Report: 9/11 compensation totals $38.1 billion
This is all well and good, and I would never argue that those that the civilian victims of 9.11 left behind don’t deserve to be compensated, but there is one question I can’t help but wonder about. What about those left behind by the soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, ostensibly fighting against those responsible for 9.11?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Victims of the September 11 attacks received $38.1 billion in compensation, with insurance companies picking up the largest portion of the tab, according to a study released Monday.
The report by Rand Institute for Social Justice found that civilians killed or injured have received an average of $3.1 million per person from the government, charities and insurance companies, or $8.7 billion in total.
Emergency personnel killed or injured were given a total of about $1.9 billion. First responders received an average of $1.1 million more than civilians with similar economic losses, the study found. Most of the extra money came from charities.
It would be easy to look at these payouts and contrast them with the comparatively puny payouts that go to the families of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. One could fairly conclude that the lives of the civilians killed are worth significantly more than those of soldiers, marines, sailors, and airmen who have died in the conflict with those believed to be responsible for 9.11. They’re not, of course, but what other conclusion is one left to draw?
Just a thought….
