Level III Federal judges are AsAms, all at the lowest level of the District Court, while 5% of our nation's population and lawyers are AsAms.

AMICUS BRIEF

AMICUS BRIEF filed by 80-20 EF in Fisher v. University of Texas: http://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/12-05-29_Gura_Final_Fisher_Brief.pdf