Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, January 31, 2002 10:10 AM Disappointing and Embarrassing! Although my comments will arrive after the deadline for public comments, I feel it is vital to weigh in on this subject. As I understand the victim's compensation fund, it is an opportunity for those who were harmed, either directly or indirectly, to be adequately compensated for this harm, in such a manner not to cause undue financial hardship. However, the alleged victims who already possess great wealth and benefits, are the very individuals who are willing to look a "gift horse in the mouth," as they say. It is beyond my realm of thinking that the so-called wealthy victims are intent on gouging their fellow Americans. Worse, the fact that any policymaker would provide these individuals with an open forum, as well as an open checkbook, is also beyond. Let us think about this dilemma in real terms. If my husband (and I am unmarried) were to die serving this country, the government is unwilling to provide me with up to one million dollars. However, if I am a wealthy financial investor who died in the world trade center, and I have a million or so dollars in a life insurance because I could afford it), and received substantial compensation from the many charitable funds for victims of 9/11, I am still permitted to request a million dollars in compensation from taxpaying Americans, who have lost loved ones in other crimes such as drive-by-shootings, murder, etc. Does anyone see the hypocrisy in this decision? If the wealthy are financially okay, then compensating them is uneccassry. This fund is not about a person's future earnings lost, or increasing personal wealth, this fund is to ensure that those who have suffered do not suffer more by becoming homeless, uneducated, and losing any future that they might have had if this incident did not occur. The only request that I make is that those wealthy enough to afford and sustain a lengthy lawsuit not tie up our court systems for what is simply an act of terrorism - a horrific crime. It is not the airline industry's fault, it is not the Clinton Administration's fault, and it is not the Bush Adminstration's fault; it was simply that of murderers committing crimes on a very large scale. That is it. Don't let these people convince the American public that they are now being victimized by the government. They do not have to sign paperwork relinquishing their right to sue. However, if they are making a choice to sue because they are not in need of any financial assistance - compensation, then that is their choice. Do not make it my choice. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE - USE MY TAX DOLLARS TO BENEFIT THOSE WHO HAVE THE LEAST CHANCE OF SURVIVING THIS CATASTROPHE. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-31 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojP000306.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-31