dojN002213.xml

dojN002213.xml

born-digital

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2002-01-22

Tuesday, January 22, 2002 8:58 AM
Comments on 9-11 Victims' Compensation Fund


What happened on September 11 was unbelievably tragic. However, there have been countless other tragedies this past year. Consider these:


* In October, the 28-year-old daughter of a friend died from breast cancer. She left a husband and two children under the age of 3.


* Just before Christmas last year, the husband of a friend died very suddenly from heart failure. He left a wife (who is suffering from a debilitating disease) and two children.


* In November, the daughter of another friend committed suicide after a long battle with depression. While she was unmarried and had no children, her loss devastated her parents.


I am certain that, if you asked the families of these people who died, they would tell you that their loss was no less than that of the families who lost loved ones on September 11. However, none of these people can look to the government for payments of $1+ million.


I have first-hand experience at this as well. I lost my husband very suddenly when I was only 31 years old. At that time, I had a year-old baby. What did the government do for me at that time? I received the Social Security death benefit of $255 and Social Security for my daughter. But there was no payout of millions of dollars to compensate me for my loss, and I can assure you that the loss that I suffered -- and the losses of my friends noted above -- was nothing short of horrible.


I am outraged to hear the 9-11 victims' families whine about deducting life insurance, pensions, 401Ks and other sources of income from their victims' compensation fund payouts. While I don't deny that they have suffered a loss, what makes them think that they are now ENTITLED to become millionaires because of that loss? What about all of the other "victims" this year who left families who are not receiving a single penny?


Thank you,
Individual Comment

2002-01-22