dojN001636.xml

dojN001636.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2002-01-15

Tuesday, January 15, 2002 11:13 PM
(no subject)

January 9, 2001
To Our Elected Officials:
In the immediate aftermath of the tragic attack of The United States, on
September 11, Congress enacted the Victims" Compensation Fund of 2001 P.L.
107-42, to compensate the relatives of the victims of that brutal attack. As
you know, this Fund was enacted as part of a comprehensive package which
bailed out the airline industry and imposed restrictions of the rights of the
victims" relatives to recover damages from court. We implore upon you, as our
elected officials, to demand changes to the interim rules issued by Kenneth
Feinberg, the Special Master. As it stands, Mr. Feinberg's self-imposed rules
fail to satisfy the letter or the spirit of the legislation, which was
enacted.
Specifically, we request that you act on our behalf and demand the following
changes to the interim rules:
1. Remove arbitrary income limits.
The arbitrary income limits imposed by the Special Master are not only unfair
but also inconsistent with the letter and the spirit of the law. Those
victims from the financial industry are specifically harmed by this limit.
They were targeted and murdered precisely because of the jobs they held and
where they worked-the World Trade Center, the Financial capital of the world,
the embodiment of financial success. Those who achieved such success should
see that reflected in their awards. They personified American Business and
commerce, democracy and freedom. We ask that you demand that Mr. Feinberg
lift the arbitrary income limits so that each family can be treated fairly;
commensurate with the support they provided their families before their
death.
2. Increase non-economic rewards.
Mr. Feinberg has arbitrarily restricted the non-economic awards for pain and
suffering, no matter what the extent of the pain and suffering. This is
unacceptable. In the words of Congressman Peter King,"Å every death is tragic.
A murder is particularly tragic. But to have your love one murdered in a
burning building in full view of the world - in a scene which will be
repeated in the media for decades to come - is a horror these families will
never escape fromÅ The Special Master cannot take it upon himself to restrict
the rights of the families." Therefore, we request that the interim rules be
amended to more appropriately compensate the victims' families' for the
immeasurable pain and suffering endured by our loved ones. As Mayor Giuliani
stated in his farewell address: "we have an obligation to the people who did
dieÅ Their families need to be protected just as if they had been alive,
financially and every other way that we can help and assist their
familiesÅ There should be no compromise about that everÅ " We request that the
interim rules be amended and that compensation for pain and suffering more
accurately reflect that horror which was suffered. Justice demands no less.
Sincerely,

Individual Comment
Sarasota, FL

2002-01-15