WHY BLAME THE STATE?
Rocket Man blogs a semi-defense of the French government's handling of the heat crisis:
Tragedies like this happen from time to time, but what amazed me about this article, Chirac squirms over heat 'massacre' was the assumption that these deaths were somehow the governments fault.
Since most heat related deaths are due to dehydration, what was the government supposed to do, force people to drink more water? What rational person would expect the government to protect them from the weather?
- President Jacques Chirac vowed to fix shortcomings in France's health system Thursday as he battled mounting public anger over his absence and government inaction during a record-breaking heatwave earlier this month that may have killed up to 10,000 people.
He suggests an answer.