Memorandum
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- Derek Weston via fox - Opinion
- Date
- Filed
- Society·4 min to read
- Re
Douglas MacKinnon warns DEI policies threaten safety in transportation and banking
ReDouglas MacKinnon warns DEI policies threaten safety in transportation and banking
Columnist Douglas MacKinnon argues that merit should govern safety-critical jobs and questions the influence of DEI and debanking practices in the airline and banking sectors.
Columnist Douglas MacKinnon argues that hiring for safety-critical jobs should rest on merit alone, warning that identity-based selection could put lives at risk in the aviation, maritime, transportation and public-safety sectors. Writing in a Fox News opinion piece, he contends that diversity, equity and inclusion policies are not gone but have been held in reserve, and that they could return with force if Democrats gain control of Congress after the November 3 elections.
MacKinnon begins with a reflection drawn from an extended business trip across the United States. He points to jetliners, passenger and freight trains, driverless taxis, large cruise ships, major bridges such as the George Washington and the Golden Gate, and office towers in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In his view, all of these were designed and built through meritocracy, and the human lives that depend on them justify keeping identity politics out of their construction. He says he does not object to any individual's sex, race, sexual orientation, political views or faith, and that the best candidate should be chosen based on merit and real-world experience. His objection is to selection for roles such as flight deck crews, air traffic control, ship bridges, commercial trucking, police and fire departments, and utility operations on the basis of identity, which he argues exposes the public to greater risk.
The column also cites recent reporting from the head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, who said the agency had uncovered what it described as irrefutable evidence that the nation's largest banks had denied, debanked and discriminated against customers and lawful businesses. MacKinnon notes that many of those affected were conservative or faith-based. Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said Americans should have access to financial services regardless of their beliefs, affiliations or political views. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, told Fox News Digital that debanking Americans over faith or politics is simply un-American and said the committee would address the issue when Congress returns.
MacKinnon also turns to the airline industry, pointing to a Wall Street Journal editorial critical of United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, who reportedly received more than $32 million in compensation last year and has called for a wealth tax to address wealth inequality. MacKinnon links Kirby to earlier DEI-oriented statements, including a 2021 pledge that United would train 5,000 pilots over the following decade, with half of them to be women and people of color, backed by JPMorgan Chase. The columnist notes that JPMorgan has also been implicated in the debanking controversy. The piece presents these examples as evidence that, in his view, DEI continues to shape corporate and institutional decisions with consequences for public safety and access to services.
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