P000618
February 07, 2002
Mr. Kenneth R. Feinberg
Special Master
September 11th Victim's Compensation Fund
U.S. Department of Justice
Tenth Street and Constitutional Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20530
Dear Mr. Feinberg:
I am writing to express my concerns in reference to the recent announcement you made about the
terms and tentative figures of the September 11th Victim's Compensation Fund. As an American
taxpayer I am overwhelmed by the six billion-dollar estimate you have dedicated to the fund and
by the arrogant act of cloaking it as consensual "compassion." While my heart goes out to the
victims of this terrible tragedy and I wish it had never happened, it disturbs me that our
government has devised a formula to calculate the dollar value of life. Further, I am distressed to
learn that you, a government representative, have full discretion to determine the amount each
family receives. Not only do I question the ethical motivation and implementation of this
program, I am sickened to learn retribution has been withheld from those who are not married or
are homosexual. I wonder if this program intended to show government kindness or were other
motives at play. Why are some compensated and others denied because of sexual preference?
Why are some victims of September 11th receiving restitution when society has been the victim of
heinous crimes in the past?
As Special Master you determine and adjust final payments, life and its value are left to your
discernment. You may perceive this a fair act; yet it appears you are acting with godlike
authority disguised as human compassion. Sadly, your compassion is at the expense of me, a
taxpayer, who was given no say. I did my part to help families; my compassion is represented in
1.6 billion-dollars raised by charities. Still this is not enough for the government, they want to
do more. What I find most unethical is the worthiness factor our government utilizes in
reference to this tragedy. Settlements of 1.6 million were not given to the families at
Columbine. The IRS would turn a deaf ear to the cries of those who could not pay their income
taxes, yet this year if they lost a loved one in the terrorist attacks they receive a ten thousand-
dollar credit. I doubt those who lost savings in the Enron debacle will be eligible for
waivers on estate taxes for property values up to 8.5 million dollars. The problem is no
consistency, no standard regulating government intervention. Government has stood by in tragic
times before and offered only their condolences. Why now have you come bearing large
settlements?
Just as distressing is the fact our government has hesitated to include life partners, be they
homosexual, heterosexual, or transgender. You have even questioned whether children of these
relationships fall within disbursement guidelines. Where lies your compassion? Again, your
worthiness factor is further victimization in and of itself. I was aware that suffering was
reserved for those involved in heterosexual marriages. To subject gays, lesbians and life partners
to more extensive scrutiny defeats the purpose of charity. The Bush administration has called
upon America to treat one another with dignity and respect regardless of perceived differences.
This is your opportunity as a government representative, to heed the call of our President and help
all those who lost someone they loved. The notion that tragedy and suffering know no bounds
takes on new meaning when our government acts no less heinous than the terrorists. The terrorist
attacked all of America regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation or economic standing, yet
you are choosing to compensate with regard to.
Because acts of terror and crime affect us all equally, I would like my government to take a more
equitable and progressive stance on compensation. This bill was passed twelve days after the
terror attacks, a time of great uncertainty. Now that we have had time to collect ourselves I
would like to see Congress develop an absolute and ethical system of retribution. Whether
abstaining from victim compensation or developing a program extending payments to victims of
all crime, there needs to be consistency. The function of government is to provide those public
goods and services the private sector overlooks. Selectively compensating victims of certain
crimes is wrong and not the business of government. We can not let raw emotion and terror cost
taxpayers billions of dollars in deficit spending. In a time when we are scrambling for social
security benefits I am perplexed as to how Congress accessed funds in excess of forty billion
dollars in a matter of days.
The tragedy of September 11th jarred our sense of security. This is no excuse for government to
lose sight of their function or purpose. Now is the time to unify and rebuild as a nation.
Calculating what a life was worth and deeming people worthy of retribution reduces life and all it
could be to dollar signs. I ask you, now who has committed the greater crime against humanity?
Government is the formation of elected represenatives whom people deem worthy. I implore
you not to shamefully establish selective precedence for victim compensation at the arbitrary
discretion of government. We pay a dear price for living "in the land of the free." Freedom has
always had a cost and sometimes that cost is enduring suffering. America is no exception. Allow
us to move forward with dignity do not fortify our enemies belief that Americans are heartless
and only care about money. I look forward to your response please send any correspondence to
the above address.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Bellingham, WA