dojA001656.xml

dojA001656.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-12-13

Thursday, December 13, 2001 9:34 PM
Fair compensation for low income vicitims


Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530

To Mr. Feinberg:
I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment
for all surviving families of the tragedy on September
11th, including the children and families of low-wage
workers and gay and lesbian families. Under
traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors
of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year
might receive thousands of times as much compensation
as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the
restaurants destroyed.
Justice requires looking far beyond the last
paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so
that a high minimum compensation level is set to
lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to
the survivors to first lose their loved one and then
watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who
were already well off in the first place.
The second major issue has to do with recognizing the
legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and
families. Gay and lesbian families are especially
vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the
option of marriage is unavailable, these families may
find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having
to prove that their union is legitimate.
Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New
York have already announced that they will not
discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The
Department of Justice should do the same.
Thank you for considering my comments. I look
forward to hearing how you will act on these very
important issues.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment

2001-12-13