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).