The 9/11 Victim Compensation Program

The government's September 11 victim compensation program is turning out to be the same old routine on three fronts: (1) throw tax money at the problem; (2) the rich get richer and the poor get pennies; and (3) some of the rich who will not get any money (because, quite frankly, they don't need it) are screaming because they will not get richer.

Congress established the compensation program, in part, to provide quick relief to the survivors of the dead so that they would not have to wait years for the court system to decide what, if anything, they could receive from whom, if anyone. The ball was then tossed to the Justice Department which, in turn, came up with a formula that is based on the deceased person's income, family size and age at death—with the result being the mess noted above.

What is being overlooked, of course, is a simpler solution that will not create a "Bashir-the-camel-cart-driver" problem. (Bashir Ahmed was a simple Pakistani camel-cart driver. When, as vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson was visiting Pakistan, he invited Bashir to visit the U.S. Bashir did make the trip and was treated like royalty. He was later discovered, in the mid-1980s, living in a Pakistani slum, his relatives having stolen everything.) Following is my proposal:

(1) Pay off any mortgage for the families of the deceased. If the family was not buying a house, then help them find one and pay for it.

(2) Pay the property taxes and utility bills for the lifetime of the surviving spouse, so that the family is assured of a place to live.

(3) Provide a food and clothing allowance (adjusted for inflation) for the spouse and dependent children of the deceased.

(4) Provide comprehensive medical coverage for the spouse and dependent children of the deceased, and for those individuals who were injured and their dependent children. This last group includes all of those who can show that they were caught up in the debris cloud when the World Trade Center towers collapsed.

(5) Provide scholarships to the spouse and dependent children of the deceased, and to those individuals who were injured and their dependent children.

(6) Provide no-interest loans to business owners so that they may relocate or rebuild.

(7) For those individuals or families who slip through the cracks, the nonprofit groups (Salvation Army, Red Cross, etc.) should provide tax-free assistance for as long as the individual, or their spouse and dependent children, need it.

8) If they do not already have one, a licensed financial advisor (of their choice) should be provided for the families of the deceased and injured. (Remember Bashir!)