dojA005501.xml

dojA005501.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2002-02-04

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
Napa, CA

2002-02-04