N002114
Sunday, January 20, 2002 12:01 PM
Setp. 11 Victim's Compensation Fund
To the U.S. Department of Justice:
I am writing to protest the unfair distribution of money and other
regulations of the Federal Victim's Compensation Fund for those who died in
the attacks on Sept. 11.
I write on behalf of several families I know who lost loved ones in the Twin
Towers. Each of the victims was in a different income bracket, from a
$17,000-a-year mailroom clerk to a computer expert earning 6 figures.
Despite the huge disparity in their incomes, none of the victims' families
should receive more than the others. It is impossible to put a financial
value on an individual's life, but that seems to be what Special Master
Feinberg is trying to do by distributing money on the basis of the deceased
victim's income.
While the gentleman mentioned above earning 6 figures left behind a wife and
3 children who live in a beautiful house on Long Island, the mailroom clerk
was a young college graduate with a great deal of promise who financially
supported and cared for his elderly parents (including his ailing mother),
as is the tradition in Asian families. Since this young man was just
starting out in his career, there is no telling how much he might have
earned in the future. It is wrong and ignorant of anyone to assume that his
family deserves less than that of the other, wealthier victim.
It is also extremely unfair to force families who accept the funds to sign
away their right to sue for a greater share of the millions that are being
distributed, especially when they do not know at the time that they sign
exactly how much they will be receiving up front. It seems un-American to
force people to relinquish their right to protest a perceived injustice, and
I am ashamed that our government is even suggesting they do so.
There is only one fair way to distribute the millions of dollars donated by
caring Americans to the victims of Sept. 11: Give an equal share to every
family, regardless of the deceased victim's financial status.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Flushing, New York