When Peter Jackson’s rendition of King Kong hit theaters in 2005 there was one aspect of the movie that hit me harder than anything else.  It wasn’t the dinosaurs, Naomi Watts, or any of the other marvelous CGI work.  It was Jackson’s recreation of the “Hooverville,” shanty towns that sprang up around cities during the Great Depression and his depiction of the hard times of the early thirties as America struggled to climb out of economic shortcomings.  I never thought I’d see the reality manifest in America in my time.  Until today.

Around the country, cities are reporting the increasing amount of “tent cities” and shanty-towns under bridges, in public parks, etc.  Sacramento has become a national symbol of the growing phenomenon, prompting Governor Schwarzenegger and Mayor Kevin Johnson to move a large portion of its now infamous tent-city population to state-owned fairgrounds where they’ll be provided with clean water, dry shelter, reliable healthcare, and warm meals.  Schwarzenegger recently delivered a letter to President Obama to accelerate the $180 million from the stimulus package to aid the growing concern.

What the hell is going on?