N002521
9 January 2002
To our Elected Officials:
In the immediate aftermath of the tragic attack of September 11th upon our nation,
Congress enacted the Victims' Compensation Fund of 2001 P.L. 107-42, to compensate
the relatives of the victims of that brutal attack. As you know, this Fund was enacted as
part of a comprehensive package which bailed out the airlines industry and imposed
restrictions on the rights of the victims' relatives to sue the airlines in court. We implore
upon you, as our elected officials, to demand changes to the interim rules issued by
Kenneth Feinberg, the Special Master. As it stands, Mr. Feinberg's self-imposed rules
fail to satisfy the letter or the spirit of the legislation which was enacted.
Specifically, we request that you act on our behalf and demand the following
changes to the interim rules:
1. The arbitrary income limits imposed by the Special Master are not only unfair
but also inconsistent with the letter and the spirit of the law. Those victims from
the financial industry are specifically harmed by this limit. They were targeted and
murdered precisely because of the jobs they held, and where they worked-the World
Trade Center, the Financial Capital of the world, the embodiment of financial success.
Those who achieved such success should see that reflected in their awards. They
personified American Business and commerce, democracy and freedom. We ask that
you demand that Mr. Feinberg lift the arbitrary income limits so that each family can
be treated fairly, commensurate with the support they provided their families before
their death.
2. Mr. Feinberg has arbitrarily restricted the non-economic awards for pain and
suffering, no matter what the extent of the pain and suffering. This is unacceptable.
In the words of Rep. Peter King, "...every death is tragic, A murder is particularly
tragic. But to have your loved one murdered in a burning building in full view of the
world - in a scene which will be repeated in the media for decades to come-is a
horror these families will never escape from... The Special Master cannot take it
upon himself to restrict the rights of the families." Therefore, we request that the
interim rules be amended to more appropriately compensate the victims' families for
the immeasurable pain and suffering endured by our loved ones.
As Mayor Giuliani stated in his farewell address: "we have an obligation to the
people who did die... Their families need to be protected just as if they had been alive,
financially and every other way that we can help and assist their families...There should
be no compromise about that ever..."We request that the interim rules be amended and
redefined to the extent that income caps be removed when computing economic loss and
that compensation for pain and suffering more accurately reflect that horror which was
suffered. Justice demands no less.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Bronx, New York