9/11 vs Military Compensation

I don't know if I am disturbed by the fact that the families of 9/11 think they are worth so much, or that military families are worth so little. I believe the families are exploiting American tax payers and no one will put a stop to it. In my opinion, Rush Limbaugh is right. The reason we pay millions of dollars to the victims of 9/11 isn't to honor the lives of the ones that died that day, it is because none of the people in control want to be seen as the political 'bad guy' that denied benefits to the victim's families.

Great people die everyday, including countless military men and women. To base compensation on 'potential lifetime earnings' is ridiculous. Who is to say one of my friends wouldn't have won the lottery? Shouldn't we compensate his family a couple hundred million dollars, just in case? Who is to say the corporate CEO wouldn't have been hit by a car and been killed on 9/12? Then what? Then the families would be forced to rely on the pensions, life insurances and nest eggs that they still have; in addition to the millions of dollars they demand from tax payers.

My brothers and sisters in battle left all they knew and loved and died on the frontlines of the war on terror. Their families receive a couple thousand dollars, a flag and a thank you. Most of the families deal with their loss and struggle to move on. Military service members want the same things everyone wants, for our family to be taken care of and a better life for our children.

I am disgusted that military families are forced to live on food stamps and state funded programs like Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) because there is no budget for military pay raises, yet we pay millions of dollars to one family because he 'had potential'.

I am not insensitive to the fact that they have experienced a tragic loss. But, I do not feel it is any different than any military family who lost a loved one. Hell, it is no different than anyone who has lost someone they love. How do you fairly compensate someone for losing a loved one?

For me it is simple. Give my children lower rates on school loans, grants, scholarships or investment options. Cut them a break to start a business or buy a house. We do it for the color of our skin, our sex and our heritage. I don't think that would be too much to ask.