[PornoDoggy]

I don't disagree that each individual is responsible for carrying his/her own life insurance. I don't really think that has anything to do with this discussion. We live under a system where you can be forced to pay for negligence that contributes to the death of someone else. That determination of negligence is made by a court, and sometimes a jury. Sucky system, I supose, until you consider the alternatives.

Part of the reason that the government stepped in to at least partially shield the airlines in this case is that the airlines are an integral part of the national infrastructure. The decisions that the airlines made related to security probably wouldn't have fared well in the light of day ... and the role of the government in setting the requirements may not have done much better. So aside from protecting the national interests by shielding the airlines, I suspect that played a role in the decisions made about compensating the victims of 9/11.

Some of the servicemembers who don't elect to take the full $250,000 in insurance are probably doing something else with the money - and for every one doing something frivilous with it, there is probably another who can't get to the free-bread giveaways they have on military bases these days. It might seem like a short-sighted choice to somebody who has never been there, either in uniform or not - just a normal part of life for common folks, however.