dojN002669.xml

dojN002669.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-01-09

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Feel free to use the letter provided below, or express your thoughts in your own words. Thank you.

January 9, 2001
To Out Elected Officials:

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, "Severy 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 fromSThe 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 dieSTheir families need to be protected just as it they had
been alive, financially and every other way that we can help and assist
their familiesSThere should be no compromise about that everS" 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.

Sincerely,
Individual Comment - Widow of
Huntington NY

2001-01-09