Insult to Injury

I want you to picture something.

You've lost your husband or wife in the September 11 attacks.  You've since heard more than $1.5 billion dollars has been raised to help out folks like you.  But you're not seeing any of it, or very little of it.  And, to add insult to injury, you run into a clerk who tells you, "we're overwhelmed here, you're going to have to be patient."

A friend who lost her husband relayed that story to me. But it's the follow up story that I found — and find — amazing.

She was tersely informed, "if your husband was a broker, I'm sure you have life insurance and some assets."  It turns out, she did not.

I'm not sure now is the time to start preaching to victims' families what they should or shouldn't have.

Whether they had enough, or too little insurance.  Whether they saved enough, invested enough, or did enough to plan for a rainy day.  Last time I checked, September 11 was a little more than a rainy day.

So why are we splitting hairs? And who is deciding who gets this money?

You know, these victims weren't means-tested in death. Rich and poor and everyone in between died together. Why are we starting to do the same for their loved ones, still very much alive?

Here's what I say.  Take all that money and split it 6000 ways. The same amount for everybody, regardless how rich or poor. By my math it works out to about $250,000 per family.

Who cares if some had insurance and some didn't? Some had investments and some didn't. This is not the time to say who deserves more in death.   All their loved ones are hurting in life.

Rich families. Poor families. Middle income families. All families.

Now is not the time to play judge and jury.  Because God knows these families have already heard from the executioner.

Cut them some slack and for God's sake, cut them a check — now!

Watch Neil Cavuto's Common Sense weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on Your World with Neil Cavuto.  And send your comments to: cavuto@foxnews.com