I found the following article on
Newsmax.com
Jesse Jackson: Compensate Katrina Victims
Rev. Jesse Jackson is calling for the creation of a Hurricane Katrina Victims Compensation Fund that could dole out tens of billions of dollars to New
Orleans flood victims over and above the $60 billion already appropriated by Congress for reconstruction.
"We need a Hurricane Victims Fund to provide resources to the affected people and families, based on the same compensation and assistance formula of
the 9/11 Victims Fund," Jackson says on his Rainbow/Push web site.
The 9/11 fund distributed $7 billion to the families of those killed in America's worst terrorist attack, in exchange for a promise that they
wouldn't bring crippling legal action against American and United Airlines, whose planes were hijacked.
Jackson's call for a 9/11-style Katrina fund echoes former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, who's urging Congress to establish a Katrina victims Bill
of Rights that would include compensation.
Outlining his plans Monday night in a speech at the University of Pennsylvania, Morial slammed the Bush administration for what he said was its
"miserably failed response" to the storm.
Morial suggested that a massive victims payout would "ensure that this never happens again."
O.K.... so where do we draw the line? "Well your family member died in the initial storm, so no money for you. Your family member died when they
drank contaminated water the next day, $10,000 for you. Your family member got shot while looting? Sounds racist, $20,000 for you."
Give me a break, yes the response to the situation was awful, but this was an act of God/Mother Nature/Father Time, whatever. What's next, pay people
off when a hailstorm bangs up their car so they don't sue the NOAA for not calling them personally to let them know a storm was coming?
Whatever happened to personal responsibility?
I'm not saying that these people shouldn't be helped, but between the $60 (probably more to come) from the government, everything being donated to
Red Cross (that doesn't end up in their pocket), let alone the Salvation Army and every other charity out there, I don't think there's going to be
a shortage of help for those that need it. But the line has to be drawn somewhere. It's a terrible tragedy, but it also a tragedy that so many will
use it as a way to get all that they can out of it.
[edit on 9/14/2005 by yadboy]