The administrators of the Hokie Spirit Fund have announced how they plan to distribute some $7.5 million to Virginia Tech’s mass shooting victims and their families. Reports Matthew Bowers with the Virginian-Pilot:
Families of those killed will be eligible for $180,000 in cash, or the same amount in a combination of cash and fully or partly endowed scholarships in the names of victims. … Those injured could receive $40,000 or $90,000, depending on how long they were hospitalized, plus free tuition to complete their studies at Virginia Tech. … Others injured, and those who escaped injury but were in the Norris Hall classrooms involved in the shootings, can receive free tuition or a $10,000 cash payment.
Perhaps someone can explain to me, what is the purpose of reimbursing families for the loss of their children to the tune of $180,000? I am totally sympathetic to the families of victims for the grief they feel. But if any one of my three children died in such a horror, I can’t imagine that any amount of money would console me. I would have no desire for the money. (I could use it, trust me, but I wouldn’t want it.)
In fairness, the distribution protocol does allow recipients to endow scholarships in the names of victims. But the tenor of article suggests that a goodly number of people think $180,000 is not enough. What’s that all about? And what’s this about giving $10,000 to people who survived the shootings? Sure, they experienced a horror, but they weren’t even injured. Nobody’s giving cash pay-outs to the soldiers returning from Iraq.
This seems to be part of a larger phenomenon, the spread of the entitlement mentality: If something bad happens, I’m entitled to compensation, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of who pays. As the Washington Post reports:
Some slain students’ relatives, who plan to meet this weekend, appeared unimpressed by Feinberg’s decision on distribution of the fund. “It was expected. We’ve got to take a look at it and decide if there is going to be a response or not,” said Joseph Samaha of Centreville, whose daughter Reema was killed in Norris Hall.
The announcement is another step in the tense discussions between state officials and some family members over how much money they should receive to compensate them for their losses and cover outstanding bills.
Several relatives of slain and wounded Virginia Tech students, who believe that the school was negligent in its response to the tragedy, have said they think they are entitled to more money, in addition to the disbursements from the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. Some have suggested a taxpayer-financed compensation fund, which Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) and Virginia legislators said they will consider.
Bottom line: Something horrible happened to my kid, and somebody is going to pay — even if they had nothing to do with it. Thus, society is held collectively responsible for the acts of a madman.
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