P000512
Thursday, February 14, 2002 1:35 PM
Disbursement of 9/ll Funds
For your information, we contributed to the private 9/ll funding by donation and to the Federal 9/ll fund by paying taxes. These are our views regarding how these funds should be disbursed:
1. Payments should be limited to covering or reimbursing immediate outlays and expenses as they are incurred, not as a lump sum gift.
2. Donations were made to cover the expense of medical and hospital care for those injured, and survivors suffering from shock or depression, plus temporary assistance with rent, food, etc. for survivors until they can get their lives back on track. Understand that there is no way to make up for the loss of a loved one by paying some large amount of money!
3. There are existing (now well-funded) charitable organizations that can assist these families as they have been doing for other families in the past whenever disasters have occurred.
4. As far as scholarships for surviving children being provided, keep in mind that many children of working families across this country do not have tuition to attend college (unless the student works and earns the money). Some of these working families contributed to the funds (private and federal).
5. Some middle-aged parents had young, unmarried, adult children killed on 9/ll. There is no reason to make a lump sum payment to surviving parents unless to cover funeral expenses. You cannot establish some kind of payment for pain and suffering. There is no way to measure it!
6. This quote is from a recent, local newspaper columnist concerning disbursement of these funds: "We gave that money out of our hearts to help gravely wounded people get on with their lives. We did not give it so they could build up trading portfolios on Wall Street."
7. Neither the donations by individuals from around the world nor the government funds set up should go to establish any type of estate or annuity for survivors. No lump sum "gift" payments should be made.
Thank you for considering our thoughts on this matter.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment