Supreme Court overturns Sotamyor's ruling in white firefighter promotion lawsuit

[Caveat Emptor]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090629/...ghters_lawsuit

Good. You shouldn't be promoted just because you're a minority nor should any company or government feel pressured to promote anyone unfairly due to fear of a lawsuit. Promotions should be based on ability.

[DrFaroohk]

Everything is so backwards these days. I wonder who's to blame. On the one hand, you've got all the damn liberals fighting for this or that right for a minority. On the other hand, you've got asshole republicans that basically created those liberals by being so super assholistic.

They both suck.

[BroomJockey]

I agree. Equality doesn't mean giving one side a hand up, it means neither side is assisted. I'm all for individual assistance, like Unemployment Insurance and merit-based scholarships, but blanket policies like "We need X% of Y minority in Z positions" are wrong.

[Slytovhand]

I'm certainly in favour of merit-based promotions.

But, given the results (a bit under half the white guys could expect promotions, but only 2 out of 18 Hispanics, and no Black persons) seems... odd.

[AFPheonix]

I wonder what the results of those tests are over time and different groups taking them. If only white guys consistently manage to pass the test instead of blacks, then there was something to the case, definitely. If this one was an aberration, then the lawsuit was not deserved.

I've never heard that reported in all the coverage on this case, so I honestly don't know one way or another.

[MadMike]

Good. You shouldn't be promoted just because you're a minority nor should any company or government feel pressured to promote anyone unfairly due to fear of a lawsuit. Promotions should be based on ability.

Damn straight. I'm all for equal treatment, but when it becomes preferential treatment, then there's a problem.

[blas87]

Damn, the term is right on the tip of my tongue.....what is this thing called here......

Someone help me please.....I can't make a statement without knowing what I'm talking about......

What's it called what's it called......GAAAH.

[Caveat Emptor]

Damn, the term is right on the tip of my tongue.....what is this thing called here......

Someone help me please.....I can't make a statement without knowing what I'm talking about......

What's it called what's it called......GAAAH.

Affirmative Action?

[Caveat Emptor]

You know there'll be those like Sharpton who will decry the "prejudice" in this ruling, but to them I say: There are civil rights laws. Fifty years ago they wouldn't have gotten as far in the service as they did; more than likely they would have only been able to be janitors. Stop using past injustices as an excuse and a crutch. I could see it if the scores and everything were equal and whites got preferential treatment, but the scores were not equal and the minority firefighters tried to take a ride in the waaaahmbulance. It makes me sick when somebody says "my G-Grandfather was a slave and so I should get continued preferential treatment." Puh-leaze.

[Slytovhand]

You know there'll be those like Sharpton who will decry the "prejudice" in this ruling, but to them I say: There are civil rights laws. Fifty years ago they wouldn't have gotten as far in the service as they did; more than likely they would have only been able to be janitors. Stop using past injustices as an excuse and a crutch. I could see it if the scores and everything were equal and whites got preferential treatment, but the scores were not equal and the minority firefighters tried to take a ride in the waaaahmbulance. It makes me sick when somebody says "my G-Grandfather was a slave and so I should get continued preferential treatment." Puh-leaze.

Ummm - what??

I thought there was a chain of thought going that, because of the disparity of the results, there were indications of inherent prejudice. That's certainly what I'm considering. At the very least, it looks to me like the various heirarchy within each station hasn't done a lot to help their members to advance very far. What happened to accessing increased training? Surely it's in the captain's job description to give whatever help to aspiring staff to improve their skills and promotion prospects?? I highly doubt that virtually all the non-white contenders are dumb-arses! (compared with only half the white population...)

[BroomJockey]

At the very least, it looks to me like the various heirarchy within each station hasn't done a lot to help their members to advance very far. What happened to accessing increased training? Surely it's in the captain's job description to give whatever help to aspiring staff to improve their skills and promotion prospects??

And that would be something that would need to be handled through normal channels. The station captain isn't helping access to training, when you want it and qualify for it? Go to his boss. Go all the way up the chain if you have to. And if none of them help, you've got a hell of a papertrail to take to the ACLU and newspapers. However, that would require a bit of extra effort on people's part. But without that proof, how do we know they went for the extra training? Maybe they actually are just coasting. It's incumbent upon the accuser to provide proof of bias.

[Titi]

I remember seeing this case on the news when it first started. The black and hispanic firefighters in the town were with them on this case because they knew that the test was fair and they didn't pass it. They weren't crying discrimination because they asked for a separate entity to do the tests so that there wouldn't be any promotions due to whom knew whom. As that is what seemed to lead to promotions before then.

It seemed that everyone was in agreement that the thrown out results were not because we have to please the minorities, but the fact that the people (buttkissers) that they wanted promoted didn't pass the test either.