N001941
Thursday, January 17, 2002 12:56 PM
Plea for amendment to the Victims Compensation Fund interim
rules
January 17, 2001
To Mr. Zwick:
In the immediate aftermath of the tragic attack of The United States, on
September 11, 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, this Fund
was enacted as part of a comprehensive package which bailed out the airline
industry and imposed restrictions of the rights of the victims' relatives
to recover damages from court. We implore upon you, as our elected
officials, to demand changes to the interim rules issued by Kenneth
Feinberg, the Special Master. As it stands, Mr. 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
following changes to the interim
rules:
1. Remove arbitrary income limits.
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 by 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. Increase non-economic rewards.
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 Congressman Peter
King, 'every death is tragic. A murder is particularly
tragic. But to have your love 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 Giuliani
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 that compensation
for pain and suffering more accurately reflect that horror
which was suffered. Justice demands no
less.
I am speaking to you as a registered voter and taxpayer. People I care
about have been severely affected by this tragedy. Certain families should
not be deprived of benefit because they had some foresight to enact a
financial safety net for their loved ones if such a horrid accident should
occur. Show the world that we are proud of and respect all those that died
in the national tragedy.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment