My personal opinion of why this came into being is this:
Members of the Military are generally recruited from the lower-middle class on down. They do alright but don't have a lot of money. They don't wield a lot of influence or political power (they would if they could work together in unison come vote time etc). And because they volunteer for the military, the general public sees them as disposable. Would you pay a premium price for a disposable lighter or pen?
Probably a majority of people in the ROTC programs who join the military to pay for their education due so not because they want to be in the military but they are trying their best to get ahead in life and don't have the means to do it otherwise. They are essentially risking their lives to get that education.
I personally don't understand the entitlements the victims get. I think this is part of the same mentality that allows you for suing a company if the coffee they serve you is "too hot" and you accidently spill it on yourself and end up getting burnt. I feel there should be some kind of social benefits to help people out but there are other options here too. The people in the world trade center could have had life insurance policies to protect their families in case they died...after all you could die at any moment. Car accident, heart attack, allergic reaction, etc.
However the World Trade center was full of wealthier people with a lot more political power....and those people are not viewed as disposable....
In North America we pretend we have no class system but we do: its all about how much money you have. If you have it you're part of the elite club, if you're not you're just another number.
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