this will end well.

Yeah, about that can of worms ... I think you just opened it.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that giving different benefits to people with the only difference being skin color is gonna open up a whole different and much bigger can of worms.

I think they got that can of worms at Costco

/lol forklift

This isn't going to end well for the state of Georgia.

I'm not touching that tar baby.

I'm gonna guess they got a whole case of worms there.

Can of worms: opened.

Georgia could:
a) give these officers their pensions, and open a can of worms
or
b) uphold a racist policy, and . . .not open a can of worms?

Someone needs to buy those Jawjah Republicans a case of Clorox. Their sheets need bleaching.

Cathedral of Worms not impressed.

And, why am I not surprised? There are parts of Georgia that have figured out what century this is, but there are others that are so backward you don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Attractive and successful worms?

1976!?

rynthetyn: And, why am I not surprised? There are parts of Georgia that have figured out what century this is, but there are others that are so backward you don't know whether to laugh or cry.


I think "Deliverance" was a documentary.

America! Fark Yeah!

What was it Michelle Obama was proud of again?

It seems like they're trying to take the supposedly "objective" position that giving them pensions would somehow bankrupt the pension system since they never paid in. This of course ignores the fact that they were prevented from paying in while they worked there, and that there's probably such a small number of them that it won't make enough of a difference to the system to overwhelm it. F*cking cretins need to get with the program.

...."The Georgia Constitution prohibits the state from extending new benefits to public employees after they have retired..."

um, earth to farktards, that's assuming those retirees were all equally barred from new benefits.

Secondly, by "new benefits" the Constitution was clearly referring to "new benefit policies," NOT new benefits based on actual existing policy. And these black employees are asking for new benefits on existing policy.

/smarter than these farkwit lawmakers

Black people are allowed to be cops? I thought they were the bad guys...

Shaggy_C: Black people are allowed to be cops? I thought they were the bad guys...

Well the police do need somebody to go in first during a hostile situation.

glaurunge: Shaggy_C: Black people are allowed to be cops? I thought they were the bad guys...

Well the police do need somebody to go in first during a hostile situation.


Battalion 5 - You will be the all-important first attack wave known as 'Operation Human Shield'.
Battalion 14? You are Operation 'Get behind the darkies'.

I Said: Georgia could:
a) give these officers their pensions, and open a can of worms
or
b) uphold a racist policy, and . . .not open a can of worms?



Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't the way those plans work is that a portion of their pay is placed in an account and then matched by the state. These funds collect interest until the cop is ready to retire.


Since the black officers were only able to start placing money in the fund in 1976 they are getting less then white officers placing in it before, but if they changed it, wouldn't the black officers then get extra money since they didn't pay anything in it.

Bunnyhat: I Said: Georgia could:
a) give these officers their pensions, and open a can of worms
or
b) uphold a racist policy, and . . .not open a can of worms?



Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't the way those plans work is that a portion of their pay is placed in an account and then matched by the state. These funds collect interest until the cop is ready to retire.


Since the black officers were only able to start placing money in the fund in 1976 they are getting less then white officers placing in it before, but if they changed it, wouldn't the black officers then get extra money since they didn't pay anything in it.

Yes. Yes, they would. And they deserve every god damned penny.

Relatively Obscure: Yes. Yes, they would. And they deserve every god damned penny.

Erm. While it most definitely is unfair, giving someone something they didn't pay for based on racial lines isn't a just solution, whether or not they had the choice. That would be the can of worms they're talking about. The end result of 'backdating' these pensions is the State of Georgia giving black retirees handouts, which whether or not they deserve it is a political minefield and something any sensible politician would avoid.

Clarification: This is not a racist statement. I wholeheartedly support the provision of the deserved support for dedicated public servants, regardless of their background. I'm just pointing out the very legitimate political concerns on this specfic strategy for doing so.

Bunnyhat: Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't the way those plans work is that a portion of their pay is placed in an account and then matched by the state. These funds collect interest until the cop is ready to retire.


Since the black officers were only able to start placing money in the fund in 1976 they are getting less then white officers placing in it before, but if they changed it, wouldn't the black officers then get extra money since they didn't pay anything in it.

Then it wouldn't be similar years of service

How about someone use some common sense in the issue. The black officers' pensions will be adjusted upward for what ever the state match would have been plus a percentage of what they would have contributed had they not been barred from the pension program.

Take what they did contribute, once eligible, average it out and use a formula along the lines of state match +25 percent.

No, they won't get "equal" benefits. Then again, they probably could have done as well, if not better, by taking what they couldn't contribute and investing it elsewhere.

sojourner: Erm. While it most definitely is unfair, giving someone something they didn't pay for based on racial lines isn't a just solution, whether or not they had the choice.

I wasn't basing it on racial lines. If Whitey McWhiteguy was done this sort of injustice, he'd deserve every penny, too. They were cheated, by the government, and that deserves to be rectified. Period.

For all of you who are saying that it's based on a portion of their pay, RTFA.

It's from tickets and fines, as well as a "small" portion of their pay. They should at least be eligible for partial.

