N001538
Sunday, January 13, 2002 1:34 PM
(no subject)
To our Elected Officials:
In the immediate aftermath of the tragic attack of September 11th upon
our nation, Congress enacted the Victims' Compensation Fund of 2001 P.L.
107-42, to compensate the relatives of the victims of that brutal attack. As
you know, the Fund was enacted as part of a comprehensive package which
bailed out the airline industry and imposed restrictions on the rights of the
victims' relatives to sue the airlines in court. We implore upon you, as our
elected officials, to demand changes to the interim rules issued by Kenneth
Feinberg, the Special Master. As i8t stands, Mr5. Feinberg's self-imposed
rules fail to satisfy the letter or the spirit of the legislation which was
enacted.
Specifically, we request that you act on our behalf and demand the
followings to the interim rules:
1. THE ARBITRARY INCOME LIMITS IMPOSED BY THE SPECIAL MASTER ARE NOT ONLY
UNFAIR BUT ALSO INCONSISTENT WITH THE LETTER AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW.
Those victims from the financial industry are specifically harmed buy this
limit. They were targeted and murdered precisely because of the jobs they
held, and where they worked - the World Trade Center, the Financial capital
of the world, the embodiment of financial success. Those who achieved such
success should see that reflected in their awards. They personified American
Business and commerce, democracy and freedom. We ask that you demand that
Mr. Feinberg lift the arbitrary income limits so that each family can be
treated fairly, commensurate with the support they provided their families
before their death.
2. MR. FEINBERG HAS ARBITRARILY RESTRICTED THE NON-ECONOMIC AWARDS FOR PAIN
AND SUFFERING, no matter what the extent of the pain and suffering. This is
unacceptable. In the words of Rep. Peter King, "every death is tragic. A
murder is particularly tragic. But to have your loved one murdered in a
burning building in full view of the world - in a scene which will be
repeated in the media for decades to come - is a horror these families will
never escape from ... The Special Master cannot take it upon himself to
restrict the rights of the families." Therefore, we request that the interim
rules be amended to more appropriately compensate the victims' families for
the immeasurable pain and suffering endured by our loved ones.
As Mayor Guiliani stated in his farewell address: "
we have an obligation to the people who did die...Their families need to be
protected just as if they had been alive, financially and every other way
that we can help and assist their families... There should be no compromise
about that ever..." We request that the interim rules be amended and
redefined to the extent that income caps be removed when computing economic
loss and that compensation for paid and suffering more accurately reflect
that horror which was suffered. Justice demands no less.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment