Not what I would call "heartwarming"..

[Steff]

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.tr...4c13912ba008c14

 

 

Below is the "heartwarming" story of how a 9/11 widow is spending your

tax money - most all of it from the federal compensation fund you were

forced to give her for her being lucky enough to have her

decidedly-middle-class husband die in that one location at that one

time and not in a wreck on the way to work the same hour.

Remember, it's only YOUR tax money - screwed out of you by Washington -

that's allowing her to live this well. Can YOU afford to live this

well? Are YOU now down to "only" your "last $500,000?"

 

 

>From today's New York Post, below:

 

 

==============================­==============================­===================

June 12, 2005 -- Sept. 11 widow Kathy Trant has turned her Long Island

home into a $2 million showcase, traveled from the Vatican to Las

Vegas, blown $500,000 on shoes, and bought breast jobs for pals and

even strangers.

In the 31/2 years since her husband, Dan, died in the World Trade

Center attacks, she has burned through nearly all the more than $5

million she received in compensation and donations. She says she

treated the millions "like Monopoly money."

The mother of three has become a self-described "shopoholic" - and her

compulsive buying has left her with intense guilt, shame and sadness.

After the plane hit the north tower on Sept. 11, Dan called Kathy from

the 104th floor, where the 40-year-old worked as a bond trader for

Cantor Fitzgerald. He said the smoke was unbearable. "I love you, and I

love the kids," were his last words. His remains were never found.

Following the funeral, Kathy's weight zigzagged from 90 pounds to 170

pounds and down again. She numbed herself with booze and

antidepressants.

Then she began spending.

With a seemingly bottomless bank account, she threw herself into

expanding and renovating her 1,800-square-foot Northport, L.I., home, a

project she and Dan, her "soul mate" of 15 years, had discussed doing

together.

She didn't stop until she nearly tripled the square footage, and spared

no expense in decorating and furnishing her dream house.

"That's what kept me alive," she said. "Staying up late ordering

chandeliers from catalogs."

She spent $350,000 installing a full basketball court, also equipped

for volleyball, tennis and Rollerblading, and a heated pool and hot tub

in the back yard.

The kitchen has white marble countertops lined with gleaming appliances

she rarely uses. The floors are rich Brazilian walnut.

A red-white-and-blue den, which includes a shrine of Dan's mementos,

features four Peter Max paintings of the Statue of Liberty, which ran

her $15,000. There are seven flat-screen TVs around the house. In the

finished basement stands a $20,000 cherry-wood pool table.

The walls are decorated with sports memorabilia, including a Boston

Celtics ball autographed by players on the team that once drafted her

husband, who played professionally in Ireland.

In her master bedroom, she added a glass-enclosed fireplace that also

serves the bathroom, with its claw-foot tub.

With the house makeover done, she really started to splurge.

Opening her walk-in closet, Trant said, "This is my addiction."

A floor-to-ceiling shoe rack is filled with $400 to $1,200 pairs:

Prada, Marc Jacobs, Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Emilio Pucci, Vera

Wang. Handbags include Fendi and Judith Leiber, designs priced at

$5,000 each. The gowns have labels like Versace, Christian Dior and

Roberto Cavalli - each costing her thousands.

"It's disgusting. I'm ashamed of it," she said, adding she hopes that

telling her story will help others with the same problem.

"This is my misery. This does not make me happy. When I come home with

it, I have guilt, horrible guilt. You know how many starving people I

could feed with all these shoes?"

She wears 10 percent of the clothes, she said, and gives armloads away

to friends. But she keeps buying more.

"I feel if I look pretty, I'm going to find someone like Danny," she

said. "I want him to come home."

Trant's pet Yorkie, Mollie, cost $3,500; her daughter has three others.

She paid $60,000 cash for a Chevy Tahoe SUV, and also bought a BMW.

She has traveled to Italy, Jamaica, Asia and Europe; taken friends and

relatives on four Caribbean cruises for $50,000; taken 20 to the

Bahamas for $30,000; 10 to Las Vegas for $15,000; and six to the Super

Bowl for $70,000. The last couple of summers, she's paid $13,000 to

rent a 10-room North Carolina beach house for a week for her kids and

all their pals.

Trant has showered those around her with obsessive generosity.

