LETTER TO VICE PRESIDENT GORE
Janet R. Michel
2106 Holderwood Ln.
Knoxville, TN 37922
May 19, 2000Vice President Albert Gore, Jr.
White House
Washington, DCDear Vice President Gore,
I am writing to let you know that the Administration's bill for compensation of DOE workers is AWFUL. I am extremely disappointed in the low standards of compensation offered. Secretary Richardson pretended, in his press conference where he announced this bill that things would be taken care of. He said: We put workers in brutal working conditions. We did not protect them. We lied to them. It is time to make amends.
Do I really need to tell you the dozens of reasons why the Administration's bill is unacceptable? Put yourself in the place of a fellow Tennessean who has almost the lowest in the nation opportunity for a good education. A patriotic citizen who had a relatively good paying job in Oak Ridge is now dying or completely disabled; and/or completely on welfare, Social Security Disability, and TennCare; and/or has had their career and earning potential terminated; and has mounting medical bills and has no idea when more medical problems will arise in the future that may be even more devastating than the current ones. You know that $100,000, and even $200,000, can be gone in a heartbeat when serious medical problems arise. Please remember that we have told you repeatedly that we are not receiving proper and appropriate medical testing, diagnosis, and treatment for our conditions because DOE's contractor's insurance will not allow it.
I feel the Administration's attitude is callous. We have become political pawns and are being manipulated. We know that there are "behind the scenes" discussions that would undermine the compensation bills. Secretary Richardson said on primetime network television that deals were cut with DOE's beryllium vendor in the past. This vendor is lobbying hard in Congress right now to be let off of the hook for any responsibility. This removes another remedy for a beryllium diseased worker. We know that DOJ and DOD are fighting hard to limit this compensation for a variety reasons. Doesn't the White House have control over its cabinet?
It appears that the White House is showing no leadership in allowing the bar to be set so low in its proposed compensation scheme. I am truly amazed that it is the Democrats that are pushing for the more conservative package and the Republicans are advocating for the more liberal package! What is happening?
This nation can send relief all over the world for people in need, can get the Los Alamos residents back on their feet after the USNPS burned them out, can do almost anything it wants when it has a mind to do so. You even said as much in your book "Earth In The Balance." The absolute least it can do now is to make amends to the Cold War veterans who are suffering and paying the price for a callous disregard for their health and safety in the interest in national security.
I want you to know that I only worked at the K-25 site in 1994-6 for one and one-half years (after the "end" of the Cold War) as a project manager - an office worker - in a building that had been a nickel industrial operations area. It was never meant to be office space. I should NEVER have been put in harm's way. Yet, I now have mercury and nickel poisoning and had cyanide poisoning while I was on site. This is absolutely outrageous and should be criminal!
Be the leader I know you want to be. Do the right thing. Push hard for a compensation package that we can live with. We are not asking for a lot.
Sincerely,
Janet R. Michel