美国帐篷城规模每天在增大，失业率下的悲惨美国人

香港《星岛日报》报道，萨克拉门托市政府表示，帐篷城目前估计每周有五十人“迁入”。帐篷城居住环境恶劣，缺乏基本的卫生设施，亦没有食水供应，居民要徒步三公里到便利店和或油站购买樽装水，并依靠慈善组织派发食物和其它物资维生。

由于美国女名嘴奥普拉在自己大受欢迎的清谈节目，播出帐篷城居民的惨况，很多美国人对他们身处美国最富裕的加州，却过着恍如第三世界的贫穷生活，大表震惊。致力增取无家可归者福利的伯克坦言帐篷城的惨况令人忆起经济大萧条时的困境。他说：“惨况令很多美国人大开眼界，我们除了感到惊讶，还要用行动改变现状，因为居民的生活实在令人难以接受，恍如重返经济大萧条时代。”

不过，加州州政府的财赤近430亿美元，虽然萨克拉门托市长约翰逊（Kevin Johnson） 承认帐篷城居民情况惨不忍睹，市政府亦爱莫能助，并称考虑将帐篷城变成居民的永久居所。约翰逊说：“我不认为帐篷城是解决居民流离失所的灵药，但我认为这是可考虑的方法。”

加州去年的断供比率达327%，每天有五百人失去家园，加上失业率达一成，每月有八万人被辞退，预料帐篷城的人口将不断上升，总统奥巴马的刺激经济方案已成为他们的唯一希望。

Foreclosures and pink slips are driving Americans out of their homes and into tent cities like this one, reminiscent of the homeless encampments of the 1930s.

In the shadows of high-rise casinos, where gamblers blow millions of dollars in round-the-clock binges, a sprawling new neighborhood has sprung up in matter of weeks—a city of tents. Occupied mainly by people with homes in foreclosure, and people whose jobs have vanished leaving them with no savings, this tent city in downtown Reno is one of many makeshift homeless encampments that now dot the country. Nevada has one of the highest unemployment rates in the U.S., made worse by waves of new arrivals seeking work in the casinos (This week, a new Las Vegas casino received 25,000 job applications for its 1,000 available jobs.)

The photos in this gallery were taken on October 6, when the weather was still reasonably warm. This weekend, the nighttime temperature in Reno is expected to drop into the mid-thirties.
 

付不清的房贷和消失不见的工作把不少美国人都赶出了自己的家门，住在像下面那些图里一样的帐篷里。这让人不由得想起了上世纪30年代时美国的流民潮。