From what I remember, the main reason these people are getting $$$ is in exchange for not suing the airlines and IF they won, putting the airlines involved into bankruptcy.
The scary thing is that with some of the lame juries I've seen results from recently, 12 morons could indeed put the blame on the airlines.
But aren't the airlines in question either in bankruptcy or teetering on it ANYWAY?
These same 3000+ people could have died that same day under any other circumstances - get shot, heart attack, car accident, etc. If you're financially responsible for dependants, then you have life insurance. As cold and heartless as it sounds, these people shouldn't get a penny of government money. Period.
Also, if I remember reading it correctly, there is a VERY low cost $250K life insurance policy members of the armed forces can get. Not that it disproves anything - just an aside.
