Even though I'm a voraciously left-leaning person, I've not a big fan of most forms of affirmative action. In most cases, I believe, let the best/most talented person win: no matter if he is a she or is purple, black, or has twelve fingers. And when it comes to children, I believe this even more. And in some cases, affirmative action hurts the very minorities it intends to protect.

Take the case of 11-year-old Nikita Rau, a talented Indian girl who was denied entrance into a prestigious public school solely on the basis of her skin. Mark Twain School in Coney Island admits its students according to racial quotas established 33 years ago -- 60 percent of admitted students are white, 40 percent are of other races.

Nikita is a smart young lady, and scored a 79 on an admission test to the school. Her parents were told it was not good enough, even though white kids who had scored a 77 on the test were admitted. Minorities, Nikita's family was told, needed to score at least 84.4 to be accepted into the school.

Though the rules at the school were put in place to boost minority enrollment, they are hampering fairness now, and detractors declare that the racial admission standards are "antiquated".

Nikita's parents intend to pursue admission for their daughter at Mark Twain school.