Passing the blame
As a society, we tend to lay the blame on others. When we seem to run out of local evildoers, we rush to blame outside ones. In the same way, we try to see machinations or intrigues behind every event. In doing so, we are often unable to see the wood for the trees. The virtually incessant and tirelessly repeated response of laying the blame on others is a characteristic of the poor-quality organization of our state mechanism, of our households, our urban structure, and our planning for emergency situations. This was once again confirmed during the recent snowstorm. However, the same problems are to be seen in the everyday activities of people, businesses and the State, where the repercussions are, fortunately, less painful. Twenty years of decentralization away from the central administration toward the periphery, the municipalities and the various coordinating bodies have only created chaos and a confusion over the division of responsibilities. As a result, an allocation of specific duties was impossible. There was no rational allocation of manpower and technical means. Different services clashed with one another, which resulted in some regions never actually receiving the much-needed aid. The inability to organize is one of the foremost characteristics of an underdeveloped society, economy and state mechanism… «As you saw, President Bush looked at the euro coin [which Simitis gave him during a photo opportunity] and showed interest in it and discussed it. And he saw the Greek side of the coin and saw that we have a presence, even in this simple way. So why should we feel that we are suspects in a way, something like school students who have to explain to the teacher what went wrong in class. For God’s sake! That is not Greece. I want you all to understand that!
