P000454
Thursday, February 07, 2002 12:03 PM
Victim compensation program
Hello
I saw the Director or the "Manager" of the program on "The News Hour" last
night.
I agree that the government should do something to "help" the victims or
their
families. However, I do not believe that people should become millionaires
because of
this. I have nothing but the deepest sympathy for these people but to make
millionaires out of some of them would be ludicrous.
I saw one lady who complained that after cashing in her husbands life
insurance she would be able to keep her house and keep her children in the
same schools they are in. But she would get nothing else. What more does she
want? It was obvious she was use to a life of luxury but life is tough and we
sometimes have to make sacrifices to survive. Like getting a job.
I believe we are setting a very bad precedent here. Where does it stop? Why
not "compensate" the poor guy who goes to work and is run over by a train. Or
the construction worker who falls off a building. What's the difference?
I don't care how much money somebody's spouse made before. Life is tough and
people sometimes have to make changes in order to move one.
As far as law suits are concerned, I have serious doubts that a jury would
award a huge settlement based on a lack of airport or airline security. I
believe an attorney could show conclusively that the airlines provided the
exact amount of security the public would tolerate prior to 9ll. For example,
American airlines could show that if they implemented the security we now
have in place the public would flock to another airline to avoid the "hassle"
such security would have caused. In other words, we, not the airlines, were
our own worst enemy prior to 9ll.
Again, I can see "helping" people but making millionaires out of people is
just wrong. The real kicker here is that the compensation doesn't include any
charity they would get.
The "Master" said that he came up with a figure of $250, 000.00, which I
believe he got from the Dept. of Labor. That would be a fair amount if it
allowed for life insurance policies and any money from charity to be added to
it. If people would have to change their lifestyles because they were use to
more money, too bad. Life is tough and it should be tough for all people.
Individual Comment
Chicago, IL