dojA001623.xml

dojA001623.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-12-13

Thursday, December 13, 2001 6:17 PM
fair treatment with September 11th family compensation

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
Berkeley, CA

2001-12-13