She gave one friend $20,000 to pay her bills. She gave her former

housecleaner $15,000 to buy a home in El Salvador. She's sent $1,000

checks to a friendly clerk at Bergdorf Goodman, and treated salesgirls

at Saks to shoes.

After getting a facial in Las Vegas, she gave the beautician, a single

mom, $4,000 for breast implants. She gave a friend $7,000 for a boob

job because, Trant said, the woman "hated her breasts and didn't want

to spend her son's college tuition money."

She buys wrinkle-reducing Botox injections for girlfriends. A plastic

surgeon gives her a discount - $600 for three at a time. Trant tattooed

an American flag and "9/11" on her back and got a permanent black

stripe of "eyeliner" tattooed around her eyes, which never runs when

she cries.

She gave one friend a $3,000 watch. "She didn't take it, and I just

threw it at her," Trant said.

"My friends say, 'Stop, Kathy, you've got to stop.'"

Soon after her husband was killed, Trant said, some $3 million in

donations flowed in from his admirers and fund-raisers. Dan was beloved

as an athlete and coach of youth soccer and basketball teams.

Then, in 2003, the federal Victim Compensation Fund awarded the Trants

more than $4.2 million.

The sum was based, in part, on Dan's future earning potential. Before

9/11, the family had lived modestly, but his career at Cantor was

skyrocketing. He earned about $130,000 his last year, plus tens of

thousands in bonuses.

Kathy, who got half the government payout as her share, gave $100,000

to her mother-in-law, who wasn't legally entitled to any money. The

other half was split among her three kids - each gets $800,000 when

they reach age 18.

The money has opened some family rifts. While never close to her

father, who left Kathy's mother when she was 6, their relationship

worsened. She believes he overcharged her for doing some brickwork and

installing sprinklers in her yard after she lent him $100,000 to buy a

house in the Hamptons.

Also, Kathy lavishes possessions on her sons, Daniel, 16, and Alex, 14,

and hosts parties for their friends, trying to compensate for the fact

that they've lost their father.

But the money seems to have the same effect on them. Her daughter

Jessica was 19 when Dan died and immediately got her $800,000 share.

She's already spent most of it on clothes, vacations and friends, she

said.

Spending problems are "not uncommon" among 9/11 families who received

big cash payments, said psychologist Paula Madrid, director of Columbia

University's disaster-related Resiliency Program, which serves many

9/11 families and victims.

"I've seen it very often," Madrid said. "Some spend the money right

away on luxuries like cars and furs. They also give it away, out of

survivor's guilt and a desire to help others in need."

The compulsion to shop, she believes, stems from anxiety. Spending is a

pleasurable "distraction" from unresolved grief, she said.

"People are trying to fill a void which will never be filled by money,"

Madrid said.

A stay-at-home mom for the past 20 years, Trant is down to her last

$500,000 and worried about her future. She has partnered with her best

friend, a laser technician, to open a hair-removal and cosmetic tattoo

shop in East Norwich, The Dutchess of Dermis.

She agrees she needs counseling.

"I really don't have the will to live," she said.

[Soxy]

New York Post. Yellow journalism at its best.

[Texsox]

It does show that money cannot replace a person. It also shows that the money will not heal, or buy happiness. I disagree that she was "lucky enough to have her husband die" :headshake

[Steff]

New York Post. Yellow journalism at its best.

 

 

 

Hard to ignore the quotes straight from her mouth..

 

Poor her.. only $500K left from nearly $5 million. :headshake

[Steff]

It does show that money cannot replace a person. It also shows that the money will not heal, or buy happiness.

 

 

 

Hopefully her and her kids stay close.

[Steff]

It does show that money cannot replace a person. It also shows that the money will not heal, or buy happiness. I disagree that she was "lucky enough to have her husband die"  :headshake

 

 

I think that was a bit of sarcasm on the part of the author.. as well as describing it as "heartwarming".

[Soxy]

Hard to ignore the quotes straight from her mouth..

 

Poor her.. only $500K left from nearly $5 million.  :headshake

Oh, yeah, this lady sucks. But the money was given to her, unfortunately she's ridiculous. And unless there was some kind of stipulation saying how she needed to spend the money the government gave her she's not doing anything wrong. Except numbing her grief with worthless possessions. And it's not like it made her very happy at all. Actually, it's kind of like a Shakespearean tragedy (or it will be when the money runs out)...

[FlaSoxxJim]

It's excessive and it's sad, but she admits she's got a serious problem, is guilt-ridden, and at least she is buying a lot of things for other people. Mostly, I can only feel sorry for her, since none of the insane spending is making her happy and she's probably going to lose it all very soon anyway.

 

But the bottom line is that the settlement money didn't come with any string attached as to how to spend it so I'm not going to pass any kind of judgement. I hope she gets it together.

[Steff]

Oh, yeah, this lady sucks. But the money was given to her, unfortunately she's ridiculous. And unless there was some kind of stipulation saying how she needed to spend the money the government gave her she's not doing anything wrong. Except numbing her grief with worthless possessions.  And it's not like it made her very happy at all. Actually, it's kind of like a Shakespearean tragedy (or it will be when the money runs out)...

 

 

Sorry bout that.. I misunderstood your shot at the NYP.

[Steff]

It's excessive and it's sad, but she admits she's got a serious problem, is guilt-ridden, and at least she is buying a lot of things for other people.  Mostly, I can only feel sorry for her, since none of the insane spending is making her happy and she's probably going to lose it all very soon anyway.

 

But the bottom line is that the settlement money didn't come with any string attached as to how to spend it so I'm not going to pass any kind of judgement.  I hope she gets it together.

 

 

 

Anyone know if the Pentagon families got settlements..? Or the Okalahoma City families?

[Texsox]

Some people just cannot handle the sudden loss of a spouse in a senseless act of terrorism. In the middle of the grief, they are given millions of dollars. There are stories all over the place of lottery winners who wind up broke, or worse. And they haven't suffered a loss.

[mreye]

I think the people accepting these trips and gufts are worse. What kind of a person accepts all these trips from someone they know has a problem?

[Steff]

I think the people accepting these trips and gufts are worse. What kind of a person accepts all these trips from someone they know has a problem?

 

 

Sounds like she put up a good front of acting happy.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I think the people accepting these trips and gufts are worse. What kind of a person accepts all these trips from someone they know has a problem?

Michael Jackson Entourage... ... Paging the Michael jackson Entourage...

[Texsox]

I think the people accepting these trips and gufts are worse. What kind of a person accepts all these trips from someone they know has a problem?

 

That's the other problem. I am certain that some people smelled the money and suddenly became her friend. It seems to me she was trying to "buy friends" and probably didn't succeed. No doubt some relatives came out of the woodwork also.

 

A terrible tragedy happened down here about 15 years ago. 21 elementary school student were killed in a bus accident. Almost all the kids came from very modest means, many of the families lives at or below the poverty level, many were first generation immigrants. All of a sudden, these people, who were masters of stretching a $20 per week grocery budget, were asked to manage hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some went out and bought "dreams" like new homes and cars. All were criticized for their lavish spending. In reality they were ill equipped to handle what was a lifetime of income in one check. They fell prey to con men and their own shortcomings.

 

Even when steps are made to schedule payments, companies are out there that will advance you your settlement, giving you dimes on the dollar.

[Texsox]

Michael Jackson Entourage... ... Paging the Michael jackson Entourage...

If they are unavailable, Mike Tyson's entourage is also available . . .

[southsider2k5]

Anyone know if the Pentagon families got settlements..? Or the Okalahoma City families?

 

I know the OKC families got nothing. I don't know about the Pentagon.

[Texsox]

I know the OKC families got nothing.  I don't know about the Pentagon.

 

IIRC they questioned it when the 9/11 Fund was established.

[southsider2k5]

IIRC they questioned it when the 9/11 Fund was established.

 

Yeah that is why is stuck out to me.

[southsider2k5]

Along the 9/11 theme, this is the story of a widow of a United pilot who was killed on 9-11, whose widow is losing their pension.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/j...1,1521123.story

 

Ellen Saracini lost her husband, United Airlines Capt. Victor Saracini, when his Flight 175 crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Now she stands to lose more than half of her widow's pension in a very different kind of crash--United Airline's default of its $9 billion pension obligations.

 

The scale of the default, the largest in U.S. history, has until now received more attention than the toll on the lives of the bankrupt airline's 120,000 employees and pensioners. Saracini discussed its impact on her and her two daughters in an interview Sunday, saying she hopes her story will help shift the focus to the laws and policies that allow such defaults.

 

"My own situation is not a crisis--I have my husband's life insurance to keep us secure in our house," she said from her home in Yardley, Pa. "But a lot of other people have real hardship--medical costs they won't be able to afford, houses they won't be able to keep. If I can help draw attention to them, I'll do it in a heartbeat."

 

Saracini was among about 2,000 United pensioners and employees who e-mailed their stories to Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) in recent days for what he called an online hearing on the human impact of the default. "We have been overwhelmed--both numerically and emotionally--by the response," Miller said.

 

More than 20 other companies have defaulted on pension funds of more than $100 million in the past three years, and last week, executives of troubled Delta and Northwest airlines said they might be next. Miller has proposed a six-month moratorium on defaults as Congress debates how to fix what many lawmakers call "broken" pension protection laws.

 

In e-mails to Miller that his staff is posting online, and in interviews, United retirees recounted stories of job-hunting in their sixties and seventies, facing medical costs they no longer can afford, uprooting families to move to lower-cost communities, selling retirement homes and losing money they had counted on to support elderly parents.

 

The Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp. (PBGC), the federal insurance program that faces its own solvency crisis and is to take over the United pensions, ensures a maximum of $45,000 a year in benefits for those who retired at 65, but considerably less for those who retired younger--much as Social Security pays less to early retirees.

 

This particularly hurts pilots, whom the law requires to retire from major airlines at 60 and who now collect as much as $125,000 a year in pensions, depending on length of service. The PBGC's maximum coverage for those who retire at 60 is $28,000--a cut of 50 percent to 75 percent for pilots. Saracini will receive even less because her husband was 51 when he was killed.

 

The PBGC limits cover full pensions for most United retirees, but those still working will see their pensions frozen, meaning they will accrue no more benefits and will have less money for retirement than they had counted on--in some cases, much less.

 

For pilots, the six-figure drop in pension benefits follows losses of tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars in United stock they received in the 1990s in exchange for major concessions in pay and benefits--and were required to hold until retirement, as the stock plummeted in value. Other employees lost stock as well, but had less to lose.

 

"I call it legalized crime," said United pilot Klaus Meyer, 47, of Bethlehem, Pa. "I lost almost all my United stock value in the bankruptcy, and here's another part of the retirement I was promised that is gone. And now my Social Security is at risk. Where does it all end? You feel brutalized by the system."

 

While Ellen Saracini said she will not face undue hardship, she said PBGC officials estimated she is likely to lose 50 percent to 70 percent of her widow's pension--money she had counted on to send her daughters to college and pay for assisted living for her parents. News of the default came too late for Saracini to appeal her settlement from the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund.

 

In what she now sees as "double jeopardy," her settlement from the fund deducted the full value of her pension--including the part she will never see.

[Steff]

That is messed up. :headshake

[AngelasDaddy0427]

Honestly while it sounds horrible how many of us would do the same thing. I can only imagine how traumatic it would be. I mean your husband dies. You get a bunch of money. She more then likely has the "you can't take it with you" and "better enjoy it while you've got it" mentality. She really needs counseling...

[YASNY]

More than 20 other companies have defaulted on pension funds of more than $100 million in the past three years, and last week, executives of troubled Delta and Northwest airlines said they might be next.

 

Legalized thievery. Expect, at some point, some of the victums of this kind of crap to go into the market for RPG launchers.

Edited June 14, 2005 by YASNY

[FlaSoxxJim]

Legalized thievery.  Expect, at some point, some of the victums of this kind of crap to go into the market for RPG launchers.

What is most troubling is that at the same time the government is making it easier for big busines to default on their promises in bankruptcy scenarios, they are making it much harder for individuals to seek bankruptcy protection. This will be an incredibly painful irony for all the individuals whose retirement savings are wiped out by irresponsible big businesses that are given a free pass when the restrictions are tightened up and the individuals can't file for protection.

 

Why the country is not up in arms about this double standard I can't even fathom.

[Texsox]

What is most troubling is that at the same time the government is making it easier for big busines to default on their promises in bankruptcy scenarios, they are making it much harder for individuals to seek bankruptcy protection.  This will be an incredibly painful irony for all the individuals whose retirement savings are wiped out by irresponsible big businesses that are given a free pass when the restrictions are tightened up and the individuals can't file for protection.

 

Why the country is not up in arms about this double standard I can't even fathom.

I guess individuals just need to make bigger contributions to politcial campaigns.