1.   But initiative supporters, including the Senate majority leader and the speaker of the House, insist that it would simply ban preferences based on race or gender.

2.   Initiative supporters and professional pollsters say opinion surveys indicate strong public opposition to preferential treatment for selected groups.

3.   Initiative supporters acknowledge that inequities still exist.

4.   Initiative supporters say bilingual education has been a failure kept alive by bureaucrats and politicians unable or unwilling to acknowledge their mistake.

5.   Initiative supporters say fraudulent execs should not be allowed to hide behind a corporate shield.

6.   Initiative supporters believe that state lawmakers have been too timid in making HMOs more responsive and accountable to consumers.