9/18 Anybody else annoyed at all this bickering over money for those who
died on 9/11? I understand that they need the money. But why is
private life insurance not enough? Why does the US gov't have to
get involved in paying the families? We're talking about something
like 1+ million dollars per family. This is on top of the life
insurance they're getting.
\_ Anybody who could ask questions like this must really hate America.
\_ not at all. I don't hate America but I also don't
think that the federal government owes anybody
anything because of 9-11. They didn't bomb the WTC,
pentagon, or pennsylvania, after all.
\_ Maybe this is not compensation but disaster relief aid? But $1M per
family of relief aid is way too much compared to aids in other
disasters. It's all politics in this case.
\_ Maybe the other cases didn't get enough and should? Who is to
say?
\_ Are you saying every family who has members killed in a car
accident or a fire or a robbery should get $1M from the
federal govt?
\_ Is a car accident a national disaster requiring relief?
\_ No, and that's my point. Why do families of killed
victims of 9/11 "require" $1M fed aid while those of
killed victims of random car accidents or bank robberies
don't?
\_ i suppose the gov't is responsible more for WTC
because it was the gov't that pissed off bin laden.
\_ it has nothing to do with "responsible" as the
morally bankrupt would claim. it has to do with
scale. when one DUI rams his car into a wall, the
country goes on. when 3000 people die, 4 planes go
down, 2 *HUGE* buildings are gone, and the pentagon
gets a big hole in it, people need to know the govt
is doing something. disaster relief for family
victims is one small part of that.
\_ I thought our impending invasion of Iraq was
our government's way of letting the people
know that they're doing something.
\_ Nothing to do with it.
\_ It was a reflexive response. Note that for all those killed
in the Sept. 11 attacks (including non-Americans) are getting
the money. In the Sudanese embassy bombing, only Americans are
being compensated (this means non-citizen employees and
bystanders killed/hurt by the blast are not getting money).
It's all very emotional. See the Red Cross incident.
\_ The reasonable bickering is about cases like the Red Cross who
ostensibly raised money for the families of the victims, but then
were *very* stingy about actually giving it to them. Given the
public response for the victims, I don't see a need for federal aid
for the victims (except perhaps in helping them contact the various
charities). |