People helping people

I have to admit that I haven’t paid a lot of attention to the human tragedy that has unfolding in New Orleans. It's not that I don't care because truly I do both from the political point of view and the social. But the one thing I did notice as I am sure everyone else has is how quickly ordinary people were to respond. Celebes like Harry Connick Jr. were knee deep filthy water carrying the sick and the old to what clearly most have seemed like salvation, school children collecting tens of thousands of dollars in the first few days to help people they will likely never know, people helping people.

Ordinary Americans took what I can only describe as ownership of the tragedy. They felt it, they came together and they owned it, just like I would expect them to do. Meanwhile, the government of those same people blamed each other for the failures and did almost nothing. The first emergency response team to reach New Orleans was reportedly from Vancouver British Colombia, 4863km away.

Please help me understand this. I don't understand the dichotomy. How can people that can come together so quickly, in the absence of public authority, allow a system of government that so obviously does not represent their values. How can people that so clearly hold community, compassion and such a deep sense of social responsibility allow their elected officials at all levels to deflect blame?

No level of government is responsible for the weather, but they are responsible for the human tragedy! Hold them accountable.