A001748
Friday, December 14, 2001 10:42 AM
justice for victims of Sept 11
Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530
To Mr. Feinberg:
I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for
all surviving families of the tragedy on September
11th, including the children and families of low-wage
workers.
Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the
survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars
per year might receive thousands of times as much
compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one
of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires
looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent
worth of all those killed, so that a high
minimum compensation level is set to lessen the
disparities. It would be a double blow to the
survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch
as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were
already well off in the first place. One's salary
should not be measure of one's human worth.
The children and spouses of victims who were
financially comfortable are most likely covered by
generous life insurance policies, and the families of
firefighters most certainly are (rightly so). However,
the families of wage earners were likely living from
paycheck to paycheck, even before the disaster, and
may now be in dire straits with the loss of even a few
paychecks.
The second major issue has to do with recognizing the
legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and
families. Gay and lesbian families are especially
vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the
option of marriage is unavailable, these families may
find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having
to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately,
both the Red Cross and the State of New York have
already announced that they will not discriminate
against gay and lesbian families. The Department of
Justice should do the same.
Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward
to hearing how you will act on these very important
issues.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment