P000363
Sunday, February 03, 2002 11:36 AM
comment on the victims fund
Can I make a practical suggestion about the victims' fund? count the number of estates of the people who perished in the attack and divide the money equally between them. That's it. No complicated formula based on past income or current bills, no taking into account life insurance to reduce the amount. We are equal under the law and should be equal in government compensation resulting from an attack on the nation.
Some people may have a minor reduction in their standard of living -- but those are the very people that have assets and life insurance. The amount of money that is being given should ensure that they never fall into poverty, or even the middle class . And if the children of a dish washer at the Windows on the World have their standard of living improved, that is a tiny comfort for the loss they suffered.
There is no way to adequately determine which life was more valuable than another. Just because someone had a higher income on Sept. 11th doesn't mean that he wouldn't have bankrupted a company in 10 years and cost millions their life savings or that the firefighter wouldn't have raised a child that would cure cancer some day or pulled 100 people out of a burning building -- or the other way around.
This issue should not be tearing us apart. It should not even be a source of the tiniest friction. Every single person in this country would give whatever they had to the families of the people who lost their lives -- not only out of love and gratitude and grief but also as a symbol of defiance against the beasts who perpatrated this terrible action.
Let's apply some American common sense to the problem and just split the money evenly. There is plenty to go around and if you need more, just ask.
Thank you.
Individual Comment
Washington, DC