A001613
Thursday, December 13, 2001 5:25 PM
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
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