As I mentioned a few posts ago, I set up a petition at www.wtccaptivefund.com to achieve two goals. First, I wanted to exert enough pressure on the New York government to replace the inefficient Christine LaSala from being in charge of the WTC Insurance Fund. Second, I wanted some accountability from our elected officials in finding alternatives to the WTC Insurance Fund which has already spent nearly 10% of the $1 Billion it has been allocated by Congress to deliver to the injured and dying. No other entity, public or private, could do less with $1 billion than Christine LaSala and the WTC Insurance Fund have. It’s impossible to do less than pay one claim in nearly four years while spending nearly $100 million of the $1 billion that Congress has given to the WTC Insurance Fund. That is the point of this blog and this petition (www).

One of the most infuriating things about the WTC Insurance Fund is the combination of how much 9/11 resonates with all Americans and yet how little attention this story has received. We are consistently reading in the paper about the failing health of those who worked around the Ground Zero area immediately after 9/11. We hear very little about the WTC Insurance Fund at all; even less about how the WTC Insurance Fund has failed to pay those that are suffering and dying. It’s as if the media takes the story to a certain point (i.e. the WTC rescue workers are in bad health) but not to the end (the WTC Insurance Fund has $1 Billion that should be used to help these victims, but is being squandered in fighting their cases). That’s also the point of the petition: raising awareness. In today’s viral dominated society maybe Americans will start forwarding this petition (www) to their families and friends and the numbers will get large enough that some inquiry into the WTC Insurance Fund takes place. Even if only the mainstream media catches onto the WTC Insurance Fund story I think it will be a victory for the WTC rescue workers that we are trying to help. And there is no question that the rescue workers need our help.

The WTC Insurance Fund is a monolith and has already demonstrated that they have no problem delaying payment to those in need until 2015. If this petition speeds up that process by a day then we’ll have done our job. If Christine LaSala is removed from the head of the WTC Insurance Fund one day sooner we’ll have done our job. Even if this story just gets picked up by a major newspaper or TV station we’ll have done our job. To me, this is what the WTC rescue workers deserve. Not only money obviously, but the respect of having their story told and the support of citizens galvanized beyond them. The WTC Insurance Fund would prefer to keep the story in the past and leisurely work at denying claims while their CEO Christine LaSala earns 350K and her underlings squander the money Congress gave them to manage. To help spread this message sign the petition at (www) and pass it on to others that would care.