Give it to them. These laws were unfair and they could not do a thing to change them. This would come close to making things right. Make them sign a waiver of some sort to prevent opening some can of worms. Honestly, who cares about worms, just make things as right as possible

I'm so proud of those folks. I may even tear up.

Relatively Obscure: Yes. Yes, they would. And they deserve every god damned penny.

THIS
sojourner: Erm. While it most definitely is unfair, giving someone something they didn't pay for based on racial lines isn't a just solution, whether or not they had the choice



Let's just consider the extra money asshole tax for all the shiat they had to put up with from their racist co-workers for a VERY long time.

Beware the sandwormscats

Relatively Obscure:Yes. Yes, they would. And they deserve every god damned penny.

THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS.

My but the neeegroes is gettin uppity
ah do declare!

Might I suggest paying them 3/5 of a pension?

Yeah, I'm calling shenanigans. Full pension, not a hand out. Your farked up laws are the reason that money's not already in there. You don't want to give them "free money"? Fine, then leave their pension where it's at, let them sue you civilly, and shut your piehole when they get awarded millions in punitive that they wouldn't have gotten if you'd just done the right thing NOW.

Your losses. You should cut them.

You know, when the neo-confederates, hillbillies and inbreds all start complaining about how the "South isn't as bad as it used to be," this sh*t comes up.

Stereotypes save time.
White Georgia = Bigots.

Couldn't the state figure out what the black officers would have paid into the pension system if they had been allowed to join? Then deduct that from the corrected monthly payments.

The officers must've had really horrible work lives. The article mentions one of them is in his 70's and directing traffic part-time to make ends meet. Give them their due and let this guy retire fully fer chrissakes.

Anyone still think Obama will win the general election? Racism is alive and well in the States. Sadly, Obama has no chance.

/even against the total farkups that are today's GOP

bacccc: Anyone still think Obama will win the general election? Racism is alive and well in the States. Sadly, Obama has no chance.

/even against the total farkups that are today's GOP

Thankfully we've got the bigots all concentrated into one region of the country - who aren't going to vote for Democrat anyway.

I live in Georgia and this disgusts me. An easy way to fix the problem would be to offer all black officers who were affected by this the opportunity to buy into the plan.

Simple formula to do so would be (PV of contributions they would have made - PV of annuity payments they should have received = Net payment to buy into plan).

That is as fair as anything I can think of and should be done immediately.

rynthetyn: And, why am I not surprised? There are parts of Georgia that have figured out what century this is, but there are others that are so backward you don't know whether to laugh or cry.

a good friend of mine who's Jewish was at a Wedding in Ga once and she noticed a kid of about 12 starting at her most of the night, and when she finally went over to him and asked him why he answered, without a trace of malice, "I was kinda hoping to see your horns, but I can't make em out with that haircut."

"Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't the way those plans work is that a portion of their pay is placed in an account and then matched by the state. These funds collect interest until the cop is ready to retire.


Since the black officers were only able to start placing money in the fund in 1976 they are getting less then white officers placing in it before, but if they changed it, wouldn't the black officers then get extra money since they didn't pay anything in it."

Good question.

Some jobs have two pensions, the regular, defined benefit pension and another pension called a supplemental pension

According to the article the white officers were allowed a supplemental, state-supported pension, so right now the white officers are recieving hundreds of dollars more each month, even though they worked same number of hours at the same job.

Shameful, just shameful.

Sounds like they're working within the boundary of the law as it is. If the law is "racist", change it, via legislative means. It's really that simple. Though I doubt that particular law prohibiting new benefits to people who are already retired was set in place to specifically deny black cops pensions. However, it is quite possible that they could be allowed those pensions because they were originally denied them throughout the course of their service, thereby showing that, even upon retiring, the benefits that they were originally denied were not "new" benefits but benefits pre-existing benefits denied on a racial standard.

Ok, we'll give pensions to the chinks and the naggers but we won't pay the Irish!

FTA: "We can't fix everything for everybody," said state Sen. Bill Heath, chairman of the Senate Retirement Committee.

I see something in front of me that the voters themselves can, and should, fix.

gruntmints
If the law is "racist", change it, via legislative means.

Did you actually read TFA? They've tried several times, and the legislation goes nowhere in the Senate. Because of Senators without a conscience like Bill Heath.

madmann: Precisely. When the state gets sued and these patriots are awarded a judgement that sends the state into budget-oblivion, the people to blame will be Senators like Bill Heath and those voters who insisted on electing such useless representation.

Wow.. this baby is ugly. This is an ugly black baby, and I wouldn't touch this tar baby if I was them.

Can of worms indeed!

gruntmints: Sounds like they're working within the boundary of the law as it is. If the law is "racist", change it, via legislative means. It's really that simple. Though I doubt that particular law prohibiting new benefits to people who are already retired was set in place to specifically deny black cops pensions. However, it is quite possible that they could be allowed those pensions because they were originally denied them throughout the course of their service, thereby showing that, even upon retiring, the benefits that they were originally denied were not "new" benefits but benefits pre-existing benefits denied on a racial standard.

This is why we have a judiciary branch, to make that call--and why legislators are a bit leery of touching it. Better to let the folks who aren't elected take the heat for the decision, one way or another.