dojN000034.xml

dojN000034.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-12-20

Thursday, December 20, 2001 4:49 PM

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 lovedone 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
Grand Rapids, MI

2001-12-20