W000151
Tuesday, November 06, 2001 9:06 PM
In response to the recent discussions around how to fairly and quickly distribute the funds collected by various charities due to the Sept 11th disaster, I have some comments.
i think that the real motivation behind the giving (as someone who has donated $), is to make those who suffered as whole again as possible. given that, i DO think that for this particular tragedy - which far surpasses anything in US history - special considerations need to be made. i believe that all charities who collected money for this relief should coordinate their efforts, and pool their resources. the money should be divided evenly across all victims. i do not think that charity organizers should start to get into the job of assessing who is deserving of more money - which will only complicate matters and increase the amount of time it will take to distribute the funds. the truth is that the recipients of this money will be happy to get anything (or should be) and will not say "my husband made more money than the cook at the "windows on the world" restaurant and therefore i should get more."
i do not think that people should get rich from this. there is a level of reasonableness that should be applied, to assist people with getting their lives back on track. if the pool of money is so large that people will inevitably get rich, then the scope of the recipient pool should be broadened. i know that business owners all over the city are hurting. aren't they also victims? if they have to close their businesses, don't their children also suffer? the charities should broaden their reach to assist others victimized, since they clearly can afford it.
a database should be created to ensure fair and efficient allocation of funds. there definitely needs to be an audit trail of this, for the obvious reasons and even for those we cannot envision at this time.
i know that there are funds that have been created specifically for the children of the victims; either for their education or care. i think that these funds should be kept separate, but pooled together with other like funds, and distributed evenly across all families, with the same rationale as in item #1.
i think that this should all be voluntary - all charities should come together on this and it should not be mandated. if there is no such cooperation, then someone (red cross) should set the tone and publicize their approach. this will motivate other charities to do what is fair and right.
it is great that you are reaching out to the public to get our opinion on this. a horrible tragedy has occurred which has created horrible circumstances. i donated my own money to help the victims and ensure that the ripple effect of the suffering is minimized. there will always be people out there who will complain about the process and want more money. the rules need to be simple and clear. the bottom line is that this is charity $. victims were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, but lots of people are on a daily basis. that is life. charity is a bonus.
regards,
Individual Comment