How Much Is a Life Worth?

[decocker 7,198]

Indeed, victims of the first World Trade Center bombings in 1993 never saw any money, nor did the 168 killed and 680 injured in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Nor did the 13 troops killed and 30 wounded by a gunman at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. The Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three and injured more than 260 others, can be viewed as a test of whether Congress still wants to redress personal injuries caused by a terrorist attack. It doesn’t.

But if the government is out, everyday donors aren’t. The $60 million that Feinberg administered in Boston was all private money, which gave him license to disperse it any way he saw fit. Funds sprung up to assist victims of the shootings at Virginia Tech, Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn. Obama persuaded BP to set aside $20 billion for businesses and communities harmed by the oil spill after its Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in 2010. Feinberg was involved in each of those efforts.

All of this raises fundamental questions of fairness, he says. On one hand, the 9/11 payout was an expression of political sentiment; few Americans objected. And as far as private money goes, well, that’s the marketplace in action. Donors are free to send checks in one case and not another, just like they’re free to choose between the Jerry Lewis telethon and the March of Dimes. On the other hand is the unsettling feeling that human life ends up being valued in all manner of disparate ways, based on publicity, geography, the nature of the crime, and the identities of the victims. “It’s horrible,” Feinberg says. A woman who lost a spouse in the Boston bombings will receive more than $2 million. A family who lost a child at Sandy Hook Elementary will see less than $300,000. Meanwhile, the families of African-American children killed by stray bullets on the streets of Chicago, Washington, New Orleans, and elsewhere may not be able to cover the cost of the funeral.

http://news.yahoo.com/much-life-worth-220007395.html

[Darnell 8,478]

location, location, location !

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

http://news.yahoo.com/much-life-worth-220007395.html

A sad but good read.

[Karee 4,190]

I've wondered about that. I guess it all depends on how you punch out. Better to save for your family or have life insurance in case you're just the average Joe who get's killed in some weird auto erotic asphyxiation episode. Always plan for the unexpected.

[Teddy B 17,252]

On a side note about the Boston Bombing. I thought far too much was made of it and I was to the point of embarrassment to see how far they dragged it out in the media. The whole Boston Strong thing was a joke and nothing but a marketing campaign. I felt bad that the tragedy in Texas that happened a few days after the Boston bombing got very little attention compared to Boston, yet there was much more loss of life.

Edited August 2, 2013 by Teddy B

[SMR 368]

...the average Joe who get's killed in some weird auto erotic asphyxiation episode...

Sounds pretty average to me.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

I've wondered about that. I guess it all depends on how you punch out. Better to save for your family or have life insurance in case you're just the average Joe who get's killed in some weird auto erotic asphyxiation episode. Always plan for the unexpected.

I can't place it, but something is wrong with you.

[decocker 7,198]

i find it interesting that the author refers to the identities of the victims playing more of a role in value, seems to me it's more the identity of the killer/assailant.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I've wondered about that. I guess it all depends on how you punch out. Better to save for your family or have life insurance in case you're just the average Joe who get's killed in some weird auto erotic asphyxiation episode. Always plan for the unexpected.

ALLA!!!!!!!!!! He says you can die from that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!