Like many other countries all over the world, Hungary is now learning to be a democracy. One year after the free elections (1992), two old women complained to the mayor of a northeastern Hungarian village: they had difficulties with breathing in their bedrooms. Their home was flooded with carbon dioxide of natural origin coming from the soil. The mayor, elected by an 80% majority of the village, declared an emergency situation in the two houses, asked for the help of the Member of Parliament representing the region, and alerted both the Civil Defence and the Government Health Office. Within a month the Government gave 7 million Hungarian forints (US $100 000) to the village for survey and mitigation operations from the National Catastrophe Fund. An Operating Committee was created to co-ordinate the work of 25 different institutes. Research was done in a small part of the village, and the foundations of the two houses were reconstructed in 9 months at a cost equal to the value of the houses themselves. A happy ending, isn't it? But where is the democracy in this story? Breathing problems due to carbon dioxide can be recognized even by dictators, and if they have enough money available to solve the problem in this way they can even show spectacular results. People's gratitude will be guaranteed.
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