Have compassion for Californians

0 Comments | USA TODAY, October, 2007

It's obvious that USA TODAY reader Martin Schwartz has never been exposed to such conditions as existed in Southern California this past week ("Take precautions when living on the edge in California," Letters, Friday).

Schwartz wrote that "any taxpayer funds used in the Southern California wildfires first should be earmarked to help people relocate to safe areas. Then the money should be given to the firefighters who must risk their lives because people built homes in high-risk areas."

But if Californians were to avoid building in high-risk areas, they would have to avoid building from Santa Barbara to San Diego. The conditions were so severe that there weren't any safe areas.

If Schwartz applied his logic evenly, then he probably should advise...