Sacramento and Its Riverside Tent City

No, not Nairobi, not Mumbai, but Sacramento:

A tent city is burgeoning in Sacramento, Calif., prompting local officials to consider whether such an encampment should be made permanent, with plumbing and all.

The primitive settlement sits in the shadow of the state capitol and is home to about 300 people who have no toilets or running water, creating unsanitary conditions that advocacy groups worry could promote diseases like cholera. With the downturn in the economy and more working-class people losing their jobs and their homes, the tent city is expanding.

The mayor of Sacramento, Kevin Johnson, said in an interview that he wants to create a permanent tent city for the homeless, although he is not sure where it should be. He said he recognized that doing so would be difficult politically. But he said a permanent site could bring sanitation services and regulations like a ban on drugs and alcohol.

Source. How the hell does this happen in one of the richest countries in the world? Oh yeah -- they have fuck all for social programs. Meanwhile, huge numbers of houses are sitting vacant. Go figure.

Oh yeah, check out Tom Tomorrow's latest (hat tip to Blaque).