dojP000526.xml

dojP000526.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2002-02-17

Sunday, February 17, 2002 1:54 PM
Comments to Victims' Compensation Fund

I lost my father on 9/11 at the WTC. If anyone wants to change places with me and my family for the $0 we will receive from the federal government, please be my guest. Because my family had the foresight to have insurance, the government will deduct many these "collateral" offsets, award my family a sum of $0 and therefore say that my father's pain and suffering was worthless. Til this day we don't know what his pain and suffering entailed because our wonderful NYC medical examiners' office failed to tell us that DNA samples must be provided in paper bags, not plastic bags; this resulted in thousands of DNA samples yielding no successful DNA material. So more than 5 months later, the families are being victimized again, and have to provide mouth samples of the deceased person's children, parents or siblings.

For all those critics who think their tax money shouldn't go to 9/11 victims, would you want this to be you? As our government has told us, these terrorist attacks aren't over yet, and the next attack could potentially be worse than 9/11. So, how would you like to be attacked as "money-hungry" and "greedy" if your loved ones are the next to be inflicted by terrorist attacks? Please don't judge any of use until you have walked in our shoes.

In the days after 9/11, my family and I prayed and hoped for days, answered the telephone for days, searched in hospitals for days and were even given a false sense of hope by some distasteful list on the internet listing names of "survivors" who in fact weren't survivors.

While my family was experiencing this, Congress, in the middle of the night, took away my fundamental rights as a taxpaying CITIZEN to sue the airlines, Silverstein properties, the INS, FBI and CIA - all whom are responsible for allowing these perpetrators

If taxpayers complain about giving the victims' families their tax money, then I hope you express your disappointment with how our federal government took your taxes but yet failed to protect 3,000 innocent people who went to work on 9/11. Do you express concern how your tax money is spent on welfare recipients or on US-funded scholarships for IMMIGRANTS? The government didn't give me a dime for my education. My father worked 38 years to pay for my education and pay his taxes so in the end the government could turn around and kill him and then take fundamental rights away from his family.

Let me discuss the non-economic award of $250,000 under this compensation fund. This amount is added to life insurance, pensions, 401K, SS benefits, etc. And if a victim worked long enough and saved enough in any of these plans, then our government says "sorry, you made too much money for your pain and suffering to be recognized by us".

What about the pain and suffering of the families left behind? CBS will be airing a tape on March 10th. This tape isn't just of buildings crumbling. It shows the faces and the screams of the people in terror as they escaped or helped others escape. It provides the sounds of bodies hitting the pavement. Once again, the families of the perished will be victimized. Do you still think that $250,000 for pain and suffering (which could end up being $0) is enough? I wish Congress could take CBS's right to free speech and freedom of the press away, just like they took away my rights to sue by capping the airlines liability.

Don't judge us until you have walked in our shoes. Again, never say never, because your family may be in this terrible predicament one day.

Individual Comment
Staten Island, NY

2002-02-17