N002239
Tuesday, January 22, 2002 11:09 AM
Victims Compensation Comments
While I agree the nation and in particular the people in Manhattan suffered
a great tragedy on September 11th: I do not feel the US Government needs to
play insurance carrier in this or other incidents. By doing so, the
Government seems to be claiming liability for the incident. The threashold
for declaring any incident a federal emergency is getting pushed lower and
lower: why should citizens buy insurance when in a great deal of cases FEMA
or congress is going to come running in with a basket of cash.
Congress, in a clear attempt to simply get re-elected and remain in their
jobs, passed a law that sets a very terrible precident. This also seems to
tell victims of previous incidents that they weren't quite as important and
the people of Manhattan. And future victims will expect ever greater levels
of compensation.
These compensation levels, along with the money FEMA (and other
non-government agencies) is throwing at the victims has gone way overboard.
And what are the surviors doing: complaining that what the governement is
offering is "a disgrace". Why should the government make ANY of the
surviors millionaires? I have absolutly no FINACIAL sympathy for a person
who was making $500,000 a year and didn't have proper insurance coverage to
take care of his/her family. And yet that is what many of the surviors
want: all their insurance money AND the millions the compensation fund can
provide.
I can only hope (and I really hold out LITTLE hope) that Congress and the
President can learn from this MISTAKE and pull back from this cycle of
declaring almost everything a national disaster and therefore being SO
willing to throw tax payer money AT people.
Thank you for this opportunity to voice my opinion,
Individual Comment
St Louis Mo