dojA003864.xml

dojA003864.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-12-16

Sunday, December 16, 2001 5:58 PM
compensation to victims families

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
Melrose, FL

2001-12-16